KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The week-long campaign against drug addiction in Sopore has led to positive results as the police, on the eve of campaign conclusion, seized a bulk of routine medicines that are being marketed to addicts. The recovery was made on basis of the inputs by the residents and the accused is the main stockist of the belt, reports reaching from Sopore said.
The seized drugs include 4200 capsules of Sposmoproxyvon plus, 3000 tablets of Etizolam, 145 bottles of Codrex, 433 bottles of Rancof, 22 bottles of Phencyrex and 190 capsules of Chlordiazepoxide. The raid was carried out in Krakshivan Colony.
“These are all prescription drugs and under the Supreme Court guidelines any stockist can have a specific quantity of such drugs with him,” SP Sopore Dr Harmit Singh said. “We have registered a case under NDPS against the stockist Tariq Ahmad.”
Off late, the region is witnessing massive consumption of cough syrups and other pain killers. One report even said that a cough syrup bottle is being sold at Rs 300, a piece. A senior doctor with police’s drug-de-addiction section has revealed that of the 6000 bottles of cough syrup, almost half are being consumed by this north Kashmir region on daily basis. His section has carried out a survey of where the specific medicines find its market.
The drug addiction in Sopore was one of the issues that the police authorities flagged in the weekend meeting that Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti presided over. She asked the civil administration to do everything possible in preventing the younger generation from getting into the drugs. Interestingly, the region is not consuming brown sugar or even routine charas. Instead it is using the established medicines.
The state police have already launched a week-long campaign against the drug addiction menace in the town and its peripheries. The campaign is concluding on Monday. Valedictory function is being attended by students, teachers, civil administration and the civil society.
During the campaign, the police arranged a series of processions involving the students of main schools in the town to sensitize the locality against the use of drugs. Some police and civil administration officers were also part of the campaign. Besides, the organizers of the campaign organized a series of discussions and debates in the educational institutions against the trend. This is perhaps the first major event in which the civil society extended all its support. Supportive civil society included trade, teachers and lawyers, organizers said. They have assured police of extending support to such events in future too.
The rally of students against drug addiction took off from Government Degree College Sopore and concluded at Dak Bungalow, Sopore after passing through the town. Students from Degree College Sopore, Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Welkin School Sopore, and Neither Field School Sopore participated in the rally. Deputy Commissioner Baramulla also drove to Sopore top be part of one of the events.
Dr Muzzafar Ahmed Khan who is managing police’s drug de-addiction set up also drove to the town and participated in the events. He told the audience that lack of quality relationship between the parents and their children is a major reason for drug abuse in Kashmir. “The menace can be handled in two ways,” Khan said. “More drug de-addiction centers and improved relationship between parents and children.”
