The drug mafia in Himachal Pradesh will be further tightened in the days to come. The Sukhu government in the state passed a bill to amend Section 37 of the NDPS Act and make it more stringent. In this bill, a provision was made to make drug trade non-bailable. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri introduced this bill in the House.
The bill has a provision of zero tolerance policy to make the state drug free. It has been recommended to the Central Government that all agencies related to drug control be allowed to be strengthened. The amendments proposed by the Government of Himachal Pradesh should be included in the Central Act NDPS-1985, so that drug trade can be curbed.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that in the bill, where drug trade has been recommended to be made completely non-bailable, drug peddlers will be punished with imprisonment of at least 10 to 20 years and a minimum fine of Rs 5 lakh. It has also been recommended to impose fine. There is a provision of life imprisonment for those who do drug business by forming gangs. There is also a recommendation for confiscation of property.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that apart from tightening the noose against those involved in the drug business, it has also been recommended to bring the stakeholders on a single platform and form committees at the state and district levels.
