Himachal to rope in corporate, hydel power producers to combat drug menace

The state government will involve two main hydel power projects Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited(SJVNL) and National Hydro Power Corporation(NHPC) in setting up rehabilitation centres for drug addicts.

Himachal Pradesh government, which has witnessed a spurt in drug related cases in the past ten months, has now decided to rope in corporate and hydel power project promoters to combat drug menace in the state.

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The state government will involve two main hydel power projects Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited(SJVNL) and National Hydro Power Corporation(NHPC) in setting up rehabilitation centres for drug addicts.

SJVNL runs the largest power stations-1500 megawatt, Nathpa Jhakri and 412 megawatt, Rampur projects, while the NHPC has four main projects in Himachal including 180 megawatt Baira Suil project, 1071 megawatt Chamera stage I, II, III project and 520 megawatt Parbati III.

“The government has decided to set up rehabilitation centres in the state with the help of two power project promoters and other companies,” said a senior government official.

“The power companies are being encouraged to set up centres under corporate social responsibility” he added.

The state government has also urged industrial houses in Himachal to contribute in setting up the rehabilitation centres.

As of now, the government has decided to set up four de-addiction centres in the state.

“In the absence of drug de-addiction centres, addicts are approaching centres outside the state. We have not received any formal request from the government as of now. We will act as per the corporate social responsibility guidelines as and when we get the request,” chief general manager, SJVNL, Nand Lal Sharma said.

Drug menace has raised serious concern in the hill state. The issue was also discussed in the monsoon session of Vidhan sabha and lawmakers had called for taking strict measures to curb the menace.

‘Chitta’, the new lifestyle drug

‘Chitta’ a new lifestyle chemical drug is quickly catching up with youth, ringing alarm bells for the government as well as for anti-narcotic drug agencies in the state.

The white-powdered drug, Chitta, is an extract of opium laced with synthetic drugs, which is cheaper than heroine.

This year, so far, the Himachal Pradesh police has registered a total of 788 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the state.

During a campaign, police had arrested 1,002 peddlers, including nine foreign nationals mostly Nigerians.

Kullu district is the main hub for illegal cannabis trade in the state. Traditionally, the villagers in Kullu used hemp fibre to make baskets, ropes and slippers for selling in the market. However, foreign tourists in the late 70s taught villagers to extract an intoxicating resin from the cannabis.

Since then, ‘Hashish’ from cannabis sativa is being sold at exorbitantly high rates to drug cartels in the Parbati valley for the past four decades. Hashish produced in Malana, known as the Malana Cream is famous all over the world and is said to have given a boost to nacro tourism.

Chitta gives run to cannabis

Kullu has been infamous for producing world famous marijuana and charas that has high demand in the international market. Lately, the synthetic drug, Chitta is causing havoc in the state. Many youngsters in the district have died due to drug overdose. The families, however, hide the deaths due to social stigma.

“More cases of synthetic smuggling are coming to light in Kullu district. Synthetic drugs have caught up with people in the region, “ Kullu superintendent of police, Shalini Agnihotri said.

Himachal Pradesh government initiated a special drive to nab drug peddlers but the porous interstate border and paucity of staff in the police force was one of the factors that impacted the anti-drug drive in the state.

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur had also taken an initiative to bring chief ministers of the northern states together to combat drug menace. The government has also directed police stations to constitute Nasha Nivaran Samitis to disseminate the ill-effects of drugs and collect intelligence on drug smugglers in the state.

During the anti- drug campaign, police had sensitised students in 1,025 schools in the state. The police has also roped in mandals and self-help groups (SHG) to fight drug abuse. A total of 2,05,835 citizens have been covered under the awareness campaign carried out by HP police till date.