Doda DC charts action plan to curb drug abuse in district

Jammu, December 14

Doda Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh on Thursday asked the Forest and Agriculture Departments to destroy wild cannabis to prevent its misuse in the district. The DC reviewed the enforcement of drug control measures in the Narco Coordination (NCORD) Committee meeting on Thursday.

The meeting evaluated the progress made in addressing drug-related issues and charted out the future course of action to curb drug abuse in the district.

Doda SSP Abdul Qayoom, who acts as the Committee’s convener, presented the latest developments and strategies employed in the district to control drug addiction and trafficking. He informed that five FIRs have been logged against six accused for illicit poppy cultivation. He emphasised efforts to spread mass awareness besides preventive and punitive actions.

“All forward and backward links of the persons involved in substance abuse are being traced to break the supply chain and bring the peddlers to task,” he said. It was informed that all suspects are under surveillance and disciplinary actions are imminent.

The DC asked the agencies to keep an eye on the already declared ‘Nasha Mukt’ panchayats to prevent future incidents of substance abuse. District Social Welfare Officer was ordered to complete the survey of substance abuse in the district for future policy and management to make Doda a drugs-free district.

The DC advocated the use of specific drug test kits to confirm drug use by suspects and directed enforcement agencies to maintain surveillance on them. Furthermore, tehsildars and police officers were tasked with monitoring suspects and medical stores within their jurisdictions closely.

“To further monitor drug abuse, the installation of CCTV cameras in sensitive areas was emphasised, with the health department tasked to curb the illegal marketing of psychoactive drugs,” an official informed.