Kullu
A meeting of the district-level Narco Coordination (NCORD) committee was held in Kullu under the chairmanship of ADM Surjeet Singh Rathore. Superintendent of Police Abhishek S., District Tourism Development Officer Rohit Sharma, and senior officials from various departments were present.
The main objective of the meeting was to work under an effective and multi-departmental strategy to prevent drug abuse and eliminate illegal cannabis and opium cultivation in the district. Superintendent of Police Abhishek Sekar informed that implementing the decision taken in the last meeting, teams of police, forest department, Narcotics Control Bureau are working on a war footing to eradicate illegal drug cultivation in the district. He said that now the cooperation of ITBP will also be taken in this. The ADM directed that inter-departmental coordination should be further strengthened to streamline the anti-drug campaigns. In the meeting, the decisions taken in the previous meeting and the compliance made on them were reviewed.
The ADM directed the concerned departments to make the anti-drug campaign more effective and work in departmental coordination. He emphasized that drug prevention is not solely the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, but requires the active participation of society, Panchayat representatives, educational institutions, voluntary organizations, and the general public. He directed that awareness programs be intensified in schools and colleges, and that youth be engaged in sports, cultural, and creative activities. He directed the Agriculture and Horticulture Department to explore the possibility of growing profitable alternative cash crops and plants in areas affected by illegal drug cultivation, so that those involved in this practice can be connected to better alternatives. The meeting also discussed in detail the effective control of illegal drug trade, increased surveillance in sensitive areas, strengthened information sharing among various departments, and widespread public awareness campaigns. He directed all departments to ensure coordinated efforts to create a drug-free society and effectively conduct awareness and prevention activities from the district level to the Panchayat level.
During the meeting, it was decided that the commanding officers of the SSB and ITBP would be specifically included in the upcoming meetings to ensure the cooperation of the security forces. A detailed study would be conducted by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bajaura, for the pilot use of chemical ‘weedicide’ to destroy cannabis and opium plants in the district. The Forest Department was directed to monitor the use of land in its areas and submit regular reports. In addition, 23 land demarcation applications pending with the Revenue Department in cases related to the NDPS Act were directed to be resolved expeditiously.
To curb the spread of drug abuse, it was decided to hold meetings of the drug prevention committees in the 28 identified sensitive panchayats of the district, mandatorily in the presence of police officers. The police department was instructed to identify hotspots in each police station area, increase patrols, and conduct regular checks of local hotels. Emphasis was also placed on organizing sports and cultural activities with anti-drug messages to keep youth away from this social evil. Serious concern was expressed at the meeting about the increasing prevalence of alcohol, cigarettes, and tobacco use among children under the age of 14. To address this, the Excise and Police departments were directed to closely monitor tobacco, cigarettes, flavored toffees, chocolates, and hookah parlors within 100 yards of educational institutions and to ensure strict action against violators under the COTPA Act and to issue as many challans as possible. The ADM clearly directed all concerned departments to adhere to a zero-tolerance policy against drug abuse in the district.
