Panchayat in Himachal Pradesh orders families of drug addicts to pay fine

Hamirpur (HP): The families of drug addicts will be liable to pay fine prescribed by the Mahila Mandal and drug-free families will be honoured with the title of ideal families, the Lambloo gram panchayat here has said in an order.

Located near National Institute of Technology (NIT) in the suburbs of Hamirpur town, the Lambloo panchayat is headed by Kartar Singh Chauhan.

A former educationist, Chauhan has formed drug-free committees in the panchayat wards, entrusting the responsibility to eradicate drug abuse to women workers.

"The families whose people are drug addicts will pay the fine prescribed by the Mahila Mandal," Chauhan said.

He added that families with no drug addicts, including those who abstain from smoking, will be honoured with the title of 'ideal families'.

According to the panchayat order, the women in-charge of the committees are going door-to-door to collect signatures from women on undertakings stating no one in their house smokes or consumes other intoxicants.

The resolution letters need to be deposited in the Panchayat Bhawan office. If any person is found to be addicted to drugs, the women workers will have to assure the panchayat that such people will get rid of their addictions within a stipulated time period, the order said.

Earlier, Chauhan had initiated campaigns against drugs with the help of administration and government officials. He had also launched a similar campaign in the government offices located around the panchayat.

NIT Hamirpur was in the news last October after one of its students died of an alleged drug overdose on the campus. This was followed by recovery of contraband in the institute during searches conducted by the police.

Nine persons, including the drug suppliers, peddlers and students, were arrested in connection with the death and recovery of drugs, the police had said.