Multi-Pronged Approach Needed To Destroy Drug Mafia And Rehabilitate Addicts: UP CM

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said a multi-pronged approach is needed to destroy the entire network of the drug mafia and rehabilitate addicts.

Addressing a meeting of the National Narcotics Coordination Portal (NCORD) state level committee, Adityanath said the problem of drug trafficking was not confined to a state and is widespread, and efforts to deal with it should also be integrated.

All the forces involved in enforcement should unite and take action in this direction, he said.

"There is a need to intensify the campaign against illegal manufacture, purchase and sale of drugs and drug trafficking in the state. Gather reliable information, make a better action plan and then, after careful planning, take decisive action.

"Whoever is found involved in such anti-social work, the strictest action should be taken against them including attachment of their properties. It is necessary to destroy the entire network of the drug mafia," he told the officials of central and state governments attending the meeting.

The chief minister said vigilance and intelligence will have to be further improved in sensitive districts and it should be increased on the interstate and international borders.

Along with the Home Department, the Urban Development and Rural Development Departments will also have to cooperate in this campaign, he added.

Stringent action should be ensured against the drug mafia with better coordination, he said.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has decided to set up a new zonal headquarters in Gorakhpur, he said.

"The state government should make available the necessary land, resources for the headquarters building. This effort of NCB will be our big ally in ending the illegal drug business in the state," he said

He stated that people involved in the illegal business of drug trafficking are the enemies of society.

"A zero tolerance policy should be adopted in such cases. It is necessary to hear NDPS cases in fast-track courts, so that criminals are punished expeditiously. Under the NDPS Act, special courts should be constituted in the districts with maximum pendency of cases. Necessary action should be taken in this regard at the government level," the chief minister said.

Taking important steps last year for well-planned and effective action against drug trafficking in the state, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force was constituted by the state government in August 2022.

ANTF has all necessary powers for search, seizure, arrest, attachment and investigation. It is a matter of pleasure that in the national conference of ANTF heads, the system of Uttar Pradesh was considered ideal and exemplary for other states, he said.

All necessary resources should be made available to the ANTF, he said.

At present ANTF police stations have been established in Gorakhpur, Meerut and Barabanki while its five units are functional.

Now, in the next phase, police stations should also be made functional in Jhansi, Saharanpur, and Ghazipur, he said.

In 2020, more than 11,400 criminals were arrested, while in the years 2021 and 2022, 11,749 and 11,595 people were arrested respectively.

As many as 64 people have been arrested in 26 cases by ANTF alone, while illegal drugs worth Rs 27.43 crore have been seized, he said.

The fight against drugs is not the fight of just one government, it is the fight of the people, he said, adding that the fight against drugs has to become a mass movement.

He directed officials to prepare for a statewide awareness programme on drug addiction between September 25 (Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's birth anniversary) and October 2 (Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary).

Efforts should be stepped up to raise awareness about de-addiction in educational institutions, he added.

Voluntary and non-governmental organisations like 'Apna Ghar' in Varanasi have done inspiring work in the direction of rehabilitation of drug addicts, he said.

Such non-governmental organisations and religious organisations will have to be encouraged in all the districts.

In the first phase, preparations should be made to set up such rehabilitation centres at all divisional headquarters, he said.

A multi-pronged approach is needed to destroy the entire network of the drug mafia and rehabilitate addicts, he said.

-With PTI Input