HC orders state govt to launch war against drug abuse

The Uttarakhand High Court has asked the state government to stop drug and substance abuse by youths and rescue them from its vicious clutches.

A division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Lokpal Singh The also suggested a slew of measures to combat the menace including opening rehabilitation centers and psychiatric wards in every district within six months.

Taking cognisance of a plea related to intoxicants and their effects on children, the court also asked the government to set up up check posts at India-Nepal border to keep a tab on illegal drug trafficking.

The court also ordered deployment of sufficient STF personnel at the check posts on the state's borders with UP and Himachal besides one drug inspector in every hilly district and two in the districts located in non-hilly region.

It further asked the government to constitute an STF to prevent durg smuggling in the state and to provide the STF officers with modern machinery to test drugs on the spot.

The court also directed that a police inspector be posted near schools in plain clothes from 6 AM and to 8 PM to keep a check on children using drugs and asked local intelligence units to keep check on restaurants supplying alcohol illegally.

The PIL was related to wine shops being within a distance of 100 metres from school campuses at Almora.

The court directed the Almora SDM to measure the distance between such shops and schools within 72 hours and shift the offending shops beyond 100 metres from school premises.

While putting on record its appreciation for the work done by DIG and SSP Nainital against drug abuse, the court also asked the state government to initiate destroying wild marijuana plants growing in the forests.