DHARAMSHALA, 18 February 2025—Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur criticized the Himachal Pradesh government’s handling of the drug crisis and urged for immediate, coordinated action to combat the growing menace.
Addressing the media, he assured that the opposition is ready to support any efforts by the government to tackle drug abuse at every level.
“The rising drug abuse in Himachal Pradesh indicates the government is not taking the issue seriously,” Thakur said. “In just three weeks, four young lives have been lost to drug overdoses. This is unacceptable.”
Thakur noted government reports in the assembly that confirmed 11 overdose deaths since the formation of the Sukhu-led government, up until July 31, 2024. However, he stressed that the actual number is likely much higher due to unreported cases.
“Many families, under social pressure, do not report drug overdose deaths. The true scale of this problem is far worse than the official figures,” he remarked.
The former CM also reflected on the steps taken by the previous BJP government to address the issue. “When we were in power, we understood the importance of public involvement to dismantle drug networks,” he said.
“Our government launched the ‘Himachal Drug-Free’ app, which was downloaded by over 50,000 people, leading to over 4,000 complaints. Effective action was taken by the police on those complaints.”
Thakur also pointed out that the BJP government worked closely with neighboring states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Rajasthan, to curb cross-border drug trafficking.
“Drug traffickers would shift to neighboring states when pressure mounted here. We made strategic moves to work together with these states and enhanced police activity, even creating a new police district in Nurpur to expedite action against traffickers,” he explained.
Thakur concluded by criticizing the current government for its perceived complacency. “The present government must act swiftly and decisively. We stand ready to support them in any initiative to rid our state of this drug menace,” he said.
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