Shimla: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today led the Anti-chitta Awareness Walkathon in Dharamshala in which large number of school children and people from various sections of society took part in the event concluded at the Police Ground. The walkathon, which started from Dari Ground Dharamshala was marked with anti-drugs slogans with students and the citizens carrying placards giving message of Drug Free Himachal and eradication of all type of drugs including the fatal chitta from the State, concluded at Police Ground Dharamshala. The Chief Minister accompanied the children throughout the entire stretch till the concluding point of the rally, giving clear message of the commitment of the Government to wipe out chitta and other drugs from the State. Besides, children taking selfies with the Chief Minister Sukhu also interacted with them and encouraged them to join the fight against chitta and other psychotropic drugs.
While addressing the massive gathering at Police ground, the Chief Minister signaled strict warning to the chitta mafia and said that henceforth, the drug peddlers have no place to hide anywhere in Devbhoomi. He said that although the PIT-NDPS Act was not invoked for years, the present State Government has implemented it on the ground. Under this law, 46 major traffickers have been detained. Issuing a warning, he said, “Every single rupee earned from drugs will be seized and we have proven and have confiscated Rs. 46 crore worth of illegal property”. He said that this was the new Himachal. “We will not stop until every trace of Chitta is wiped out from Himachal. This fight is not just against traffickers, it is against the entire network of Drug mafia and their empire”, he asserted. Anyone found selling drugs to our children, will land in jail, their game ends here, he remarked.
Sukhu stated that Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Special Task Force (STF), the police, education, health, social justice department and every citizen were now standing united against chitta. He said, “Today I am not here as a Chief Minister, but as someone carrying a responsibility. I stand here as a shield, to protect your future.” He added that the fight against chitta was not just a campaign, but a battle to safeguard the future of the youth. The battle has now reached mission mode, he said strongly.
There were many challenges when the Government came to power but we decided to confront them head-on. “Together, we have broken the backbone of major drug suppliers and inter-state gangs,” he said. Seeking cooperation from every section of society, the Chief Minister announced a reward to be provided to those giving information about those involved in Chitta business. The awards include Rs. 10,000 for up to 2 grams of Chitta, Rs. 25,000 for 5 grams, Rs. 50,000 for up to 25 grams, Rs. 5 lakh for up to 1(one) kg, and Rs. 10 lakh for on more than 1(one) kg. He added that rewards above Rs. 5 lakh would be given for helping burst major networks. Information can be provided at the emergency number 112, he added.
He also administered an anti-drug pledge to the youth. A para-glider from Indru Nag landing at Police Ground carrying an anti-chitta message was also an attraction.
Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Ayush Minister Yadvinder Goma, Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Chairman HPTDC Raghubir Singh Bali, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice-Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Planning Board Bhawani Singh Pathania, MLAs Sunder Singh Thakur, Rakesh Kalia, Suresh Kumar, Sanjay Awasthi, Malender Rajan, Harish Janartha, Neeraj Nayyar, Hardeep Bawa, Ranjeet Singh, Kamlesh Thakur, Anuradha Rana, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, DGP Ashok Tiwari, and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
