'Saarthi' scheme launched in Nurpur to check drug menace

Nurpur, August 3

The Nurpur police and the local administration has launched the “Saarthi” scheme as a pilot project in the subdivision to check drug menace and sensitise people about its ill effects.

The scheme is a multi-faceted exercise being launched with the coordination of local administration, police and the health department along with active community participation.

Key points about initiative

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• The scheme will see active coordination of administration, police and the health department, along with community members
• The police will do contact tracing of drug peddlers and drug addicts and then inputs about addicts will be passed on to a designated counsellor, who will help them to come out of the mess
• The database created with community participation will be used to initiate appropriate measures to tackle the drug menace

After mounting pressure on interstate and local drug peddlers, the availability of heroin (chitta) has reduced over the past few months while its price has skyrocketed. Drug addicts, who used to inhale chitta after placing it on aluminium foil, are switching to injections to save on the drug.

Nurpur SP Ashok Ratan said after the availability of chitta becoming scarce and an abnormal hike in its rates, young drug addicts had started taking this drug through injections which could lead to serious medical complications.

Under the new initiative, the police would first work on contact tracing of drug peddlers and drug addicts. Inputs about drug addicts would then be passed on to a designated counsellor working in that area, he said.

“The counsellor will approach gram panchayats and families of such addicts and assist them in getting the required medical treatment, besides rehabilitation. With community participation in procuring information about drug peddlers and drug addicts through anonymous informers, the police will prepare a database and take appropriate measures to tackle the menace,” he said.

Exhorting the people to come forward and support the “Saarthi” initiative to save the youth from drug menace, the SP said a mass campaign would also be launched with the active participation of students of various educational institutions here.