E-Paper
STF police stations to combat drug menace up & running in HP
Police stations, empowered to independently register and investigate cases, have been set up at Nurpur, Una, Shimla, Kullu, Baddi, Sirmour, Mandi, Dharamshala, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Dehra
The Himachal Pradesh government’s special task force (STF) police stations aimed at combating drug menace are up and running in the state, officials said.
They said these police stations, empowered to independently register and investigate cases, have been set up at Nurpur, Una, Shimla, Kullu, Baddi, Sirmour, Mandi, Dharamshala, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Dehra.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had in January announced the STF to combat drug menace and organised crime. The move came in response to a spurt in consumption and smuggling of synthetic drugs over the last few years, and heroin addiction making inroads to the rural pockets, mainly Shimla, Kangra, Una, Sirmaur and Solan.
Officials had said the situation was dire in areas bordering Punjab.
The STF, headquartered in Shimla, will submit fortnightly progress reports to the government, which will review actions and strategies, as needed.
STF’s primary objectives include dismantling drug trafficking networks, taking action against drug kingpins and organised gangs and strengthening intelligence gathering through faster forensic protocols. “The task force will conduct coordinated raids, seize illicit assets linked to the drug trade and implement preventive detention measures against habitual offenders,” said a senior officer, requesting not to be named.
The STF will also monitor the activities of de-addiction centres to prevent their misuse.
According to the official notification, any STF police station’s jurisdiction will correspond with the police district concerned.
The STF police stations in Nurpur, Una, Shimla, Kullu, Baddi and Sirmaur will be headed by an additional superintendent of police or deputy superintendent of police rank officer and the ones in Mandi, Dharamshala, Chamba, Solan, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Dehra have an inspector as in-charge.
