The Chief Minister said that ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ would be observed as ‘Anti-Drug Day’ in Kerala. (file)
Thiruvananthapuram:
The ruling LDF and the opposition UDF in Kerala on Wednesday resolved to jointly fight the rising drug menace in the state with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announcing strong measures to check the menace in the Assembly.
Detaining habitual offenders for two years without trial, creating a data bank of those punished under the NDPS Act and ensuring maximum punishment for offenders were among the various measures announced by the Chief Minister.
The otherwise warring ruling and opposition benches engaged in a constructive discussion when Congress MLA PC Vishnunath came out with a notice seeking an adjournment motion over the alarming rise in drug cases in the southern state.
With over 16,000 drug cases reported so far in 2022, he drew the immediate attention of the government to the need to check the growing menace in society.
He said that narcotics have become a big curse for criminals, eyeing profit, targeting even small children studying in state schools.
The MLA also narrated an alleged incident in a school where a 14-year-old boy sexually abused 11 children by giving them drugs.
In his reply, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that it is an indisputable fact that drug consumption and trade have been posing a threat to the society for some time now.
Mentioning that it is not limited to the state or the country, he said that the LDF government is looking at it with utmost seriousness.
“There has been a tremendous increase in the number of arrests in the recent past for smuggling and selling drugs and it is the result of concerted efforts made by the government agencies,” Vijayan said.
The Excise and Police Departments are looking for coordinated narcotics in the state.
Citing the figures, the Chief Minister said that in 2020, 4,650 cases and in 2021 5,334 cases have been registered in relation to drug abuse.
A total of 16,128 cases have been registered till August 29 this year.
If 5,674 people were arrested in 2020, the number increased to 6704 in 2021.
“So far this year, 17,834 people have been arrested in drug cases,” the chief minister said.
If substances like hemp were widely used in the past, the current major threat was the widespread availability and consumption of synthetic drugs, he said, adding that such drugs are also making their way into educational institutions through various means.
He also stressed the need for a coordinated approach of various government agencies with people’s support and participation in ending drug abuse.
Giving details of the various measures being implemented by his government, Mr Vijayan said that habitual offenders involved in drug cases will be detained.
The Chief Minister said that many times the history sheets of those involved in such cases would be prepared and they would be continuously monitored. He said that steps would be taken to celebrate ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ as ‘Anti-Drug Day’ and spread awareness in the state. Programs will be organized in educational institutions on this occasion.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA), NCC, NSS and similar platforms in educational institutions will be used to fight the evil.
During the discussion, the opposition UDF members wholeheartedly supported the efforts being made by the government in the fight against drug abuse.
During the chief minister’s reply, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala sought Centre’s intervention to amend the NDPS Act to ensure stringent punishment for those involved in illegal drug trade.
According to the law, those caught with ganja weighing less than one kg, take advantage of the loopholes of the Act and abscond. The Chief Minister accepted his suggestion and said that the laws have to be strengthened further to save the society from danger.
Welcoming the steps announced by the government to curb this menace, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, VD Satheesan said that the society should start a united fight against drugs, which according to him is a major challenge before Kerala.
Appealing to the government to give priority to this issue, Mr. Satisan said that the drug mafia has laid a trap everywhere targeting children. He said that during a visit to a de-addiction centre, he noticed that 37 of the 85 young prisoners were girls.
As he supported the government’s campaign against drugs, the opposition did not press for the proposal.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)