Shopian, Feb 7: A flurry of rallies, seminars, and cooperation with the Police yielded some tangible results to keep the scourge of drugs off the society in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
The district known for producing first-rate apples had found itself caught in the throes of drugs with hundreds of youth resorting to substance abuse.
According to the experts, besides medical drugs, the youth including young girls have taken to some hard drugs like heroin.
However, over the last year, Police have made significant progress in dismantling the network of drug peddlers by taking stringent measures in the area.
On Tuesday, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Shopian, Tanushree told reporters that the process to seize the property of some drug peddlers had been initiated.
She said that the Police had registered 96 drug-related cases and arrested 126 peddlers and of them, 13 were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985, since the beginning of 2023.
Besides, the SSP said that Police confiscated contraband items and movable property of drug peddlers.
“The action taken by the Police against drug peddlers is paying off,” a social activist from Shopian, Magray Mansoor, said.
He said that the joint efforts by Police and civil society members played a crucial role in dismantling the network of drug pushers.
Magray claimed to have organised at least 10 anti-drug rallies since 2017 in the town.
“We also held several seminars on the drugs to generate awareness about drug abuse,” he said.
Magray said that the rising drug addiction spurred the civil society to come forward.
In 2022, the Addiction Treatment Facility at District Hospital Shopian received around 372 patients using different types of drugs.
Medical Officer at the facility, Dr Adil Farooq Mir said that most of the patients were found using heroin.
He said that last year at least 130 patients sought treatment at the facility.
The concerned citizens of the town said that over the last seven years, at least six persons including a woman lost their lives to drugs.
“Many are awaiting their death inside their houses,” they said.
Police said that there “is a direct link between terrorism and drugs”.
“The drugs are coming from across the border and the proceeds generated through them are used to fund terrorist activities,” it said.
Police said it had made significant progress in decimating such networks.
It said that in the coming days, the Police would intensify its anti-drug operations in the district and seize the property of some notorious peddlers.