Fight against drugs: Hyd police launches anti-drug committees in 55 colleges

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad city police commissioner, C.V Anand, on Sunday launched anti-drug committees (ADC) in 55 colleges in the east zone to eradicate drugs and carry out long-term campaigns.

The event, held at the Tagore auditorium at Osmania University, was attended by approximately 1,000 students from various colleges, ADC members, and faculty members.

Mr. Anand said ADCs serve as a bridge for effective collaboration between the police and educational institutions in order to synergize the battle against drug addiction and illicit trade.

"Anti-drug committees, which work on the lines of anti-ragging committees, shall contain a minimum of five members drawn from faculty, hostel wardens, and students, to teach the kids and discourage them from using drugs," he said.

The city police chief also went through the duties of ADCs in great detail. Meetings, workshops, and liaisons with local police are among the activities of the ADCs. He encouraged the administration to place banners and posters throughout the campus. "It is now mandatory to implement ADC in all colleges in the city," he said referring to a recent notification issued by the CP Hyderabad under the Municipal Police Act.

Mr. Anand talked about how the Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing decimated drug cartels, beginning with local peddlers, inter-state gangs, dark web dealers, and international suppliers. He discussed their deportation as well as the benefits of rehabilitation methods.

He shared vivid experiences with the students in an interactive engagement and sensitized them by revealing the negative impacts of drugs. He warned them about the dangers to their health, careers, and society, citing NCRB numbers.

He said the city police will extend the drive to schools in the second phase. He added that the government is considering enacting new norms to handle sexual abuse, ragging, and drug misuse by putting more responsibility on the management involved.

Dr. Sandeep of Asha Hospitals discussed how the younger generations are becoming trapped in the tragic cycle of drug addiction. "Most of the kids take it for fun at first but then become addicted in the latter phases," he stated.

P. Lakshmi Narayana, OU Registrar, expressed gratitude to HCP for initiating the ADC in the city, beginning with OU, and assured the city police of all possible cooperation. Because Osmania University and its affiliated institutions attract a considerable number of international students, Professor Sriram Venkatesh, principal of OU engineering college, believes that counselling sessions should be limited to foreign students in order to sensitize them.