It is quite a sad commentary both on the scant efforts of the Government and various allied agencies as also particularly about whether our societies were conscious about and repercussions of drugs menace engulfing more and more areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The spurt in intake of this poison of drugs and other narcotics substances, its magnitude, its unfortunate ”flourishing” trade and sale, its incessantly increasing customers or consumers mostly young, not only spoils individuals and families but our national wealth – that of young and most industrious – human resources power is getting weakened and even incapacitated. No wonder, most of the countries ostensibly more than 32, have legislations which provide for even death sentence to drug offenders. China, Iran, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore etc implement death sentences for drug offenders meaning the extent of trafficking in drugs is thought next to planned conspiracy to kill and drugs really but slowly do kill. Do we, as a society and concerned authorities in the administration, feel really concerned?
It is really a matter of concern that there should be as many as 10 districts in Jammu and Kashmir which are most vulnerable to drug abuse as surveyed by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The Ministry, while making efforts through the campaign of “Nasha Mukt Bharat” towards bringing in reduction in drugs demand and fighting its abuse, finds not encouraging response in this part of the country. Merely by issuing official orders and guidelines, war against drug abuse cannot be fought effectively let alone won. We would like to know specifics about the said campaign in the UT in respect of tackling the menace on different fronts. What mechanism on organised basis supervised by a dedicated and committed team of professionals of different hues , is in place to deal with the menacingly spreading drug addiction ? What is the structure of fighting it out and who monitors it? Is the campaign of Nasha Mukt Bharat a target oriented programme treated in the UT and accordingly targets set and monitored to be met? What is the level of awareness and educating programmes in respect of what Nasha Mukt Bharat is contemplating at?
Awareness generation is an important tool and except at select occasions, talking or making speeches about the subject, we do not find a concerted and well organised on a perpetual basis awareness made aggressively especially in the vulnerable districts. Colleges, Universities and other institutions of higher education need a pointed focus which we feel is nowhere there. We do not know much about de-addiction facilities provided as information about such centres is not made widely known. Drop- in – centres for addicts – whether any centre stands set up in the Union Territory as per the provisions of the Nasha Mukt Bharat too, is not known. If there is an Apex Committee, that should live up to its purpose and achieving goals and whether some key decisions on vital aspects of the problem have been taken for implementation.
The UT Administration, undoubtedly, is attending to the problem of preventing sale and consumption of drugs and its abuse in quite an ordinary way just like dealing with ordinary crimes and some results of seizures, arrests and rare convictions too are heard about but that sounds to be an entirely non- serious approach commensurate with the magnitude of the problem especially when programmes and campaigns like Nasha Mukt Bharat provide opportunities to reinvigorate and redouble our efforts, the administration should do and look like doing things practically. We urge the Government to put extra strength in the campaign to make it gain necessary impetus and those decisions which are required to be taken in this respect should be earnestly taken.
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