Excise dept. initiative for de-addiction

As part of strengthening the de-addiction programmes among students in the coastal areas of the city, the Excise department here has decided to seek the support of the district administration to get a convenient building for conducting its regular counselling programmes.

If the request gets approved, around 78 students recently identified as drug addicts from various parts of the Kozhikode coastal area will be benefitted by the move.

Senior officials from the Excise Department told

The Hindu here on Saturday that they would submit a request to District Collector N. Prasanth in this regard on Monday.

Excise officials said the Range office now functioning in Puthiyara is having very limited facilities and it will not be a suitable place for offering counselling services for students. M.K. Gireesh, Excise Inspector from Kozhikode range, said the first round of counselling for all the 78 students is over. Currently a 15-member team led by Joint Excise Commissioner C.M. Shanawaz and Excise Commissioner T.A. Raphael is coordinating the special de-addiction programme in the coastal area. Complaint boxes too have been installed in 15 selected schools.