Staff Reporter :
Abuse of drug has become an alarming crisis with the rise of addicts in the recent years.
According to police and NGO sources, about 80 lakh people take drug across the country and their per-day expenditure exceeds Tk 110 crore, while the yearly cost is more than Tk 40,150 crore, said.
On the other hand, the government claims that alcohol amounting to Tk 25 crore is sold legally in the country every year. But it has no statistics of Opium (like, heroin, phensidyl), Cannabis (ganja, chorosh) and sleeping pill (tranquilizer, seduxene) users.
The Directorate of Narcotic Control (DNC) says, the number of listed drug passionate people is around 50 lakh and most of them
are fashionable Yaba addicted.
It also shows that over 90 per cent drug addicted people are smokers and around 46 per cent people are chain smokers.
According to the DNC, the use of Yaba rose by 81 percent in last five years from 2010.
It showed, 8,12,716 pieces of Yaba were seized in 2010, 13,60,186 in 2011, 19,51,392 in 2012, 28,21,528 in 2013, 65,12,869 in 2014, 2,02,69,054 in 2015, and 1,07,15,262 till May this year.
The DNC also filed 10,111 cases against 10,990 people in 2013 while 11,273 against 12,590 in 2014 and 10,548 against 11,300 in 2015.
The mobile courts also punished 5445 people in 5244 cases by conducting 969 drives in 2013, 8322 in 7848 cases by conducting 7948 drives in 2014 and 7823 in 7487 cases by conducting 14937 drives in 2015. The Health Ministry’s drug administration authorities have also launched various drives against illegal and fake drug vendors and bars in the country.
Besides, about five lakh cases were filed under anti-drug Act in last five years. Of them average 48 percent accused were acquitted from these cases.
“The drug cases were 51,827 in 2014, and 57,427 were in 2015. During the same time, the DNC punished 7823 people in 7487 cases,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the reporter on Sunday.
The government will try to establish the separate court to finalise about 50,000 pending cases, the Minister said. Home Ministry sources said, drug arrives in the capital city via Tongi Station Road, Aminbazar Truck Stand, Zinjira of Keraniganj and the eastern parts of the capital. Keraniganj, Savar, Pagla, Tongi and Kaliganj of Gazipur and Chittagong Road are the main shelters of the drug-dealing criminals.
“More than 600 drug dealers are conducting their illegal business at about 374 spots in the capital. A number of godfathers, including ward commissioners, and listed top terrors’ are in control of the entire business in the capital,” they said.
Meher Afroz Chumki, State Minister for Children and Women Affairs, said “Government is trying to check drug, watching its dreadful aggression.”
“Around TK 10,000 crore are siphoned off from country for smuggling in drug per year. Social problems like hijacking, murder and sexual violence create bad image for the country in the outside world, said Dr Zaforulla Chowdhury, Trustee of Gana-Sasthaya Hospital.
Injecting drug users (IDUs) are amongst the most vulnerable people to acquisition of AIDS, he said. Professor Dr Syed Anwar Husain, Department of History of Dhaka University, said, “To remove the abuse of drug is almost impossible, as it is incongruous to destroy cancer disease.”
He commented that drug spreads due to exercise of political power and social classification. Dr Arup Rantan Choudhury said, “If we fail to control abuse of drug, then next generation will face a national crisis regarding the issue.”
Dr Rakibur Rahman, Director General of DNC, said “Around Tk 150 crore of Yaba entered the country through the borders every month by some smuggled gangs, led by lawmakers and cop personnel.
“We have already increased number of mobile courts and local offices to control drug to check drug in the city and elsewhere of the country,” the DG said.
The DNC is likely to impose restriction on bars, drug shops and media advertisement to control abuse of drug, he said.
He also admitted that it is impossible to check drug fully with the small number of force and lack of political good will.
Abuse of drug has become an alarming crisis with the rise of addicts in the recent years.
According to police and NGO sources, about 80 lakh people take drug across the country and their per-day expenditure exceeds Tk 110 crore, while the yearly cost is more than Tk 40,150 crore, said.
On the other hand, the government claims that alcohol amounting to Tk 25 crore is sold legally in the country every year. But it has no statistics of Opium (like, heroin, phensidyl), Cannabis (ganja, chorosh) and sleeping pill (tranquilizer, seduxene) users.
The Directorate of Narcotic Control (DNC) says, the number of listed drug passionate people is around 50 lakh and most of them
are fashionable Yaba addicted.
It also shows that over 90 per cent drug addicted people are smokers and around 46 per cent people are chain smokers.
According to the DNC, the use of Yaba rose by 81 percent in last five years from 2010.
It showed, 8,12,716 pieces of Yaba were seized in 2010, 13,60,186 in 2011, 19,51,392 in 2012, 28,21,528 in 2013, 65,12,869 in 2014, 2,02,69,054 in 2015, and 1,07,15,262 till May this year.
The DNC also filed 10,111 cases against 10,990 people in 2013 while 11,273 against 12,590 in 2014 and 10,548 against 11,300 in 2015.
The mobile courts also punished 5445 people in 5244 cases by conducting 969 drives in 2013, 8322 in 7848 cases by conducting 7948 drives in 2014 and 7823 in 7487 cases by conducting 14937 drives in 2015. The Health Ministry’s drug administration authorities have also launched various drives against illegal and fake drug vendors and bars in the country.
Besides, about five lakh cases were filed under anti-drug Act in last five years. Of them average 48 percent accused were acquitted from these cases.
“The drug cases were 51,827 in 2014, and 57,427 were in 2015. During the same time, the DNC punished 7823 people in 7487 cases,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the reporter on Sunday.
The government will try to establish the separate court to finalise about 50,000 pending cases, the Minister said. Home Ministry sources said, drug arrives in the capital city via Tongi Station Road, Aminbazar Truck Stand, Zinjira of Keraniganj and the eastern parts of the capital. Keraniganj, Savar, Pagla, Tongi and Kaliganj of Gazipur and Chittagong Road are the main shelters of the drug-dealing criminals.
“More than 600 drug dealers are conducting their illegal business at about 374 spots in the capital. A number of godfathers, including ward commissioners, and listed top terrors’ are in control of the entire business in the capital,” they said.
Meher Afroz Chumki, State Minister for Children and Women Affairs, said “Government is trying to check drug, watching its dreadful aggression.”
“Around TK 10,000 crore are siphoned off from country for smuggling in drug per year. Social problems like hijacking, murder and sexual violence create bad image for the country in the outside world, said Dr Zaforulla Chowdhury, Trustee of Gana-Sasthaya Hospital.
Injecting drug users (IDUs) are amongst the most vulnerable people to acquisition of AIDS, he said. Professor Dr Syed Anwar Husain, Department of History of Dhaka University, said, “To remove the abuse of drug is almost impossible, as it is incongruous to destroy cancer disease.”
He commented that drug spreads due to exercise of political power and social classification. Dr Arup Rantan Choudhury said, “If we fail to control abuse of drug, then next generation will face a national crisis regarding the issue.”
Dr Rakibur Rahman, Director General of DNC, said “Around Tk 150 crore of Yaba entered the country through the borders every month by some smuggled gangs, led by lawmakers and cop personnel.
“We have already increased number of mobile courts and local offices to control drug to check drug in the city and elsewhere of the country,” the DG said.
The DNC is likely to impose restriction on bars, drug shops and media advertisement to control abuse of drug, he said.
He also admitted that it is impossible to check drug fully with the small number of force and lack of political good will.
