Nandyal district administration plans to combat drug menace through crackdowns and awareness programmes

Agriculture Department officials are asked to keep a tab on ganja cultivation in the district
| Photo Credit: File photo

Nandyal district administration is adopting a two-pronged strategy to control drug menace. While intensifying crackdown on illegal cultivation and transportation of ganja, the administration is focussing on creating awareness among the students on the ill-effects of drugs. The administration is involving all departments in its efforts to curb ganja menace. Agriculture Department officials were asked to keep a tab on ganja cultivation in mulberry, chilli and other crops.

At the recent district-level committee meeting against drugs, District Collector Rajakumari Gania has asked the officials to conduct extensive awareness programmes to create awareness among the youth and students on the ill-effects of drugs. It was decided to hold awareness campaign in all the 1,957 schools, 49 colleges and 196 government and non-government educational institutions in the district. The staff in these educational institutions should also be involved in creating awareness.

De-addiction centre

The District Collector has also asked the Superintendent and doctors of the Government General Hospital at Nandyal to take steps for starting a de-addiction centre in the hospital. Similarly, the Drugs Control Administration was asked to keep a tab on the 800-odd medical shops in the district and refrain them from selling sedatives and sleeping pills without a prescription.

As people from other States are working in the factories in the district, the administration wanted the officials concerned to take steps that these workers do not bring ganja into the factory premises. The managements would be asked to keep a tab on consumption of ganja by the workers in the factory premises.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Department officials were asked to keep a check on the possibility of cultivating ganja amidst mulberry, mirchi, chrysanthemum and other crops.

As Mahasivaratri will be celebrated on a grandscale in the Siva temples in the district, the Endowment Department officials have been asked to take steps to ensure that the sadhus do not consume ganja and other narcotics. As there are 24 tourist spots and there is a possibility of tourists smuggling in ganja and other narcotics, the District Collector asked officials to take proper steps to prevent any smuggling of the contraband to these places.

Increase vigil on borders

The district has a 3.60 lakh hectares of forest land and shares border with Nagarkurnool and Gadwal districts in neighbouring Telangana State and also Prakasam, Kadapa, Kurnool and Kadapa districts and it was decided to increase vigil to see that ganja and other narcotics are not smuggled into the district. As there are eight national highways passing through the district, there is a possibility of smuggling of narcotics into the district and the officials concerned were asked to maintain an alert.

The Collector also asked the officials of all the BC, SC, tribal and minority welfare residential hostels to ensure that the children are not exposed to drugs.