Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Thursday said necessary amendments will be made in the law to bring in a provision to confiscate the property of drug peddlers. A special task force (STF) would also be formed to break the supply chain and take stern action against the drug mafia, he said. The CM said that an advisory board under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act would also be constituted to check the menace. Sukhu, who chaired a meeting with senior officers of the police, Home and Law Departments late on Wednesday night, stressed the need for initiating strict measures to curb the drug menace. He said a modern de-addiction centre and rehabilitation centre would be set up which will be equipped with the latest facilities and skilled supportive staff to bring those addicted to such substances back into the mainstream. He said drugs were weakening the youth and the need of the hour was to nab the culprits at the earliest and book them under the law. "We will seek the support of the Union Government to evolve a mechanism to share intelligence inputs and take joint actions to control the problem in an effective manner by making necessary amendments in the central legislation on drug menace," he added. Expressing grave concern over drug abuse, the chief minister said people should be made aware of the ill effects of the drugs. "We need to coordinate with the neighbouring states to check this menace, especially in the border areas," the Congress leader added, directing the officers to take appropriate measures to save the young generation from being dragged into the clutches of the drug mafia.
