‘Walk the talk' against drug menace: In Punjab, Governor Kataria, Mann govt announce foot marches
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab and Governor Gulab Chand Kataria are set to organise their respective foot marches to raise awareness against drug abuse. Governor Kataria Tuesday sent invites to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, his Haryana counterpart Nayab Singh Saini and Cabinet ministers of both states for undertaking a walk against drugs in Chandigarh on May 3.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government announced its itinerary for an anti-drug awareness campaign, 'Nasha Mukti Yatra', scheduled to begin on May 2, covering every village and ward of the state in May and June.
It is not the first time that Kataria and the government have undertaken foot marches to create awareness against drugs. Kataria undertook a foot march in Gurdaspur and Amritsar from April 3 to 8 against the drug menace. On April 3 itself, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal flagged off a similar march in Ludhiana.
Kataria and Chief Minister Mann share a cordial relationship, in contrast to the dynamic between the previous Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit, and Mann, who often clashed. However, despite being invited to the Governor's foot march in April, Mann chose not to attend.
It remains to be seen if Mann will participate in the Governor's march on May 3. It will begin at Raj Bhawan, where participants will pay their respects at the gurdwara in Sector 8, Chandigarh. The event will end at Tiranga Park after a stop at the UT Secretariat.
The Punjab government's march will begin in Amritsar on May 2. Sources said the AAP is planning to ensure Kejriwal's participation on May 2. In that case, CM Mann will also visit Amritsar.
'It is not yet clear whether Kejriwal and Mann will visit Amritsar. Their plan is yet to be finalised,' said a government source.
The government has directed officials to involve village defence committees (VDCs) to organise district-wise meetings across the state from May 2 to 4 to serve as the official launch platform for the 'Nasha Mukti Yatra' campaign.
Besides members of VDCs, village sarpanches, civil and police administration officers will also attend these meetings. CM Mann Tuesday directed deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police to form VDCs in villages where these do not exist and invite them to these meetings. Similarly, ward defence committees (WDCs) will also be formed in each ward in municipal areas, and they will be invited to these meetings.
Each district-level meeting will be chaired by a Cabinet minister to mobilise village-level leadership for community vigilance, strengthening coordination between VDCs/WDCs and the district administration to reinforce a collective stand against drugs at the village level, said a source.
After these meetings, the second phase of 'Nasha Mukti Yatra' will be launched on May 7. In this yatra, a meeting will be held with all the people in each village/ward.
The AAP government in Punjab has initiated a campaign against drugs in the state after it lost the Assembly elections in Delhi. Under the campaign, titled 'Yudh Nasheyan Virudh', the government has been on a spree of arresting drug peddlers and bulldozing their properties in the state.
Gaurav Yadav, the Director General of Police, said two days ago that the drug menace, which has plagued successive governments in Punjab for over a decade, will end by May 31. Previous governments also launched several similar campaigns, but they had little success.
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