A senior prohibition and excise department official today said that collective efforts are needed to effectively tackle the drug menace before it assumes alarming proportions.
The statement of prohibition and excise department Commissioner R V Chandravadan assumes significance in the backdrop of the department conducting investigation into the high-end drug racket that was busted earlier this month in the city.
"Drug menace is not just a challenge for the police and the excise departments, but it's a social challenge and it has to be fought on a multi-front basis before it assumes menacing proportions," said Chandravadan.
"Involvement of the entire society is needed in spreading awareness on the consequences of drug menace," he said.
Following directions from Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to officials to book cases against those involved, however influential they may be, Chandravadan said the excise department has gone into an action mode.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the excise department has arrested 15 people in connection with the racket busted in the city on July 2, that supplied high-end drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA).
It is suspected that people from the film industry, employees of MNCs besides school and college students were among their customers.
He said the purpose is to take certain hard measures as part of investigation by going into the depth of the issue and to understand the magnitude of the drug menace in the city.
"Unfortunately, certain sections are projecting Hyderabad as the drug capital of India, which is not true. The situation is no doubt serious. The department has launched a full-scale investigation into the entire issue -- procurement, transportation, sale and consumption of certain banned psychotropic substances," he said.
He further said "I think going by the experience of Punjab and to some extent in Delhi, we have not reached those proportions. But, in case we don't wake up and don't initiate necessary measures we may be in a serious situation. Hence, our CM directed us to go all out against the menace."
"Right now the situation is disturbing...We do know the seriousness of the matter. Though it is a humongous task before the department, we will definitely show results on the task given by our CM," he said.
As part of its ongoing probe into the cases registered in connection with the racket, the SIT sleuths summoned 12 Tollywood personalities and has questioned some of them since last week on their alleged links, if any, with those already arrested in the drug peddling.
According to Chandravadan investigation into the cases is continuing on the anticipated lines. "We are not interested to only question certain sections of the society...We will be going into the various cross sections based on the leads and information that is being gathered."
Without naming filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, who passed certain comments on a social networking site with regard to the ongoing investigation into the drug scam, the excise commissioner said "at this point of time any efforts to criticise by certain sections of the society and certain (film) industry people...Will only dilute the entire seriousness of the problem."
"Right now we are concentrating on this menace and we hope to achieve significant results shortly," he said.
Chandravadan further requested the event managers and DJs to spread anti-drug messages in programmes they participate, adding such events, gatherings should not become undetected way for transacting, consumption or peddling of drugs.
Seeking cooperation from the citizens by informing the government if they come across such activities, Chandravadan said "vigilance is required on the part of the society and we have to identify who these people are and isolate such people who are prone to this drug menace."
"The issue is definitely going to be under control. With help from everyone we should be able to achieve this target to make Hyderabad a drug-free city," he said.
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