Drugs have reached every village, street and locality of Haryana: Bhupinder Singh Hooda

Chandigarh: Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday alleged that ever since the BJP came to power in the state, drug dealers have fearlessly spread their network and drugs have reached every village, street and locality.

He said the increase in drug addiction in the state can be gauged from the fact that in the last five years, about 15 lakh people from various districts have sought treatment at hospitals and de-addiction centres of government medical facilities.

Hooda said the figure can be higher as more people are trapped in the quagmire of drug addiction and do not come forward for treatment.

"Ever since the BJP has come to power in the state, drug dealers have been having a field day and they have fearlessly spread their network all over the state. Today, drugs have reached every village, street and locality of the state," the Congress leader alleged.

"The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment presented a report in the Rajya Sabha in December 2023," he said, adding that according to this report, 16.51 per cent of drug addicts in Haryana use opium and other opioid drugs, such as heroin.

"Eleven per cent of people use ganja (cannabis), 'bhang' and hashish for intoxication, while five per cent of people also use narcotics taken for sleep and a large number of people also use cocaine," he stated.

"According to the ministry, teenagers of Haryana are also getting caught in the clutches of drugs like bhang, ganja, hashish, opium, heroin and cocaine. Not only this, a large number of teenagers are also being pushed into the business of drug smuggling," Hooda said.

He said most of the patients who reached hospitals and de-addiction centres were from the districts bordering Punjab and Rajasthan.

"This means the Haryana government knows from where drug addiction is coming in the state, but still no action is being taken, making it clear that the government is deliberately promoting drug addiction in the state," the Congress leader alleged.

He said "increasing unemployment" in the state is also a reason for the growing drug addiction.

"Youth frustrated by unemployment are getting trapped in the clutches of drug addiction and crime and are ruining their future. The BJP sitting in power is constantly making policies which increase unemployment, crime and drug addiction in the state," Hooda stated.