Holistic initiative for a drug-free Hyderabad launched

Hyderabad: To tackle the growing menace of substance abuse among students, over 1,000 schools attended the programme initiated by the city police on Sunday. It was conducted by the Hyderabad City Security Council (HCSC) and the city police, at the Telangana Police Command and Control Centre, ICCC.

K Sreenivasa Reddy, the city police Commissioner and chairman HCSC, hosted a meeting of schools administrators in tri-commissionerate of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda. He said the response for the programme organised for schools and their managements has been overwhelming and indicates their commitment to the cause. ‘School is where the impressionable minds are shaped into creative talent; therefore, we thought it imperative to involve schools to address the problem of drug menace.

Addressing the gathering, the chief guest, Burra Venkatesham, principal secretary (Education) and Collegiate Education Commissioner, said, ‘we all need to work together seriously on the issue of drug abuse among children. Hyderabad should become a drug-free city and Telangana should become a drug-free State’.

‘Drug abuse has been on the rise and is not even sparing schools and colleges. It is available at all-around educational institutions; the drug peddlers are penetrating the serene educational environs. This scourge is not limited to urban areas, even spreading to rural areas, as is evidenced from seizures from pan dabbas and other neighbouring outlets in form of drug-lacerated toffees, chocolates. Parents express their concern of it spreading like wildfire’.

It was suggested to monitor students for sudden behavioural changes and caution parents to do the same at homes. ‘Drug mafia is constantly on the lookout for gullible students reeling under stress; so schools should have mechanism to address academic stress. Every school should have anti-drug committees to help free school and society from this menace. The police and the Education departments are available to render the necessary support. We will form forums of schools with the police and Education department officials, where such developments can be reported, and we will take care of the enforcement.’

Sandeep Shandilya, director, Telangana State Anti-narcotics Bureau, said in today’s society peer pressure, lack of love among children is being compensated with money. Kids take to drugs because they are unhappy with your comparison, with peer pressure, lack of love, lack of recognition; all these are leading to a stressful situation; that’s how he slowly gets into such bad habits. Therefore, don’t put the child in a rat race. All stakeholders, including parents, teachers, law enforcement, must uphold their responsibilities to effectively tackle this threat.

Avinash Mohanty, Cyberabad Police Commissioner, said, people take drugs to gain some relief or to celebrate. This vice can be addressed in the peer groups of a family, the school, the friends circle, but where all these peer groups overlap is the school, parents, teachers, friends all come together and is the best place to address the vice.

Dr Tarun Joshi, Rachakonda Police Commissioner, said, creating awareness about drug menace is the need of the hour ’an issue which is really bothering all of us. The parents are not aware of what their child is doing. At the same time there is a communication gap between the students and teachers.

A Sridevasena, Commissioner and Director, School Education, said, many private schools are concerned about their reputation or the trauma the child would undergo if reported; but we assure you that neither the schools name nor the child’s name will be revealed when we get to root of issue.

Bharani Aroll, HCSC adviser, said, a student spends an average time of 10.5% in school during his life. ‘During this time imagine the kind of impact the teachers can create on a student, be it educational or even behavioural, it would be much more than 30-40%; you create a huge impact on students; that’s one reason that the program has been designed to be a collaborative effort. We need to together build an India, Telangana and Hyderabad, which is drug-free’.