The drug menace is a serious concern for almost all states in India. But what is unfortunate is that the concerned government authorities are seemingly \u201cunconcerned\u201d. Society will have to pay a heavy price for that. Well, what does one have to say if young people as tender as 12\/13 years are addicted to the deadly drugs? Is it not the fault of the authorities in power? Are the parents of the addicts equipped themselves to crack down on the callous drug dealers and peddlers who destroy the lives of their kids? No, absolutely not. Whose job is this if not police and narcotic departments? Why are we so \u201csilent\u201d while the underhand drug business is \u201cthriving\u201d more than ever before? Drug cartels and peddlers are expanding their network with a vengeance in almost every city and town. Do we know the new brigand of peddlers are all out to pounce upon the new breed of buyers \u2013 that could be your children and my children? Why is the government machinery so complacent? This laid-back attitude is indeed detrimental.
One child specialist \u2013 Dr. Mehta from Rohini, New Delhi laments — \u201cinnumerable youngsters in schools and colleges are ruining their lives. They are completely addicted to various intoxicants. These day certain bad companions always entice the gullible others to try various kinds of addictive drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, LSD, hashish, ecstasy et al. This is how one falls prey to drugs which has become a serious threat to countless households.\u201d
True, in high places the elites of corporate houses, entertainment celebrities and models have succumbed to the temptation of the various expensive intoxicants. These celebrities are directly or indirectly misleading the new generation. The sensational suicide case of film star Sushant Singh Rajput exposed the underbellies of Bollywood. Very importantly, as reported, rampant cases of thefts, robberies, burglaries, and muggings in various cities, towns and villages have direct links with the increase in drug abuse.
Incidentally, many distraught parents whom this writer met with now say with a deep sense of regret that if the Assam government can tackle the drug malaise head-on why can\u2019t other states in India. They are absolutely right! The Chief Minister of Assam himself had roared out the \u201cpledge\u201d to drive the final nail in the coffin of the drug dealers. Given the increasing vices, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma never held himself back. He gave full power to the police forces, the intelligence and narcotic agencies to deal with the evil mongers.
What is striking is that the Chief Minister himself drove a bulldozer over the confiscated illegal drugs. At places, he burnt the drugs to ashes. The police departments are on toe round the clock. Is it not commendable? Lakhs of parents have showered blessings upon Dr. Himanta Sarma for his unprecedented move. In fact, it was well-intended to save the \u201cyouths and the society from disaster.\u201d
It is high time that all states in India should emulate what Assam has done. The Chief Minister of Manipur has also recently followed suit and is determined to fight the drug menace. Many women organisations have come forward to support CM Shri Biren Singh. A state, before setting out the plan, must constitute a high-power committee to help coordinate and monitor the execution. Some changes in the narcotic rules and regulations are also imperative. We should not at all be soft on any forces that contribute to ruining the lives of young children. The police force should be given full powers without political interference.
What is clear here is that in haste we cannot fight the menace entrenched in society. We need to put concerted efforts as recently rightly pointed out by the Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma. All NGOs and the concerned stakeholders must stand together and support the respective governments of the states. It\u2019s everyone\u2019s duty. The vices have penetrated the deep recess of society. Hope this time the governments\u2019 promises of \u201cNasha Mukt Bharat\u201d will not go up in smoke.
Salil Gewali is a Shillong-based writer and researcher best known for his research-based work entitled \u2018Great Minds on India\u2019. Translated into twelve languages, his book was edited by a former NASA scientist, Dr. AV Murali of Houston, USA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The drug menace is a serious concern for almost all states in India. But what is unfortunate is that the concerned government authorities are seemingly \u201cunconcerned\u201d. Society will have to pay a heavy price for that. Well, what does one have to say if young people as tender as 12\/13 years are addicted to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271568\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nagalandpost.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}