Despite crackdown, drug abuse continues to be growing concern

Despite various measures being taken by the police and the government, the drug abuse continues to be a growing concern.

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As per data, the Ambala police had registered 116 cases under the NDPS Act in 2024 and arrested 198 persons. Of the total cases, 32 were of commercial quantities while 77 were of intermediate quantity.

In the current calendar year, 36 cases have been already registered, including 10 of commercial quantity, 25 of intermediate quantity and 55 persons have been arrested. Opium, charas, sulfa, poppy husk, ganja, heroine and intoxicating medicines are the common substances recovered.

Sources said the peddlers were sourcing the drugs from Delhi, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and several other states. Since Ambala is situated on the transit belt, a number of registered cases were related to the narcotics recovered in transit. The drugs were meant to be supplied in other states, including Punjab, Himachal, J&K, and Uttarakhand but were caught in Ambala while smuggling.

During a survey, the Ambala police had identified over 500 peddlers, and over 1,300 drug addicts in the district. After counselling, while 203 are getting indoor treatment, 500 are getting outdoor treatment.

There are 16 drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in the district. Besides Ambala, patients from neighbouring districts and states come here for treatment.

Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria said, “The Ambala police had some good recoveries and suppliers were arrested. To break the nexus and the supply chain, we are focusing on arresting the main suppliers. Their links are being identified. The department has identified drug-prone pockets, including the wards in urban areas and villages along the Punjab border. A close watch is being kept and appropriate action is being taken.”

“On the other hand, our teams are holding awareness campaigns to motivate people to shun drugs and share information about people involved in drug trafficking. Sports activities are being held to encourage the youth to take up sports, make them physically fit, and to keep them away from crime and drugs. Over 9,170 persons, including 200 addicts, participated in these activities”, the SP said.

According to police, 208 villages and 27 wards have been declared drug-free and efforts are being made to make the remaining parts of the district drug free too.

As many as 17 illegal properties belonging to 13 drug peddlers were demolished and a proposal to demolish assets of six more was pending. Similarly, properties worth around Rs 5.91 crore belonging to 12 peddlers were attached. Additionally, six cases against persons involved in drug trafficking under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act were proposed of which two have been approved by the government.

Chitra Sarwara, an Independent leader, who has been raising the local issues, said “The police and the government have been claiming that action is being taken but still a large number of cases of drug peddling and addicts are coming to light, and it shows that still a lot of efforts are required on the ground.”