Jammu has more drug addicts than Kashmir, but bulldozers only in Valley: Sakina Itoo
Says property seizure of alleged addicts 'discriminatory'
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, May 8: Jammu and Kashmir Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Friday said the prevalence of drug addiction is higher in the Jammu region than in Kashmir, even as she slammed the administration for demolishing houses and attaching properties of alleged addicts predominantly in the Valley.
She was speaking in an interview with national media, as per Kashmir Convener ‘I will tell you as Health Minister — there are more drug addicts in Jammu. But in Kashmir, you are demolishing homes and seizing properties. Why?
The minister’s remarks come amid an ongoing crackdown by the Union Territory administration — led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha — on drug peddlers, which has seen properties being bulldozed and seized under the Narco-Coordination (NCORD) mechanism. Itoo argued that such punitive measures, when applied to family assets, are legally and morally problematic.
“If there is a child who is a drug addict, we have to try to rehabilitate him. You have a property in the name of your father. Why are you bulldozing him? Why are you seizing it? This is a wrong thing. Then it seems we are discriminating,” she said.
The National Conference (NC) leader stressed that the government’s primary focus should be on saving the youth from the drug epidemic, not on “making people difficult” by destroying their homes.
‘Home Dept with LG, not us’
Minister Itoo acknowledged that the LG is making efforts on his part, but clarified that the health department’s role is limited to treatment, counselling, and rehabilitation. “Stopping drugs is not our job. The Home Department has to check this. But chief minister Omar Abdullah does not have it. The Home Department is under the LG. So I request them — these things should be stopped,” she said.
She further questioned the effectiveness of border security, asking: “If something is coming from the border, security forces are standing there. Why are you allowing it? How is it coming? If you are tightening the border, where are these drugs coming from?”
‘Bill in assembly’
Education and health minister Sakina Itoo said the NC has prepared a document on drug de-addiction and the government will bring a bill in the assembly on the issue. She added that rehabilitation, not retribution, is the way forward.
“If you catch a person, where you caught drugs — if there is no property in his name, but property in the name of his parent — then it is a matter of hurting people. You take a dozer to their property. You destroy them. We want people to progress here,” she said.
Reiterating her core argument, Minsiter Itoo said: “If I give you a figure, why is all this happening in Kashmir? This is a wrong thing. Our main goal should be to save Jammu and Kashmir from drugs. We have to get the drugs out of here. We have to save our generation.”
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