What we had been repeatedly saying in these columns regarding the acuteness of drug trafficking and abuse in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir was substantiated the other day on the floor of Lok Sabha when Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, in a written reply informed about the huge quantities of narcotic drugs seized here since 2018. The Minister, quoting the data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the Minister said that a sharp escalation in drug seizures was witnessed from 2018 to 2020, followed by a gradual decline in the years that followed. In 2018, a total of 19,353 kilogrammes of narcotics were seized along with 87,713 units and nearly 8,000 litres of psychotropic substances. The data indicates that over 1.12 lakh kgs of drugs have been seized during this period while some 10,000 arrested have been made.
This data should awaken the people of the UT from the slumber. While Police and other concerned agencies are busy seizing the narcotics and arresting the peddlers, the society remains a mute spectator. There is no massive campaign against drug trafficking. Those who are indulging in the cultivation of cannabis and poppy are not foreigners, they are from within the society. Hundreds of acres of land are used for cannabis and poppy cultivation. This cultivation is being done under the very nose of the society. Why the people from the areas, where such illicit crop is being grown, don’t raise their voice. Have these illicit growers become so powerful and dreadful that nobody utters a word against them.
Society has to wake up, it has to understand and appreciate the challenge that its future is face to face with as for as drug trafficking is concerned. The rot is very deep and cant be taken care of only by law enforcing agencies. General public has to become a stakeholder and join this battle. Civil society groups, NGOs, schools, Colleges, concerned citizens, religious and social leaders – all have to come forward, join heads and hands, and play their respective roles to curb this menace.
As for as Police and other concerned agencies are concerned, these too have to asses the situation a fresh and try to figure out that despite their serious efforts, why this illicit trade is on the rise. These agencies have to look inwards too and try to find out whether or not there are some black sheep within who are hand in glove with drug traffickers. If so, such ele fments should be taken care of first. It is everybody’s battle and if we fail, we may be heading towards a drugged future.
