Drug menace spreading tentacles in Haryana, Khattar govt sleeping: Cong's Surjewala

Chandigarh: Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala Friday alleged that the drug menace was spreading its tentacles in Haryana but the Manohar Lal Khattar government was in a slumber.

The unprecedented spread of addiction to drugs, particularly that of heroin, charas, ganja, opium and poppy, poses an imminent threat to the lives of youths of Haryana as the state's place on the frontline of development and progress, he said.

''Udta Haryana' is now a stark reality, with the state now becoming an epicentre of drug consumption and transportation,' Surjewala alleged in a statement, adding the state government was in a slumber.

"Needless to add the spread of the tentacles of the drug mafia poses unprecedented danger to the peace and security of the state," the Congress general secretary further said.

He alleged that the BJP-JJP government, particularly Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his deputy Dushyant Chautala, 'seem oblivious to the widespread reach and penetration of the drug mafia and the rapidly deteriorating situation of drug abuse in Haryana'.

Surjewala claimed that the tentacles of the drug mafia have spread across the state -- from Sirsa, Fatehabad, and Ambala to the entire National Capital Region, including Faridabad and Gurugram.

"In 2022 alone, Haryana police seized 24,000 kg of drugs and narcotic substances. Out of this, 5.790 kg of heroin, 40 kg of opium, 4,650 kg of poppy husk and 64 kg of ganja were recovered from Sirsa alone," he said.

"In 2023, between January 1 and November 30, the Haryana Police has already recovered 23,555 kg of drugs and narcotic substances," the Congress leader said, adding the spread of the drug menace can be gauged by the fact that 10 drugs-related FIRs were lodged every day between January 1 and November 30.

What is most worrying is that the state police registered 313 cases of commercial quantity of drugs in the period between January 1 and November 30. This shows a high incidence of distribution, sale, peddling and transportation of drugs, Surjewala said.

Of course, the police registered 2,142 cases of intermediate quantity of drugs, he added.

"Compare these figures to the fact that in the year 2015, the number of drug-related FIRs was 1,661, in the year 2017 there were 2,247 FIRs and in 2018 the number of drug-related FIRs was 2,587. This exponential increase evidences the fact that the spread of drug abuse is rapidly rising year after year in the state as the BJP-JJP government does very little," Surjewala alleged.