Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that educational institutions would be held accountable and made co-accused if campuses are misused as breeding grounds for drug abuse. The chief minister made the statement at an event marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The event was attended by more than 1,000 students from across the city.“I instruct the chief secretary and collectors to hold a meeting with managements of educational institutions to give an orientation and remind them of their responsibilites. They will be made accountable if anyone misuses their campus for drug abuse,” Revanth said. In his speech, he asked managements of the institutes to keep a tab on kirana stores close to campuses as there have been instances of sale of ganja chocolates. “If they come across such cases, they should inform the police who will take action,” he said.In his speech, Revanth said Telangana has a reputation for its rich history of revolutionary activities, and hence the youth should be protected and the drug menace should be kept in check.He cited the concerning situation in Punjab or Haryana, where drug menace is rampant.“The people of Punjab are known for playing a dominant role in waging wars for our country. But today, it is known for drug menace and its human resources were weakened by making them addicted to drugs,” Revanth said.Revanth urged the students to take inspiration from Tollywood actors Ram Charan Tej and Vijay Deverakonda, who were part of the event. “I have watched Ram Charan grow up. I have known him since his school days. He brought pride to the country by winning an Oscar,” Revanth said.TGANB (now EAGLE) director Sandeep Shandilya said the state’s efficient machinery is doing its best to eliminate the drug menace. “The bureau has some of the best facilities in India, which includes a hi-tech computer centre set up at a cost of 25 crore, and a narcotics testing lab. There are 42 deaddiction centres too,” he said.“We have 1.3 lakh NCC, 70,000 NSS volunteers, 22,000 prahari clubs in schools and 7500 anti-drug committees in colleges. So we have the machinery that is capable of ending the menace for good,” the director added.DGP Jitender said conversations and discussions will go a long way in helping end drug consumption amongst the youth.
