DC B’la chairs 12th NCORD Committee meeting, Stresses on coordination among stakeholders to curb drug menace

Baramulla: To review the measures taken by several concerned departments of the District Administration and Law Enforcement Agencies to combat drug abuse and peddling in the district, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla, Minga Sherpa on Saturday chaired the 12th District Level Narco Coordination (NCORD) Committee meeting at DakBunglow, here.
At the outset, the DC conducted a comprehensive review of the actions taken based on the directives from the 11th meeting of the NCORD Committee, assessing the effectiveness of deterrence measures and the progress made towards eradicating drug abuse and trafficking in the Baramulla District.
During the meeting, the DC directed the implementing agencies to install CCTV cameras not just in classrooms but also in hostels and surrounding areas of educational institutions to eradicate drug use around school and college campuses.
Furthermore, the CEO and other concerned officers were instructed to enforce a 200-meter tobacco-free zone around educational facilities, prohibiting the sale of any tobacco products within this radius.
Meanwhile, Minga Sherpa directed the Assistant Drug Controller to get CCTV cameras installed at all medical shops, clinical establishments, and chemist/druggist shops and ensure their proper monitoring so that overall surveillance with regard to the containment of drug sales is enforced.
The DC commended the efforts of the Addiction Treatment Facility (ATF) at the GMC, the Police Drug De-addiction Centre, and other centres in rehabilitating individuals struggling with addiction and emphasized the need for further efforts to enhance the effectiveness of these rehabilitation initiatives and achieve more impactful results.
Additionally, the DC instructed the ARTO to affix posters on commercial vehicles, such as passenger buses and taxis, to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of drugs, particularly targeting the younger generation.
The DC, while assessing the effectiveness of anti-drug awareness campaigns in the district, emphasized the need for intensifying the campaigns by leveraging technology like ICT labs in schools to ensure that target groups are well-informed about the harmful effects of substance abuse in a compelling manner.
Regarding the issue of curbing poppy cultivation, the DC directed the concerned officers to collaborate with magistrates and police officials to establish a dedicated team that will work towards the eradication of poppy crops being cultivated in the district.
Senior Superintendent of Police Baramulla, Amod Ashok Nagpure; Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Dr.Zahoor Ahmad Raina; Additional Deputy Commissioner Sopore, Shabir Ahmad Raina; Principal Government Medical College Baramulla, (Prof) Dr. Ruby Reshi; Chief Medical Officer, Chief Education Officer, District Information Officer, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, District Social Welfare Officer, and other members of the Committee attended the meeting.