Art portraying perils of drug addiction. KO Photo by Abid Bhat.
Srinagar- In a bid to tame the monster of drug abuse, the Union Territory administration on Wednesday ordered the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the Valley to classify villages according to the number of individuals involved in substance use, and label those hamlets as green, yellow and red depending upon severity.
The directions in this regard were passed by the Divisional Commissioner (Div Com) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bhiduri while chairing an NCORD meeting here on Wednesday, an official spokesperson said.
Bhiduri, he said, called for collectively employing efforts & resources to eradicate the substance abuse to secure the young generation from sliding into the menace of drugs.
The meeting was attended among other by DCs, Director Social Welfare Department, Director School Education, Director Health Services, Excise Commissioner, Dy. Drug Controller Kashmir, J&K Waqf Board and other officers of the administration.
Speaking on the occasion, the spokesperson said, Div Com directed DCs to divert abandoned government buildings or unutilized buildings to the nearby departments so that these structures shall not become hubs of drug addicts. Bidhuri, he said, also asked for regular surveillance of such places.
“He impressed upon the officers to spread awareness at grass roots level about the negative impact of drugs in the society. He instructed them to classify villages according to the number of individuals involved in substance use, and label those hamlets as green, yellow and red depending upon severity,” the spokesperson said.
While acknowledging the pivotal role of religious leaders and PRIs, Bidhuri, he said, asked DCs to sensitize religious leaders, Imams and public representatives to create awareness among people to curb substance abuse.
The spokesperson said that the Div Com exhorted officers to adopt a proactive approach to stop the spread of drugs among youth.
In order to break the nexus of drug trafficking, Bidhuri vouched for detention of drug traffickers under different NDPS laws while asking for activation of counseling centres for others to rehabilitate them.
Besides, Div Com also instructed Divisional & District officers to publicize helpline numbers of SUKOON & E-MANS so the victims of drug abuse will receive proper counseling.
Earlier, the spokesperson said, In-charge Divisional Control Room, Tahir Magrey gave a detailed presentation on Burden of Mental Health disorders and Substance Abuse, status of substance users in Kashmir division, measures taken to destroy poppy crop and bhug plants by enforcement agencies, counseling and rehabilitation process, functioning of drug de-addiction centers, surveillance on unorganised and organized drug trafficking activities etc.
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