Awareness Programme to Curb Drug Menace in City by Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh
Mangaluru: Everyone from Police Commissioner to Deputy Commissioner, MCC Officials, Parents and Teachers are having a grave concern over rising drug abuse in Dakshina Kannada (DK) district and Mangaluru which has become a hub of drugs. The situation at present was critical with a large number of youths becoming victims of substance abuse. Drugs has become easily accessible for youth in petty shops, bars, pubs and hotels. In spite of police cracking down on quite a number of drug dealers, the drug trafficking doesn’t seem like its ending. Several cases wherein police had seized drugs and arrested drug peddlers, but youths are still seen involved in peddling ganja, and it may either be due to peer pressure or influence of Western culture. Both smuggling and consumption of drugs is an offence, therefore the departments concerned to put a check on the drug menace.
Seems like Mangaluru, the headquarters of Dakshina Kannada district, appears to be headed the Punjab way with drug abuse, which has been prevalent there for nearly three decades among youngsters, especially students, now becoming rampant. Way back in 1991, the Link Anti-Addiction Citizens Committee (LAACC) had first launched a campaign against substance abuse, but many such efforts by NGOs over the years do not seem to have borne any fruit, with the problem only aggravating over time. The situation has reached alarming proportions of late, and several drug-related crimes, including murders, have been reported. It is thus heartening that Mangaluru police have now woken up to declare a war on drugs in the port city.
Mangaluru, an international education centre with students from over 35 countries, is a soft target for drug peddlers who set their eyes on the vulnerable age group of 18 to 30 years. Peer pressure, easy availability of narcotics outside college premises and students themselves turning peddlers to fund their addiction, has only accentuated the problem. Though the city and its surrounding areas are on the way to becoming the ‘drug capital’ of Karnataka, no stakeholder, be it parents, student bodies, educational institutions or local politicians, has addressed the issue with the seriousness it deserves.
The police have been regularly cracking down on drug peddlers, but this is the first time a sustained drive has been launched. With Police Commissioner Sandeep Patil personally leading the charge, many notorious drug peddlers have been arrested and booked under the stringent Goonda Act. Banned substances worth several lakhs of rupees have been seized from them. The police have also initiated a programme to educate youngsters about the ill-effects of drugs. While these moves deserve appreciation, unless the police identify the source of supply and dismantle the entire apparatus from the root, there will be no end to this menace. It is also imperative to post policemen in plain clothes around educational institutions to apprehend the culprits.
The narcotics problem in communally sensitive Mangaluru is a bomb ticking away and could explode at any time. Now that the police have finally realized the gravity of the situation, the government should give them a free hand so that the lives of innocent youngsters are not consumed by drugs. While the police are doing their best efforts in cracking down on the drug dealers, Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh along with Link De-Addiction & Counselling Centre, Mangaluru have decided to have an Awareness Programme on Drug Addiction and Drug Menace in DK/Mangaluru.
Addressing the media persons during a press meet held at Mangaluru Press Club, Paul Ralphy D’Costa, the President of Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh said, “In order to bring awareness among the public, especially the youth about the ill-effects of drugs consumption, and also on the drug menace and addiction that is rampant in Dakshina Kannada and Mangaluru, Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh along with Link De-Addiction & Counselling Centre have decided to organize a ‘Awareness Programme on Drug Menace’ on Sunday, 28 July 2019 from 9 am onwards at St Sebastian Hall, Permannur, in the outskirts of Mangaluru”.
“The programme will be graced by eminent persons who will also speak on the drug abuse topic-the programme will be blessed by Fr J B Saldanha- Parish Priest of Permannur Church and Sri Ananth Padmanabha Asranna-Head of Kateel Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple; inauguration will be done by DC Sasikanth Senthil; guest of honour will be Fr Mathew Vas- Director of Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh. And presided over by Paul Ralphy D’Costa -President of Catholic Sabha Mangaluru Pradesh. Keynote speakers will be Ms Lydia Lobo- In-Charge of Link De-Addiction & Counselling Centre, Mangaluru; and Ganesh Mulky Nayak- Freelance Event Organizer, social worker and secretary Isiri Healthy India Mission” added D’costa.
Board members of Catholic Sabha of Various areas, namely-Harry Rego, Felix D’souza, Dolphy D’souza, Ajay Paisand and Dennis D’Souza Vamanjoor were also present during the press meet.
