Mangaluru: The district administration burnt 18.17 kg of ganja that was seized, in the presence of the deputy commissioner, officials of the Police, Excise, Forest and Revenue departments and the media at the DC’s Office premises here, on October 30.
Speaking to mediapersons, Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim said, “Today, we have burnt the ganja that was seized at various places in the district worth Rs 5 lakh. This was done in the presence of the media to send a clear message to the people, especially the youth, on the administration’s stand on drugs and to make society better. An increasing number of youth are being enticed into using drugs even with the knowledge of how harmful it is and many spoil their lives, quickly becoming addicted to the high of such substances.”
He also said that the district administration has received many complaints of drug peddling activities and the frequency of it has been increasing. Through this burning, the administration wishes to call for the people to keep away from such substances and help to make the society better. “Let us make society drug free,” he added.
He further said that about two months ago, the DGP had held a meeting regarding the increasing drug activities in the state, especially in Mangaluru, and the methods to contain and abate the problem. Speaking on whether the administration has been able to discern the entry points from which the drug is being supplied to the district, Ibrahim said that ganja cultivation is very active in the West Coast of the country from Kerala to Gujarat and that it is being transported via the Hyderabad-Panjim-Mangaluru and Hyderabad-Chennai train routes and also from Kerala.
In accordance with this, the district administration has given mobile numbers that people can call to if they suspect any drug related activities in their area. The information of the caller will be kept confidential, assured Joint Commissioner Excise Rajendra Prasad . The contact numbers are: 9449597-103 – DC, 106 -9449597109 – Mangaluru Deputy Superintendent and 9449597111 – Bantwal Deputy Superintendent.
