Drug consumption in Kurnool grows rapidly, peddlers now target school children
Kurnool: Consumption of drugs in Kurnool district has reached alarming proportions with peddlers now targeting even school children. This startling fact first came to fore when, for the first time, Kurnool police seized lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) along with 17 kg of ganja.
Ten persons had been arrested in that case. The accused procured these prohibited substances from Giddalur and Tuni towns within the state. The case, however, got hushed up as children of district-level officials had been found trading and supplying drugs.
There are fears that Kurnool could be becoming a major transit point, as it is strategically located between Hyderabad and Bangalore. The town has access through rail, road, and air routes. Besides, temple towns like Srisailam, Mahanandi, Ahobilam and Mantralayam have considerable floating population. They have become centres of drug consumption.
Kurnool superintendent of police Ch. Sudheer Kumar Reddy said 28 cases have been booked since January this year, including seizure of a commercial consignment involving 30 kg of ganja. In March, 18 kg of ganja had been seized from a bus going from Hyderabad to Bengaluru near Panchalingala check post. In addition, seven cases have been booked in Adoni division at Halaharvi, Madhavaram, Yemmiganur and Adoni, two cases at Banaganapalle and one in Allagadda. Significantly, 15 cases have been booked under Kurnool taluka police station limits and one each at Kurnool 1, 2 and 3 town police stations.
Within Kurnool district, Dhone, Bethamcherla, Nandyal, Atmakur, Srisailam, Chagalamarri, Mantralayam, Adoni have many drug users, confided a police official. In Kurnool town, Joharapuram and Gol Gumbaz tombs, Kotla railway station, Nandyal check-post, Stantanpuram, and dhabas under fourth town police limits are said to be trading and supplying ganja, along with other narcotic drugs.
The SP said though no drug hotspots have been identified in the district, all police officers have been advised to visit important colleges as a precautionary measure. A very reputed college on banks of Hundri and engineering colleges on Nandikotkur and Dhone roads are vulnerable.
"Engineering colleges, with thousands of students on their rolls, have become soft targets. But they are not being touched,” regretted an official.
This is because their managements maintain "good relations" with police and revenue departments.
