CM Sukhu Leads Anti-Chitta Walkathon, Vows to Crush Drug Mafia in Himachal

Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday warned stern action to wipe out the drug mafia from the state. He said this after leading an 'Anti-chitta Awareness Walkathon' in Dharamshala.

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. The Chief Minister accompanied the children throughout the entire stretch till the concluding point of the rally, Dharamshala Police Grounds, giving clear message of the commitment of the government to wipe out chitta and other drugs from the state. Sukhu also interacted with children and encouraged them to join the fight against chitta and other psychotropic drugs.

While addressing the massive gathering at Police grounds, the Chief Minister signalled strict warning to the chitta mafia and said that the drug peddlers will be stamped out of their hide outs. He said that his government has shown the courage to invoke the PIT-NDPS Act to deal with the drug mafia. Under this law, 46 major traffickers have been detained.

Issuing a warning, he said, “Every single rupee earned from drugs will be seized. 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.

Sukhu stated that the government has activated the entire state machinery - Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Special Task Force (STF), the police, education, health, social justice department - and the citizens in the war against drugs.

“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 stated.

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.