The Excise Department has decided to intensify the activities of its 30-member shadow investigation wing in Kozhikode to track drug peddlers who operate around schools and those luring students to substance abuse. Aimed at ensuring flawless action during the new academic year, the district has been divided into three zones — coastal, tribal and urban, and plainclothesmen will be posted to keep an eye on all vulnerable areas.
Excise officials say they will give top priority to the coastal zone, considering the increasing number of substance abuse cases and the active involvement of students from coastal areas in such cases. The list of vulnerable schools and frequent offenders is ready with the squad.
“At first, we will distribute over 5,000 leaflets to schoolchildren, explaining the danger of substance abuse, the ways to fight it collectively and the remedies available in case of addiction. There will be subsequent awareness meetings for the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) in all the identified schools under different zones to ensure their active participation in anti-drug campaigns and surveillance activities,” says Deputy Excise Commissioner V.R. Anilkumar.
Checks at shops
Ahead of the new academic year, the enforcement squads will carry out intensive checks in suspected shops within a 100-metre radius of listed educational institutions and schools. The move is aimed at preventing attempts to stock the banned pan masala products and tranquilliser drugs targeting youngsters.
School-level vigilance committees comprising students will be reconstituted. The details of students suspected of drug addiction or having links with drug peddlers will be collected by the vigilance committee members and handed over to the Excise squads. The students will be encouraged to make use of drop boxes installed on school premises to share confidential information with the enforcement wings.
