Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh): Strict steps will be taken to eradicate the problem of drug menace in prestigious institutions like the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Union Minister Anurag Thakur said here on Saturday, days after a student died of a suspected drug overdose.
The minister also expressed concern over the increasing cases of drug addiction in Himachal Pradesh and asked the state government to take concrete measures so that the young generation can be kept away from drugs. Thakur told reporters that crores of rupees have been spent for infrastructure development at NIT Hamirpur and it is the responsibility of every teacher and student, along with the institute management, to establish it in the category of prestigious institutions in the country.
He said that no matter how influential the people involved in the drug racket are, they will not be spared. "Drugs are anti-people in general and anti-students in particular and as such they should be eradicated from society," the minister was quoted as saying in a statement here. Five persons including four students of NIT Hamirpur and another student doing B.Ed were arrested in connection with the death of a first-year M.Tech student allegedly due to drug overdose last Monday.
The police have registered a case of culpable homicide against all five accused besides booking them under the NDPS Act for allegedly distributing 'Chitta,' a form of adulterated heroin, on the college campus. Earlier, addressing the students and others at the 14th convocation of NIT-Hamirpur, he said that India is making great achievements in every sector, from science and technology and space to sports, from defence manufacturing and electronics manufacturing to green energy.
There are immense possibilities for the youth of institutions like NITs in these areas. Degrees were awarded to 1,265 students of the institute at the ceremony, the statement added. (PTI)
