Alappuzha anti-drug drive on fast track

ALAPPUZHA: Vimukti, the  administration's mission to make it a tobacco and drugs-free district, has been inactive for some time.   The project, the first of its kind in the state, was  introduced in 2010  with the cooperation of panchayats, municipalities,  schools, teachers, student counsellors and school health officials. 

According to the data, out of 18,000 narcotic cases registered in the state in the last six months, 2,094 cases were  registered in the district making it the  second top district in the list behind Ernakulam. Dr Nisha, district coordinator of Vimukti, said that the project was derailed with the government introducing  many anti-narcotic operations,  including Clean Campus and Safe Campus.  “Many departments are not cooperating with our project,” she says,    

The programme was introduced in only 190 schools out of a total of  700 schools  in  the district.  “We are trying to activate  the programme  this year as a large  number of students fall prey to the criminal activities,” she says. The project was aimed at building up a new culture among students. 

The  drug mafia targets school students on the pretext of  child rights activism. Under the project,  at least 785 students were given counselling till 2014.  They were found to be addicts of pan (82 per cent), alcohol (32 per cent), smoking (16 per cent), drugs (10 per cent) and tobacco chewing (14 per cent).