Dayalpur village anti-drug movement gets financial support from NRIs

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 13

Almost a fortnight after The Tribune first highlighted the mammoth work of an NRI, backed by the village panchayat, to root out drugs from Dayalpur village here, the number of addicts being taken for the drug de-addiction treatment in the village and its periphery has doubled.

Also, taking notice of The Tribune report on the efforts made by the panchayat and NRI Harjinder Singh Raja in clearing the once addicted village of drugs – NRI supporters of the movement have also begun funding the drug de-addiction treatment and transportation for the daily visit of local addicts to the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centre, which is 25 km away.

Earlier, bills of both these expenses were being paid by Harjinder himself.

The number of youths on de-addiction treatment, which was 30 earlier, has doubled in the past fortnight and the number is growing with each passing day with cases pouring in from neighbouring villages.

While formerly the majority of the village youth were being taken for de-addiction, now those from neighbouring villages comprise half the number. Other villages which send their youths include Hamira, which has long been a liquor and addiction hub of this notorious stretch, and Villa Kothi among others.

A huge number of villages are also contacting the Dayalpur panchayat to include their youths which include Bhikha Nangal, Dera Beas, Shivdaspur, Mustafapur, Mannana, Kartarpur, Naharpur, Dashrampur, Kartarpur and youths from the city as well.

Harjinder, the man, who first came up with the idea to reform the village youths and who visits families every morning coaxing them to their addicted sons for de-addiction, says: “The help from some good Samaritans has ensured us to get free treatment and transportation for the addicted youths of the village. The youths are growing in numbers and the police have also been seeking their details from us. Some of them were also recently rewarded during a seminar held by the police.”

He said the cause might be the movement at the village or police strictness, the availability of drugs in the region had also taken a visible hit, which is a good news for the movement. While the village had also held anti-addiction rallies at Dayalpur and Hamira earlier this year, the movement saw support of thousands.

However, another prime demand of the village — the provision of de-addiction treatment at the Kartarpur Civil Hospital, which is way nearer than the OOATs centre, — remains unaddressed.

“The youths are taken far way to a centre where there are three personnel. It would be much easier if three staff members are provided at Kartarpur. It will save us a huge trip and the treatment will be much prompt and accessible,” he added.

The village’s common area, cremation ground and other hubs earlier frequented by addicts until recently are now free of the menace. The supply chain is cut and peddlers have been driven away by residents. The panchayat is now flooded with queries from other villages, requesting it to help out addicts in their areas.

Back from England in 2016, Harjinder had found that the majority of the youths in his village, having a population of 4,000, had become addicts. His cousin too died due to drug abuse in 2015. The NRI claims that 40 per cent of the village youths were addicted. However, the number is now constantly going down.