Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has made an appeal to all sections of society to cooperate in the fight against the menace of drugs.

Stating that it would be his priority to make the state free from the scourge of drugs, Shiv Pratap Shukla called upon the people of the state to cooperate at every level so that the youth could be saved from falling prey to drug abuse.

The governor said this while presiding over a meeting of senior officers of the Himachal Pradesh Police Department held at Raj Bhavan on drug abuse and illegal trafficking.

“The Panchayati Raj and educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, research institutes, experts, and common citizens can immensely contribute and play an important role in making the society drug-free,” he said.

He said that the police force, along with other social organizations, has a great responsibility to spread awareness amongst the masses.

Apart from this, measures to be adopted to tackle the drug menace can be taken up with the civil and police authorities of the bordering states which will help rout this evil thoroughly, said the governor.

The Governor said that the issue was also part of the discussion when he called upon Prime Minister, Narendra Modi after becoming the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

A planned strategy has to be chalked out to fight this social evil, asserted the Governor.

He expressed satisfaction that the State Police Department is doing its job well to capture illegal drugs in day-to-day Nakas and is also spreading awareness in society about drug abuse and its consequences.

“Himachal Pradesh is also known for its tourism potential thereby adding to its economy but under the pretext of tourism, we won’t allow the free flow of drugs in the state. The illegal drug trade is now spreading like an organized crime and the Police need to be more vigilant to capture the kingpins of this organized crime and to conduct sudden checks at state barriers,” he said.

Lauding the efforts of State CID towards starting a special campaign ‘Pradhav’, he said that such efforts could prove effective in creating awareness against drug abuse.

On the occasion, he also released the five solutions suggested under the ‘Pradhav’ campaign launched by the Police Department.

Earlier, Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu apprised the Governor about the effective steps and action being taken by the police force on the issue.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Director General of Police Abhishek Trivedi made a detailed presentation on drug abuse and measures to be taken to fight the same.

Additional Director General of Police, Satwant Atwal Trivedi, also briefed about ‘Pradhav’ campaign.