THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With only a couple of days left for school reopening, the excise department has identified 104 schools in the state as drug hotspots and initiated measures to counter the influence of intoxicants among students.
The department flagged the schools as drug hotspots after it was found that substance abuse among students were prevalent in these institutions. Among the list are government, aided and private schools in the high school and higher secondary categories.
Thiruvananthapuram topped the list, with 43 schools from the district featured in it, followed by Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts, which have an unspecified number of schools in the list, said a source with the excise department.
The hotspot schools will be placed under excise surveillance, and the assistance of police will be sought, if required.
Confirming the existence of such a list, multiple sources said the state government has instructed the excise department to take specific measures to free the students hooked to intoxicants from the clutches of drug rackets.
“The department has been directed to take action on its own and also in coordination with other departments, such as police, to purge the elements that lure school students,” said a senior excise officer.
Sources said the inputs they received suggested that certain shops operating near these schools supplied drugs to students. This information was passed on to the state government, which instructed to revoke the licences of the shops engaged in peddling of drugs and other intoxicants.
Drug hotspot schools to be placed under watch
“The department has started seeking the assistance of the local self-government bodies to revoke the licences of such shops and register cases against owners. A handicap we have is that a large number of such shops operate without any licence. We have been told to take action against such shops using other provisions of the law,” said an excise officer.
Swinging into action, excise sleuths have got in touch with principals or headmasters of such schools and have sought their cooperation.
They were told to furnish details of exit and entrance points set up for students, and of vacant rooms and plots on the school campuses where the students meet.
Sources said the schools in the list will be placed under excise surveillance.
“There will be strict monitoring of the contacts the students have with outsiders. The background of people who loiter around the schools will be scrutinised. This is to prevent drug peddlers from coming into contact with the kids,” the source said.
In case of students, who are found to be into drug abuse, the excise officials will contact the parents and school authorities and with their consent, they will be rehabilitated under the ‘Vimukthi’ de-addiction project.
Counter measures
Excise range officers to visit all schools under their jurisdiction
Shops near schools to be inspected to curb sale of intoxicants
Licences of shops engaged in peddling of drugs and other intoxicants to be cancelled. Owners to be booked
Mufti and bike patrolling near schools before and after the classes on daily basis