Satish Handa
Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in a meeting with saints to cooperate with the state government in curbing the social evils in the society especially fast increasing cases of drug smuggling and drug addiction in youths as well as water conservation in the state at official residence on his 70th birthday to seek their blessings. He said saints and great men have always worked to make people aware about social evils. Among those present in the meeting included Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Member of Parliament (MP) from Alwar, Mahant Balaknath and Swami Gyananand.
During the meeting, Rajesh Khullar, additional chief secretary, information, public relations, languages and culture department, said that the state government is taking strict action against the drug peddlers in a special campaign with the help of STP and Narcotic Controle Bureau in the state to eradicate such evils in the state. He disclosed that more than 500 persons have been arrested so far and the state government has attached properties of such anti-social elements smuggling and selling drugs as well as attached their properties of value worth over Rs 37 crore, besides another properties of value are being attached shortly.
Khuller said the government has constituted a special task force. further strengthened narcotics cells at the district, range and state levels and so far more than 5,000 arrests have been made in Haryana and large number of criminals and drug smugglers on on police radar. Khullar said a mobile app ‘Saathi’ has been created to prevent illegal sale of intoxicated medicines. Also, software HAWK has been developed for a database of criminal activities and an inter-state drug secretariat has been established at Panchkula, he added.
Khuller said that the state government has prepared a special action plan for de-addiction and 52 de-addiction centers have been opened in the state, besides, de-addiction wards have been opened in government medical colleges and de-addiction centers have been set up in civil hospitals of 13 districts. He said, apart from this, toll free anti-drug helpline number 9050891508 has been started on which citizens can give information and ‘Dhakad’ programmes are also being run to save the youth from drugs.
Khuller told that in the meeting, advisor (irrigation) to CM, Devender Singh said the state government is taking concrete steps towards water conservation. He also informed about the recently organized two-day ‘Water Conclave’ in which a future action plan for water conservation and water harvesting was discussed. He expressed concern over fast declining water under ground in major area in the state. Meanwhile, on the eve of bir birthday the CM Manohar Lal Khatter gave employment opportunity to 896 youth through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam.
