Week on, anti-drug panel starts producing results in Gidderbaha village

Archit Watts

Muktsar, July 28

An anti-drug committee formed by around 100 residents of Gurusar village in Gidderbaha Assembly segment last week has started producing positive results. It has so far obtained affidavits from four villagers that they will neither consume nor sell drugs in future. The panel has also got two addicts admitted to a drug de-addiction centre.

The committee members, mostly youngsters, not just share the information related to drug peddling with the police, but also visit the families of those who either consume or sell drugs and appeal to them to mend their ways.

They also hold “nakas” and do community policing. “When we get information related to the suspicious movement of an outsider in the village, we ask the person to establish his identity and the reason to visit the village. If we find something fishy, we report the matter to the police. As of now, we have been able to motivate four persons, including a man and his nephew, to quit selling or consuming drugs. They have even given us affidavits in that regard. Besides, two drug addicts have been admitted to a de-addiction centre and two more will be admitted tomorrow,” said Ranjit Singh Gill, a founder member of the Gurusar village anti-drug committee.

“I appeal to the residents of other villages too to form anti-drug committees. It will surely decrease the prevalence of drugs. Our job is to assist the police and not to take law into our hands. Our committee has decided that if someone is found selling drugs, no one from the village will assist the family in getting the accused released on bail,” he said.

Faridkot IGP Gursharan Singh Sandhu, while presiding over a drug awareness programme in Malout, said, “If someone gives us information related to drugs, his/her name will be kept secret. We will also provide security to the informer, if needed.”