Sirsa admn intensifies crackdown on drug sale

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Shantanu Sharma has directed the Health Department and drug control teams to conduct special inspections of medical stores across the district to stop the sale of banned medicines without a doctor’s prescription.

He said all medical stores must have CCTV cameras, and strict action would be taken against those operating without them. Sharma gave these instructions while presiding over a meeting of the Narcotics Coordination Committee on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by Sirsa Superintendent of Police Deepak Saharan, Dabwali SP Nikita Khattar, District Social Welfare Officer Satyawan Dhilod, District Education Officer Sunita Sai, District Sports Officer Jagdeep Singh, Jail Deputy Superintendent Kuldeep Singh, Drug Control Officers Keshav Vashishth and Sunil, Deputy CMO Pankaj Sharma, and Haryana State Narcotics Control Bureau (HSNCB) Inspector Virender Singh.

Sharma stressed that controlling drug abuse required coordinated efforts at both city and village levels. He instructed village sarpanches to ensure that no objection certificates (NOCs) for opening new medical stores were not issued to people involved in drug trafficking or related cases.

He added that anti-drug committees in villages must work actively, with the local police beat officers included in each committee to support action based on local inputs.

The Deputy Commissioner also directed the Social Welfare Department to prepare banners and posters for awareness campaigns and organise anti-drug programmes at the panchayat level. Short plays and awareness videos will be shown in villages to educate the youth about the dangers of addiction.

Schools and colleges will also conduct awareness programmes. Sharma stressed strict legal action against individuals involved in drug smuggling. SP Deepak Saharan said a large-scale campaign would be launched in coordination with village panchayats to counsel the youth trapped in drug addiction.

Dabwali SP Nikita Khattar urged panchayats to report people using isolated spots in villages for drug consumption and said the police were taking strict action against traffickers. She assured those present there that the identity of anyone providing information about drug dealers would remain confidential.