HP second only to Punjab in drug addiction: Kashyap

Shimla MP Suresh Kumar Kashyap on Thursday informed the Lok Sabha that Himachal Pradesh stood second only to Punjab when it came to the rising levels of drug addiction.

Kashyap shared data from school surveys and addiction among government employees and attacked the Congress government of the state for failing to take steps to curb the menace.

He said that Himachal Pradesh, known as Devbhoomi, was increasingly falling into the clutches of addiction. “After Punjab, Himachal is second in drug addiction. Due to addiction, the youth are losing their vitality. A recent survey of 204 schools revealed that 9 per cent of children took injections. In drug de-addiction centres, 35 per cent children are addicted to ‘chitta’, a synthetic drug made from heroin,” Kashyap said during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha.

He said that in the past two months, 473 drug cases had been found in Shimla alone. He lamented a poor 27 per cent conviction rate in Himachal under the NDPS Act.” The administration has also been unsuccessful in tackling the drug menace. Sixty employees of the state government were also found taking drugs in the power, education and police departments and the chief of the state says action will be taken after six months,” Kashyap added.