Legislators debating drug menace in the Upper House of the Legislature have unanimously expressed serious concern about the rise in cases of drug addiction in the State. Members have passionately expressed their concern about ruining effect of expanding drug addiction. Some sensational revelations have been made by themembers. One member said that though many deaths have taken place owing to over-dosing of drugs, the Government is not taking this situation seriously and treats it only casually which is criminal. One member said that in Bandipora district there was a tract of land on which poppy and charas are freely cultivated and the Revenue and Police authorities are not taking note of this illegal act and allow the cultivators to garner hefty amounts from illegal drug trade.
Some members without mincing words said that there was a nexus between the drug peddlers and some Governmentfunctionaries and that was the reason why the drug peddlers are not arrested. They said a large quantity of heroin and other intoxicants were transacted in the State and some of the drug mafia had connections with their counterparts across the border. It was said that the Health and Medical Education Department was not alive to this grave situation and curative centres were not effectively tackling the problem.
However, Health and Medical Education Minister said that the department was doing whatever was possible to help the youth abandon drug consumption by making them aware of its fatal results. He said that controlling drug addiction was a social problem and no one department alone could cope with it. It was necessary that health, police, social welfare and other departments work in unison to overcome the menace. He said above all the families and parents whose wards were going astray need to be educated and made aware of the dangers of drug abuse. The members were of the opinion that drug addiction was far more dangerous than terrorism because it aims at spoiling the entire generation. Some members raised gingers towards Pakistan and brought accusations that the neighbouring country was trying to spoil the youth in the State. However, we should first try to set our own house in order before bringing the onus to the doorsteps of others. We would suggest that a monitoring mechanism in which local civil society like sarpanchs and village seniors or mohalla senior are also involved should be set up to monitor all activities about drug peddling or consumption of narcotics by the juvenile. It is also important the vulnerable schools and colleges should also be brought under the scanner and monitoring system so that school and college going boys are brought under surveillance. More corrective centres have to be opened and regular reports of improvement of drug addicts have to be recorded.
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