SHIMLA: The spokesperson of Himachal Pradesh Police today here informed that under the state-wide 'Anti-Chitta Jan Andolan' launched by the Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the State police conducted a special state-level inspection drive to prevent the misuse of courier services for drug trafficking to further strengthen the resolve of “Chitta-Free Himachal.”
During the drive, warehouses and godowns of courier service providers across the state were comprehensively inspected and audited.
Inspections were carried out at a total of 433 courier service providers operating in the state. These included 43 in Solan district, 13 in Kinnaur, 31 in Sirmaur, 40 in Baddi, 69 in Mandi, 34 in Kullu, one in Lahaul-Spiti, 37 in Hamirpur, 23 in Bilaspur, 69 in Kangra, 17 in Nurpur, 18 in Dehra, 22 in Chamba and 16 in Una district.
During the inspections, the entire chain of operations including parcel booking, storage, transit and final delivery was examined in detail. Special attention was given to CCTV surveillance systems, employee identity verification, maintenance of records and compliance with prescribed Standard Operating Procedures. Suspicious parcels were checked thoroughly and employees of courier services were sensitized about the provisions of the NDPS Act and other relevant laws.
Wherever procedural shortcomings were observed, necessary directions were issued to the concerned courier service providers, along with instructions to undertake time-bound corrective measures. All service providers were also briefed about potential red flags and clearly informed about the essential Do’s and Don’ts to prevent the misuse of courier services for narcotics trafficking.
This special drive marks a significant step towards the effective prevention of drug smuggling through courier channels further strengthening law and order as well as social security in the state.