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| Drug menace increasing in district, administration clueless | | | Manuj Kesar
EARLY TIMES REPORT
KATHUA, Aug 10:
Menace of drug addiction is taking an alarming proportion in the border district of Kathua with continuous spurt in the death rate on this account. In the past few years, the consumption of Cannabis, Charas, poppy straw, liquor has increased manifold among youth, given their easy availability and in many a case open sale under the nose of law executing authorities. Regrettably so far anti-drug drives launched by the police have failed to effectively curb the menace. Sources claim that one can easily come across vendors, vegetable and fruit sellers selling these drugs openly in different parts of the district. Police is also aware of their activities but action eludes. Main Lakhanpur and adjoining villages along with heart of city including Kathua’s Girls Higher Secondary School Chowk, Ward number 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk near Mini Secretariat and Shaheedi Chowk are some of major places where the drugs are sold clandestinely by the drug peddlers in connivance with the local shopkeepers and vendors. Some drug peddlers even resort to "door step drug delivery" for the convenience of addicts. Several teenagers actively work for these drug peddlers who smuggle the drugs from Madhopur and other parts of Punjab. The involvement of men from Khaki in this illegal trade too cannot be ruled out, sources in the police maintain.
In the past two or three years, dozens of youth have died due to drug addiction. The government agencies as well as NGOs fighting against this menace identify the adolescents as the most vulnerable group. In the recent past, the rise in psychiatric and psychological disorders among youth on account of growing drug-addiction too has emerged as a matter of concern both among those associated with the medical profession and the parents of the affected youth. Sources in police claim that most of these young drug-addicts indulge in petty crimes as recent arrests in many cases have revealed. Resentment is brewing among the locals against the police for its failure to curb the menace of drug peddling. Psychiatrist Mukul Ubbot posted at the District Hospital (DH) Kathua cites easy availability of drugs, social and cultural background of youth, growing wealth, peer pressure as the common reasons behind spurt in drug addiction in this border district. BJP leader Prem Nath Dogra alleges that the slackness of police is encouraging drug addiction. National Conference leader Pardeep Kesar too endorses his point. "What's the fun of anti-drug drives, when police is not taking strict action against the drug peddlers," he questions. SSP Kathua Garib Das, when contacted on this account, informed that he convened a meeting with the senior officers of the district and stress was laid to find out the reasons of the drug addiction to weed it out. "The cops are on job to identify the source and the suppliers of intoxicants in the district. We’ll take strict action against the drug peddlers," SSP added.
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