SRINAGAR: To address the escalating issue of drug abuse among young individuals in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), a meeting was convened under the guidance of A.K Choudhary IPS, (Special DG Crime Branch Hqrs J&K) at the Crime Headquarters in Srinagar.
The gathering witnessed the participation of leaders from prominent Coaching Institutes operating within the municipal boundaries of Srinagar City.
Additionally, the event was attended by DIG Crime J&K, SSPs of Economic Offences / Special Crime Wing, Staff Officer to SDGP Crime, Deputy Director Prosecution CHQ, and senior officers of the Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) Kashmir.
The primary aim of the meeting was to instil a sense of shared responsibility among various stakeholders and deliberate on strategies to effectively counter the surging drug crisis.
At the outset, SDGP Crime J&K emphasised the necessity of united and cooperative endeavours from all stakeholders in combatting the scourge of drug abuse. He underscored the alarming statistic of a doubled number of abusers in a short period, underscoring the urgency of confronting the issue head-on. He urged the heads of coaching institutes to take indispensable measures, as part of their ethical and legal duty, to prevent drug abuse within their centres. Diverse preventive and awareness measures were thoroughly discussed and mutually agreed upon for execution.
Javid Iqbal Mattoo, DIG Crime J&K, briefed the participants about the escalated actions and approaches adopted by the Government against drug peddlers and their affiliates. He also underscored the far-reaching consequences of substance abuse on society at large, particularly the youth who are more susceptible to the menace.
Instances were highlighted where students of coaching centres were reported to engage in substance abuse, accentuating the roles and obligations of coaching institute administrators to enforce strategies in containing the proliferation of drugs. He additionally stressed the imperative of a multi-faceted approach and combined efforts by all stakeholders to combat the problem.
Key figures from coaching centres, including Lateef Masoodi (President of Coaching Institutes Association Kashmir), Vijay Samuel (Head of Allen Kashmir), Junaid Yousuf Bhat (Akash Institute), Ashraf-ul-Hassan (HOPE Institute Rajbagh), among others, actively participated in the meeting. They offered valuable insights and pledged their support in making the coaching centres drug-free.
Concluding the meeting, SDGP Crime J&K reaffirmed the potential to create a safer and healthier environment for the youth through collective efforts, pledging unwavering assistance to coaching institute management in curbing this menace.
