KOCHI: Despite claims that the quantity of drugs seized in Kochi last year ranks among the highest in the country, the Kochi city police’s proposal to implement the Prevention of Drug Abuse (PODA) policy, aimed at curbing drug use among employees in private firms, is receiving a mixed response. The proposal initiated and drafted by Kochi City Police Commissioner S Syam Sundar for several organisations, hopes that a small policy change in the private sector, which employs 97% of the country’s workforce, could have a significant deterrent effect on current and potential drug users. Whereas, the concerns over clauses involving random check-ins and hair sample tests for employees have caused organisations to hesitate in implementing the policy.
“This policy, proposed by the Kochi city police as both a visionary project and a long-term strategy, aims to detect and prevent drug consumption on a significant scale, particularly within close-knit groups of friends and colleagues,” said a police source. The policy allows employers to conduct random drug tests on employees, with the possibility of termination if an employee tests positive. “The PODA policy primarily requires employees to sign a contract upon joining, agreeing not to engage in drug abuse,” he added.
The city police held discussions about the new policy with executive committee members from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry, GTech, KMA, BNI, as well as with centre heads of various software and service companies, including multinational corporations headquartered outside Kerala, said the officer.
Regarding the current status of the proposed policy, Syam Sundar said, “The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has successfully implemented it in their north zone, and a collective of technology companies, GTech, discussed it at their annual general body meeting.” He emphasised that some organisations are still examining the legal aspects of the policy’s implementation. “It will take a bit more time for full-scale implementation,” he added.
“We have forwarded the Kochi city police’s policy proposal to the higher authorities of the respective companies and have engaged in discussions about it. However, each company has its own internal employee policies, so they must decide independently how to proceed,” said a senior executive board member of an IT company. He added that while a policy for the prevention of drug abuse is a positive step, it must also consider important issues like human rights and personal privacy.