Drug menace spreads its tentacles in hilly areas

Sanjay Pathak

Kathua, February 20

After spreading its tentacles in city and towns of Kathua district, the drug-menace has now made its presence felt in hilly areas, where seven “refusal of inheritance” cases have been filed by families against their drug-addict wards in the last one month.

Officials in Billawar Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) office revealed that in the last one month seven families have approached the administration.

“Despite repeated persuasions to cure their children from taking drugs, dejected families have taken the final decision of denying inheritance in moveable and immovable property to their drug-addict wards”, officials informed. All these drug-addicts are consumers of “chitta” — a synthetic drug made from heroin and other substances. Billwar ADC Sandesh Sharma said, “We are surprised to find that drugs have made their way into the hilly areas, which were otherwise free from such menace.

The seriousness of drug-menace in Kathua town could be gauged from the fact that the police have recently established an Anti-Narcotics Cell, headed by an Inspector -level officer. The cell has reportedly identified 250 drug addicts of “chitta”, out of which five per cent are women.“Initially, the youth indulge in taking drugs through their peer-group”, a police officer said. Students of Class XI and XII have become customers of drugs in Kathua.

Though the police have identified over 250 drug-addicts in Kathua town and started providing counselling to the drug-addicts, yet the police seem to have failed in nabbing the suppliers.