Over 40% of inmates lodged in Himachal jails arrested in NDPS cases

Shimla: Drug abuse has become a major challenge in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh and over 40 per cent of the total inmates lodged in 14 prisons in the state have been booked in connection with drugs under NDPS Act.

The prisons in Himachal are overcrowded as 2,909 inmates are lodged against the capacity of 2,437 of which 68 per cent are under trial and 32 per cent are convicted. Out of the total 2,909 inmates 1,189 (40.8 per cent) were arrested in drug-related cases, officials said.

A total of 7,942 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases were pending in the courts as on November 18, out of which 688 were pending for less than three months, 664 for three to six months, 935 for six months to one year, 953 for 12 months to 18 months, 1,110 for 18 months to two years and 3,601 were pending for more than two years.

Over 40 per cent of the total inmates lodged in 14 prisons in the state have been booked in connection with drugs under NDPS Act, the officials said.