Following the Korba police’s anti-drug campaign, dozens of Baghmara villagers said “no” to drugs and quit drinking.

Dispatch News.
The impact of Superintendent of Police Korba Santosh Singh’s Nijat campaign against illegal drugs is now visible in Korba. Ten villagers from Baghmara village in Thana Balkonagar have begun a drug-free lifestyle by saying “no” to drugs.

After learning of this, the Superintendent of Police met with those villagers today, encouraging them, assuring them that they would help those in need, and motivating other villagers to stay away from drugs. Karthik Ram stated that he had been trying to stop using narcotics for a long time, and after participating in the police programme, he quit drugs.

Shawls were distributed as prizes to the villagers present. CSP Vishwadeepak Tripathi and BALCO in-charge Manish Nagar were present. It is noteworthy that, impressed by the campaign last month, the villagers of Salora and Maheshpur in the Katghora police station area mobilised and announced the prohibition of drugs in their villages.

Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh is leading the action and awareness campaign, Nijaat Abhiyan, to keep people away from illegal drugs. Nijaat Abhiyan was established during his assignment in the Koriya district. Following the positive response, he launched a campaign in the Rajnandgaon district.

Santosh Singh launched the Nijat campaign after being appointed Superintendent of Police in Korba district in July last year. The campaign had a noticeable effect. Under the Nijaat Abhiyan, the police take action in three stages: strict action against criminals involved in the illegal drug trade, public awareness about drugs, and, in the third phase of the campaign, people addicted to drugs are weaned off drugs through counselling at the police station level. Necessary medical facilities and rehabilitation are arranged for those staying away. Half a dozen other people have also been admitted to the de-addiction centre in Bilaspur for treatment.
During the last six months of the campaign, more than 675 public awareness programmes against drugs were held throughout the district. During the Excise Act campaign against illegal liquor, two thousand seventy-one accused were arrested in two thousand eight cases between July and December 2022, with 205 people imprisoned in non-bailable cases and 4794 litres of liquor confiscated. In 29 NDPS Act cases, the police arrested 32 people and seized a considerable amount of ganja, intoxicating tablets, and other drugs. Compared to the first six months of 2022, this action is three times as large in the Excise Act and double in the NDPS.

Under the Kotpa Act, 475 people have been fined in six months, compared to zero for the last several years. Under the Motor Vehicle Act, the action was taken against 575 people for drunken driving, with a minimum fine of Rs 10,000, and the driving licence of 910 people was revoked, which has doubled compared to 2021.