Annamayya Admin Deploys Drones to Shield Students From Drugs

TIRUPATI: The Annamayya district administration and police have intensified surveillance and enforcement around schools and colleges under the “Operation Safe Campus” initiative, deploying drones and trained sniffer dogs to prevent drug use and sale near educational institutions.

The measures were reviewed at the district-level narcotics coordination committee meeting held in Madanapalli on Friday.

District collector Nishant Kumar and superintendent of police Dheeraj Kunubilli assessed ongoing anti-drug efforts with officials from the police, education, health, revenue, and excise departments.

The SP said drones were being used to monitor vulnerable locations and detect suspicious activity near campuses. At the same time, sniffer dogs were deployed at bus stands and other public places frequented by students to check possession and transport of ganja and other substances. Special drives were also being conducted around educational institutions to prevent supply networks from operating in their vicinity.

He said more than 600 awareness programmes on the dangers of drug abuse had been conducted in schools and colleges across the district, along with activities such as 3K runs and village-level campaigns. Students and the public were also being educated about reporting drug-related information through the toll-free helpline 1972.

Dheeraj reported a recent case in which police detected the sale of “Cool Lip”, a nicotine pouch product, near a school. Noting that the substance had been banned in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the collector directed education department officials to ensure that it is not sold or used in any educational institution in the district.

Emphasising zero tolerance towards narcotics, Nishant Kumar asked departments to coordinate enforcement and awareness efforts to prevent substance use in and around campuses. He also called for counselling and rehabilitation support for persons found using drugs and said steps were underway to establish a de-addiction facility in Madanapalle in coordination with NGOs.