Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 23: Intervening during a question in the Legislative Council today, the Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said that a multi pronged strategy has to be evolved to check the menace of drug trafficking and strict action initiated against the persons involved.
The question was raised by Yasir Reshi, which was replied by the Minister for Health and Medical Education, Lal Singh.
In his reply the Minister said that the Government has adopted a policy to control drug trafficking, broadly based on promotion of use of Narcotic and Psychotropic substances for medical and scientific purposes, while preventing their diversion from illicit sources and prohibiting illicit traffic and abuse.
The Minister said that a State level Apex Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary has been constituted which holds regular meetings for prevention of cultivation/drug trafficking in the state. He said Government has taken initiatives like establishment of drug addiction and treatment centres, strengthening regulatory mechanism of State Drug Control, preparation of Standard Treatment Plan (STP) based on treatment requirement of an addict, sensitization of consumer population and continuous monitoring mechanism in this regard has been evolved.
The Minister said that no person has been put behind the bars during the last 5 years for trafficking of drug formulations. He said 3 cases in Srinagar 1 each in Baramulla, Kupwara, Kulgam and Shopian and 3 cases of habit forming drug cases were registered.
G N Monga, Shehnaz Ganai, Qaisar Jamsheed, Sofi Yousuf, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo, Haji Inayat Ali, Surinder Choudhary and Vibodh Gupta raised supplementary questions.