Participants at a workshop at Eric Mathais Hall, St. Aloysius College, in Mangaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
The Dakshina Kannada district administration intends to bring in a permanent mechanism within a month to mitigate the menace of drug abuse in educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada, said Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai Muhilan here on Saturday.
Inaugurating a training workshop for representatives of educational institutions dealing with anti-drug initiatives in their institutions, Mr. Muhilan said because of sheer scale of students studying in education institutions in the district there is an increase in consumption base of narcotic drugs. As the demand for drugs is more, its availability is high. “There is a perception that sale and consumption of narcotic drugs in the district are high,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan intracting with officials at a workshop at St. Aloysius College, in Mangaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
H.S. MANJUNATH
While the police are acting against the supply, the district administration is working towards a comprehensive approach by which the demand for drugs is curtailed by choice, he said.
The anti-drugs cells in educational institutes, he said, should take an active role in addressing the problem. The cells should be broad-based to include all those persons capable of reaching out to students. They should have some mechanism, such as the regular testing of students, to identify addicts. These students should be given counselling and be provided with further help to them recover from abuse.
“The purpose of holding this workshop is to bring all of you together to deliberate upon and come out with an effective measures to tackle drug abuse,” he said. This permanent institutional mechanism should be in place by August 15. “We are trying to bring together resources to address this societal problem,” he said.
A participant raising a question at a workshop at St. Aloysius College, in Mangaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
H.S. MANJUNATH
To a question by a principal of an engineering college on the need to have a system for reporting on instances of drug abuse, Mr. Muhilan said the district administration is working with software companies for online reporting.
To another question that the drive against drug abuse will cost the reputation of educational institution, Mr. Muhilan said institutions should not take a step back on this ground.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer M. Kishore Kumar, District Mental Health Programme Officer C.M. Sudhershan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic) B.P. Dinesh Kumar, Government Wenlock Hospital Superintendent Sadashiva, Psychiatrist Ravish Thunga and Principal of St. Aloysius College Praveen Martis took part in the programme.