Drug menace: Thefts reported in city govt/aided schools

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 27

While the city police have asked the district administration to create awareness among students on the drug menace prevalent here, many government schools in the district have also been at the receiving end of threats and thefts due to this menace.

Even though a number of thefts have taken place in various schools, in a majority of cases in government schools, the lack of chowkidars and watchmen have been rendering these schools unsafe. In many areas, with increased drug consumption rates, schools have been an easy prey to anti-social elements who carry out thefts.

In the past three years, nine thefts reported across schools have been of hardware devices like LCDs and computers. Besides, incidents of the theft of utensils, cylinders and other school properties also occur frequently. In a majority of cases, LCDs have been stolen from schools.

While in 2014, thieves struck at Government Senior Secondary School Bilga, DAV School, Apra, and Government Middle School, Gobindpur, in 2015, thefts were reported at Public High School Kukka Pind (twice) and Government Middle School, Tajpur, Bagwanpur.

In 2016, thefts were reported at Government High School, Rainak Bazaar, Government Middle School, Avan Khalsa, and Government Senior Secondary School, Chak Des Raj. The DEO said this year, no theft in a district school had been reported so far.

DEO, Secondary, Harinder Pal, said, “From time to time, we share information with the schools on the drug menace. We cannot deny that at some places, there is a connection between drug menace and thefts. However, the theft of hardware is usually by professional thieves and not addicts. We also wrote to the government for the provision of chowkidars at schools, which are especially lacking in middle and primary schools. In senior secondary schools, a majority have watchmen. With the drug apprising drives to be conducted from April 1, we intend to further create awareness among parents and wards on the issue.”

In the continuation of the anti-drug campaign by the police in Jalandhar, the police had also issued instructions to the DEO to apprise students and parents of the perils of the drug abuse. Two numbers have also been given to schools — 95929-18005 (urban) and 78373-40018 (rural) — so that anyone with information on peddlers might contact the police. While students shall be apprised on the drug menace during morning assemblies, during the next parent-teacher meet scheduled at government schools, it has been instructed that special help desks should be set up to apprise students and parents of the drug menace. The DEO has written to all schools, telling them to apprise students of the bad effects of drugs in morning assemblies. On March 31, on the date of the parents’ meeting, schools have also been told to put up help desks and spread awareness among parents and students against drug abuse.