Karnataka government to form ministerial task force to combat drug menace

Siddaramaiah also announced formation of a Ministerial task force, as he underscored the government's "zero tolerance" policy towards drug abuse and said it would make all honest efforts to get rid of this 'social menace'.

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday formed a ministerial task force, headed by the Home Minister to weed out the drug menace in the state.

In addition, the CM revealed that the government is mulling over bringing amendments to strengthen the anti-drugs law or even chalking out a new one to ensure stringent punishment. He said that the objective is to make the offence non-bailable, attracting a maximum of lifetime imprisonment for the drug peddlers.

He announced the task force after a high-level meeting with various ministers and stakeholders, including top police officials.

The six-member task force will be headed by Home Minister G Parameshwara.

The team will include Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, IT/BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj minister Priyank Kharge, medical education and skill development minister Sharanaprakash Patil, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Madhu Bangarappa, and Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar.

“Earlier, task forces were at the officer level; now we are making it ministerial level for strict monitoring,” CM said, adding that the government is considering drug abuse as a serious issue and would show "zero tolerance."

During the meeting, the stakeholders chalked out an action plan to combat drug abuse.

Siddaramaiah called for a collaborative effort to combat drug abuse and directed departments of police, higher education, social welfare, urban development, and health to coordinate well.

Stressing that the students are among the most vulnerable to drug abuse, he attributed the rise in cases related to drugs to lack of awareness and poor enforcement.

Siddaramaiah said that school and college students will be involved through NCC and NSS to monitor drug abuse in educational institutions. In addition, resident welfare associations, NGOs, and the Social Welfare Department will be involved to raise awareness.

Siddaramaiah stressed the sale of synthetic drugs in medical shops as a major problem and directed the Drugs Control Department to keep vigil on such shops by conducting regular inspections and canceling the licenses of the stores selling unauthorised synthetic drugs.

CM subtly sent a warning to the police officials and said, “Station House Officers (SHO) and other officials know the drug peddlers and their sources; nothing happens without their knowledge. We will hold them responsible for not controlling the drug menace.”

He placed the responsibility on the Chief Secretary to initiate action against officials across departments who fail to perform their duties.

The Ministerial Task Force will oversee all aspects of drug abuse with regular meetings and ensure better enforcement of the law.

Addressing the press, Siddaramaiah noted that 50 per cent of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) registered in the state are from Bengaluru. Mangaluru held a 22 per cent share among the NDPS cases in the state.

CM particularly noted that most peddlers are from the eastern part of Bengaluru, which DH had also reported earlier this year. He noted that drugs are coming into the state from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.