The principals of several colleges participating in a meeting on drug abuse on Thursday raised concerns over objectionable practices by some business establishments in the city.
Some of them said a few shops sold cigarettes on credit to students who deposit their identity cards with them.
Some others said there were shops which appeared to be selling things other than what they were meant to.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh had convened a meeting with college establishments and student representatives to elicit information on the issue and strategies to combat it. A representative from the Canara Degree College pointed that some shops outside college campuses attracted large number of students. “They assemble at a shop where nothing is sold,” he said.
Shivaprasad from the Narayana Guru College said he had seen instances of shops selling cigarettes to students who deposit identity cards. “I have seen this happen more in the shops in Lalbagh,” he said. Swebert D'Silva, director of St. Aloysius College, said many such activities were happening outside their campuses over which they had not much control.
‘Set up a cell'
Leela Upadhya, principal of Sharada P.U. College, said there needed to be a cell to which cases of drug abuse can be referred to.
Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the Commissionerate will start a Integrated Voice Response System facility for receiving complaints about drug abuse from August 15.
Mr. Singh said students and college establishments can also contact Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) D. Dharmaiah on his mobile phone 94808-02305. “He is our nodal officer. You can also SMS him,” he said.
Mr. Singh asked students to use the Commissionerate link on the Facebook to share information about drug abuse.
“We are not treating the drug addicts as outcasts. But we want to bring them back to the mainstream,” he said.
