Kumari Selja Sirsa MP while addressing media persons strongly condemned the ruling Haryana Government for its failure to fast growing menace of drug abuse in the state. She expressed the situation as dire with drug addiction among youths spreading rapidly and causing numerous deaths and ruining their lives. Shelja said that drug abuse was particularly severe in Haryana’s districts neighboring Punjab and Rajasthan which include Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh, Ambala and Kurukshetra have become a hub of drugs. She said the areas adjacent to Uttar Pradesh including Karnal, Sonepat, Faridabad and Gurugram are also heavily affected, criticising the ruling government for taking no stern action against drug smugglers.
Shelja expressed her concern over the increasing number of women also involved in drug abuse seeking medical help. However, the BJP government in Haryana state had set up a Narcotic Control Bureau in the state which proved not very useful since the number of cases of drug abuse has witnessed fast increase in the past couple of years. A study revealed that in 2021 nearly 95,863 people visited outpatient departments OPD) for drug-related issues in government hospitals, which included 28,283 women. The number of victims affected by drugs continued to grow in 2022 and 2023.
According to the data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 329 people have died due to drug overdose since 2014 which include 33 overdose deaths occurred in the past 18 months mostly in areas adjacent to Punjab and Rajasthan border which were of age between 18 and 30. According to Shelja, out of Haryana’s 22 districts as many as 13 districts are severely impacted by drug addiction. Information also revealed that drugs are being supplied and consumed by the students living in hostels as well as Paying Guest (PG) houses where working males and females are residing.
Shelja accused the current government of being inactive, claiming that had it taken proper action, drug traffickers would not have been able to operate in the state. She criticised the ruling government for turning the state into a drug haven, and accused it of neglecting the issue while focusing on rallies and festivals instead of addressing the problem. She assured people that if Congress came to power, tackling drug addiction would be among its top priority. Shelja also criticised the government for shortage of psychiatrists and not setting up adequate drug de-addiction centres, urging immediate and effective action to address the crisis. Sources reveal, there are drug de-addiction centres located all over in the state run by the state government. There are also private drug de-addiction centres in rural areas merely functioning as earn money collection centres.
