‘Ubharda Bathinda’ project fails to take off

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 4

‘Ubharda Bathinda’, a project started by the police last year to make the people aware of the menace of drug addiction, has failed to take off in the district. No meeting of the Police Department has been held for the project for the past 14 months.

Due to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities towards the project, the elaborate plan which was chalked out under the project is lying unused. As a part of the project, it was also made mandatory that a monthly meeting of all members would be convened to keep a tab on the progress of the project. However, such meeting has not been convened for almost a year now.

The project, aiming to address and curb the drug menace, was announced in May 2016 and police officials had announced that 2,547 members of different Saanjh Committees, representatives of various educational institutions, NGOs and youth clubs would be involved in starting the project.

Apart from spreading awareness about the menace, it was also announced that the project would focus on the families, members of which are addicted to drugs.

During the first few months of the project, the Police Department, under the guidance of the then SSP Swapan Sharma, had constituted committees in villages, wards, police stations, and at the level of senior police officials to make people aware of the menace in evry nook ad corner.

To ensure that the committees functioned efficiently and worked for the project, the then SSP had even announced that he would personally monitor the committees. These were even directed to submit a daily report of the work done so that the department could initiate action without losing much time.

Apart from identifying drug addicts and peddlers and keeping a tab on demand and supply of habit-forming substances in the district, the committees were also to work for the rehabilitation of the people affected by the problem. Their task was also to counsel them to lead a normal life again.

As per information, committees were formed in 303 villages and 161 urban wards during the first phase of the project.

Will revive the project: SSP

SSP Naveen Singla said he had convened a meeting with the department pertaining to the project when he had taken the charge earlier this year. The SSP said he would revive the project. “Such projects, which include members from a cross-section of the society, need to be revived after regular intervals. Initially, the project got a huge response and the department received a lot of information.”

“However as time passed, the project lost its popularity. The department would once again revive the project as it addresses one of the major problems that the state is facing,” the SSP added.

Project to apprise people of drug menace 

n The project, aiming to address and curb the drug menace, was announced in May 2016 and police officials had announced that 2,547 members of different Saanjh Committees, representatives 

of various educational institutions, NGOs and youth clubs would be involved in starting the project.   

n Apart from spreading awareness about the menace, it was also announced that the project would focus on the families, members of which are addicted to drugs.

n During the first few months of the project, the Police Department, under the guidance of the then SSP Swapan Sharma, had constituted committees in villages, wards, police stations and at the level of senior police officials to make people aware of the menace in every nook and corner.