Deputy Commissioner Surabhi Malik on Saturday chaired a meeting of the District Level Committee under the Narco Coordination Centre (NCORD) to review steps taken to curb the drug menace in the district. Malik asked the education department to create awareness about the ill-effects of drugs in the schools/colleges to make Punjab drug Free state.
She said that stage plays, dramas, skits or other activities must be organized to sensitize young minds about drugs. She ordered the health department to organize medical camps in drug hotspots and disseminate about harmful effects of the drugs besides information regarding OOAT, rehab centres must also be given.
She said this drive against drugs must be converted to mass mobilization which can be instrumental in eliminating the drugs from the state. The Deputy Commissioner also said that the supply line to the drugs had already snapped and now it is the time when the demand for the drug needs to be checked through wholehearted support of people under this drive.
Malik while underlining the zero tolerance policy of the Punjab government said that the Police has already launched a major crackdown on the drug peddlers due to which big drug peddlers were put behind the bars. She said that the people of Punjab had successfully fought terrorism and it was time now for all of them to come together once again to build sustained pressure against drugs to fight the menace.
She said that every initiative would be taken to safeguard the interests of the youth and leave the scourge of drugs. The DC also called upon ADCs and SDMs to ensure that regular awareness drives be conducted in their jurisdictions where officers of civil and police administration educate people about the ill effects of drug abuse and motivate them to choose a healthy lifestyle.