Visakhapatnam: Multiple interventions in place to curb growing drug menace

Visakhapatnam: Considering multiple interventions, the city police have stepped up their efforts to curb drug menace which is rampant in Visakhapatnam. With the City of Destiny gearing up to become the executive capital of the State, the police prepare an action plan to prevent drug abuse.

In order to curb drug menace, city Police Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha opines, the responsibility not only rests with the police but also with parents, teachers and society at large.

Acknowledging the fact that the drug abuse continues to exist in the city since long, the Police Commissioner tells The Hans India that the department refuses to turn a blind eye to the burning issue and instead decided to accelerate efforts to combat drug peddling.

In line with this, a host of intense counselling sessions are on cards, involving parents, teachers and youngsters struggling with varied degrees of drug abuse. "Though the project is still in a nascent stage, we are working on it. Once it is conceptualised, it will be rolled out at school and college levels," explains the CP.

From talking to drug addicts to help them get de-addicted, identifying the peddlers to tracing the network, the police intend to go beyond controlling the drug menace. "Those who are into drug abuse have a higher scope of becoming drug peddlers over a period of time to meet their expenses. In most cases, a student who starts using drugs ends up being a peddler to fund vices. The department aims at severing this chain. For this to become a reality, tremendous groundwork has to be done," explains Manish Kumar Sinha.

Laying emphasis on the responsibility of the stakeholders, the CP says parents should monitor their wards' behaviour and discourage them from falling off the track. "Similarly, teachers should ensure attendance. In a majority of cases, students who are into drugs have the habit of skipping classes or being irregular to the class. Teachers have to keep a tab on such students and bring them to the parents' notice," elaborates the City Police Commissioner.

With a number of cases being booked under NDPS Act in recent times, the crux of the challenge lies in tracing the peddlers on one hand and devising concrete measures to overcome addiction among the abusers on the other. Through their consistent efforts, the city police are trying to strike a balance between the two aspects.