JKNS: ‘Every year thousands of kanals of land in south Kashmir grow poppy’
Senior BJP leader and party spokesperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi today met public delegations from Srinagar, Kupwara, Baramulla and Anantnag districts at her office in Srinagar. The delegations presented memorandums to her in connection with the drug menace network in their areas and requested her to mobilize the government to undertake a mega operation to break this network so that the youth of Kashmir are saved from the hazardous results of this organised mafia run network. Speaking to the representatives of the civil society from these districts, Dr Darakhshan said that during the past three decades of violence in Kashmir, both ruling mainstream political groups and the separatists used this drug business for their fund-raisings and thus destroyed the future of thousands of youth. “A big chunk of our population is affected directly or indirectly by drug menace and the recent surveys and reports of police indicate a very alarming situation. We have been forced to the worst kind of destruction. This is an organised crime to which thousands of our youth have fallen prey,” said Dr Andrabi. She said that for three decades in an organised manner a big population from a few tehsils of South Kashmir have been encouraged to grow poppy and make it a regular crop there. It has been used to raise organisational funds for the parties by both ruling politicians and separatists too for subversive activities. “We as a society need to reform drastically, so is the need for great reform in our political system which has to happen without any delay. Otherwise as a society, we will be in a great irreparable loss”, said the BJP leader. Dr Andrabi appealed to the LG Mr Manoj Sinha to constitute a commission to study this drug network and initiate a mega operation against all involved in this business. She also requested the LG to establish drug de-addiction centres in every district as the present facilities are not sufficient. She also appealed to the religious leaders and social organisations to take this biggest social threat seriously and create awareness among masses about its hazardous effects.