- Industry
- 2 min read
Excise database questions anti-drug campaign's efficacy in Kerala
​Under this provision, 21 individuals were told to furnish a bond, as they were getting involved in such cases repeatedly. These include 17 persons from Thiruvananthapuram, three from Ernakulam and one from Wayanad.
What's worrying is that 287 cases were registered against youths aged under 21 years in connection with drug use in the past five years. The database, prepared for the period from January 2005 to November 2022 also has 2,199 repeat offenders, as per the data accessed by TOI.
As per Section 34 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the court can ask any individual who is involved in such cases to submit a bond stating that he or she will not get involved in any such activities for a period of more than three years, while considering the bail applications of such individuals.
Under this provision, 21 individuals were told to furnish a bond, as they were getting involved in such cases repeatedly. These include 17 persons from Thiruvananthapuram, three from Ernakulam and one from Wayanad.
Government admitted that it has come to its notice that the numbers of youngsters getting involved in these cases are on the rise in the recent past. The maximum number of cases was registered in Kottayam (103), followed by Ernakulam (95).
Other districts where such cases were registered are Palakkad (41), Idukki (27), Thiruvananthapuram (11), Thrissur (five), Kozhikode (three), Kannur and Kasaragod (one each). No such cases have been registered in the remaining districts. In only 2022, excise department officers have submitted chargesheets in court in such 4,619 cases, showed data.
Sources said that these are only official figures and those who are actually involved would be manifold. The rise in the numbers of those getting involved in drug cases also raises a question about the effectiveness of the anti-drug campaign being undertaken by the state government. Since 2016, the government has spent Rs 46.59 crore for its anti-drug campaign and the treatment of those who were getting addicted to drugs and alcohol.
At the same time, the number of bar hotels across the state is also rising steadily. Since 2016, the state government has granted fresh licence to 247 bar hotels and 62 beer and wine parlours in Kerala.
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