VIJAYAWADA: Education minister N. Lokesh has called for coordinated efforts by elected representatives and officials to make Andhra Pradesh a drug-free state, with greater focus on prevention, awareness and enforcement.
At a meeting of the ministers’ group on drug prevention chaired by home minister Vangalapudi Anitha at Undavalli, Lokesh said EAGLE clubs had been established in all government high schools to create awareness among students about the harmful effects of drugs.
He directed officials to expand programmes such as Operation Chaitanya and Operation Safe Campus Zone in agency areas to educate tribal communities about the dangers of narcotics. He also called for wider implementation of the “Drugs Vaddu Bro” campaign to reach and sensitise youngsters.
Lokesh stressed the need for a regulatory framework to prevent the transportation of drugs and products such as ganja chocolates and asked officials to study the issue. He directed that EAGLE officials be involved in cluster-level meetings conducted by the education department to design drug-awareness programmes.
He suggested monthly town-hall meetings with students in universities and colleges and said enthusiastic teachers would be entrusted with responsibilities to motivate students across the State. EAGLE officials must align their efforts with the Centre’s Nasha Mukt Bharat objective and study the Punjab police’s approach to tackling synthetic drugs.
Lokesh proposed a southern states’ conclave on drug prevention in Visakhapatnam to improve coordination among states.
The ministers’ group also decided to undertake field visits to create public awareness.
Home minister Anitha said strict action was being taken against those transporting ganja into AP from Odisha and directed officials to strengthen surveillance at checkposts along the Odisha border and expand drone monitoring. She said a special “Break the Silence” programme was being conducted to create awareness.
EAGLE IG Aake Ravikrishna said ganja chocolates recently seized in Visakhapatnam and Narasaraopet were traced to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, prompting alerts to senior police officials in those states. He said 20 medical shops selling scheduled drugs and cough syrups without doctors’ prescriptions had been sealed.
He said police had identified drug-using groups in Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram and were taking stringent action. Thirty-six trained sniffer dogs were being used to detect ganja and drug transportation, while suspected users were being screened with rapid drug detection kits.
Ravikrishna said 192 active repeat offenders involved in drug-related activities had been identified and stringent action was being taken against them.
Ministers Satya Yadav, Kollu Ravindra and Gummadi Sandhyarani, Intelligence chief Mahesh Ladha and Home department principal secretary Kumara Viswajeet attended the meeting.
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