Shimla, March 23 The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Monday decided to bar individuals involved in the smuggling of Chitta (adulterated heroin) from contesting the upcoming panchayat elections.
This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here.
They decided to introduce a bill in the current assembly session that bans individuals involved in Chitta trading from contesting the Panchayati Raj elections.
The panchayati raj elections in the state would be completed before May 31. There are a total of 3,577 gram panchayats in the state.
Chitta (Diacetylmorphine), a semi-synthetic opioid, mainly derived from heroin, is highly dangerous and lethal as the consumption increases with the passage of time and its overdose could even result in death, according to officials.
Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh said that the government is preparing to introduce provisions under which individuals accused in cases involving chemical drugs – such as Chitta and LSD – will be barred from contesting elections.
The Minister said that it is imperative to prevent such individuals from attaining positions of power and influence to curb the growing menace of drug abuse.
Talking to the