The minister for education and health, Sakina Itoo on Monday said that in order to curb drug trafficking in menace in Jammu and Kashmir, “big fish” should be arrested as nabbing those committing the crime at lower level won’t help in controlling the drug menace. She also asserted that the war against drug abuse and trafficking should be fought on all levels and Police and other concerned agencies alone cannot ensure a drug free society unless the entire society becomes part of the battle.
What Minister Itoo has said, we have been saying regularly in these columns. The Police and other concerned agencies have to be more efficient and vigilant to fight this war. Almost every day arrests are being made, contraband substances are being seized and of late, the properties of drug dealers are being attached under relevant laws, but still the nefarious trade continues and the number of addicts continues growing. The addicts are victims, they need counselling and care to get them out of this nexus their rehabilitation should be ensured. But at the same time, those pumping in drugs into J&K are to be named and shamed.
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The police and other concerned agencies should be more focussed and use all modern technology, at their command, to go to the root of this nefarious nexus. As rightly pointed out by the Minister, there are some big fish who are running the entire operation on the pattern of drug cartel. While operation against small criminals should continue at the same pace, a dedicated wing should be tasked to go deeper and expose the real masters behind the trafficking.
Attaching the properties of the habitual offenders, who have got these properties while dealing with drugs, is a potent weapon to curb the trafficking. Similarly, those who grow bhang and other such crops in their farm lands should get severe punishment. Come this season, Police starts destroying bhang every year but the process still continues. Need is to take stringent action against the growers so that they are discouraged to do so next time.
That said, the society, as a whole, should wake up and understand and appreciate the challenge that the drug trafficking as throwing at its face. This menace is eating into the very vitals of the society and need to be taken head-on. Special programmes should be conducted in schools and other educational institutions and also on community level to make the society aware about the growing threats that drug trafficking and abuse is posing to our future generation. The religious leaders should take lead and regularly talk about the issue during religious gatherings. This war is to be fought by all to save the younger generation.
