Anti-drug clubs in all Coimbatore schools, colleges

COIMBATORE: To curtail use of narcotic drugs and banned tobacco products  by students, the district administration has directed all educational institutions to set up anti-drug club. The club, along with NSS, NCC and scout teams, will sensitize students against the usage of such products, District Collector GS Sameeran said on Thursday during an awareness programme held in a private college.

Addressing media, Sameeran said they have taken stringent action against the drug peddlers with the support of police and FSSAI. “We are taking steps against drug usage by creating awareness and enforcement. We have started a narcotic coordination cell to coordinate the stakeholder departments for taking action against drug usage. Simultaneously the anti-drug clubs will be started in all educational institutions to sensitize the students against the drugs,” Sameeran added.

Following the conference headed by Chief Minister MK Stalin in Chennai on Wednesday regarding the enforcement against drugs in the state, the Coimbatore district administration along with the police, have begun awareness programmes against drug usage in the district. As part of it, awareness programmes were held on Thursday at two colleges in the rural part of the district and were headed by DIG (Coimbatore Range) MS Muthusamy and police superintendent V Badrinarayanan.

The speech of Chief Minister MK Stalin was telecasted during the event and students and officials took pledges against drug usage.  City police commissioner V Balakrishnan said they would give special attention to the areas nearby schools and colleges to prevent tobacco and drug peddling. “Awareness banners along with the contact numbers will also be placed at the educational institutions in the city,” he said.