With the aim of spreading awareness about the harmful effects of drugs, the Shimla police on Friday organised anti-chitta awareness campaigns across the district.
As part of the programme, the police conducted awareness sessions in several schools, with hundreds of students and teachers taking part.
During the campaign, students were informed about the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, as well as preventive measures against drug abuse. They were also told about the role young people can play in building a drug-free society. Students were encouraged to immediately alert their teachers or the police if they came across any drug-related activity or found anyone involved in the drug trade or the consumption of drugs.
The programme concluded with students taking a pledge to stay away from drugs and to raise awareness about their harmful effects among others.
The campaigns were organised at Government Senior Secondary School, Government Senior Secondary School Lalpani and other educational institutions, as well as in various panchayats.
Special meetings were also held in the identified red panchayats of the Jhakri police station area, including Jhakri, Shahdhar Rangori and Bonda. Panchayat representatives, women’s and youth groups, drug prevention committees and local dignitaries attended the meetings. Discussions focused on drug prevention, community cooperation and information sharing, with participants pledging to make their panchayats drug-free.
Meetings of drug prevention committees were also held in Sunni Nagar Panchayat and Basantpur Gram Panchayat, both declared red zones in the Sunni police station area. Panchayat representatives, women’s and youth groups, social workers and teachers from GSSS Sunni-Basantpur participated. The meeting discussed in detail the growing threat posed by chitta, the need for greater public awareness and stronger coordination between the police and the community.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shimla Gaurav Singh said that, as part of the police’s ongoing anti-drug awareness campaign, extensive public outreach programmes were organised on Friday across various police station areas of the district.
“The campaign aims to make youth and the general public aware of the harmful effects of chitta and other drugs, ensure the active participation of society, and strengthen collective efforts towards a drug-free district,” he said.
Singh said the police were continuously striving to create a drug-free and safe society through effective legal action against drug abuse, alongside public awareness, community participation and youth engagement.