Kolkata, Sept. 23 -- In a massive push towards creating a drug-free state, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday destroyed about 3.10 lakh bottles of banned, codeine-based cough syrup, valued at nearly Rs 31 crore.
The high-profile destruction drive took place at Eco Park in New Town under the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, where the Chief Minister operated a road roller to crush the seized contraband stacked on the ground. The event marked the launch of the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat 2029' campaign in the state, signalling a strict crackdown on pharmaceutical trafficking and cross-border smuggling networks.
Speaking at the venue, Adhikari announced a strict 'zero-tolerance' policy against narcotics, emphasising that substance abuse has directly contributed to severe law-and-order issues across the state.
"Nasha Mukt Bharat is equally important for West Bengal because recent investigations into severe criminal acts, including the barbaric crimes against women like the Baruipur incident, reveal that perpetrators are often regular drug abusers," Adhikari asserted. The Chief Minister highlighted that both central and state enforcement agencies are conducting joint operations to expose local distribution networks and secure international border points. He further added that the administration has tightened measures to prevent the entry of banned cough syrup into the state. Adhikari, during the program, revealed that a cough syrup manufacturing company has submitted a written undertaking to the Harirampur Police Station in South Dinajpur, mentioning that the company will not sell their cough syrup brand in Bengal and will also recall the product from the market.
This major crackdown follows a similar operation earlier this month on September 2 in Balurghat, where the Chief Minister ran a road roller over two lakh bottles of illegal cough syrup worth Rs 20 crore that were allegedly destined for smuggling across the Bangladesh border.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.