Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], April 19 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday joined the 100-day padyatra from Boys Higher Secondary School to the District Police Line in Rajouri, where he also addressed a public rally as part of the Drug-Free J&K campaign, with a large gathering including students, citizens, civil administration officials, and police personnel participating in the march.

The LG observed that the border district of Rajouri is sensitive and prone to cross-border drug smuggling.

He said, 'We are determined to crush these challenges, dismantle the drug trade and liberate society from addiction. From April 11, the J&K Police had launched a relentless crackdown in the Jammu Division. More than 45 FIRs were filed, 63 smugglers nabbed, and massive drug hauls seized between the 11th and 15th. Regular Checks are now covering schools, pharmacies, drug agencies and this drive will continue relentlessly.'

In his address, Sinha emphasised that not all wars rage on borders. He said some battles brew unseen, and for years, countless Jammu Kashmir families have fought addiction within their walls, and many have lost loved ones to it.

'' In 100 days, we must completely break the back of drug networks. When the power of society and the might of the administration come together, neither smugglers nor criminals will be spared,' the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor also highlighted that prevention anchors the Drug-Free J&K campaign, and he considers that prevention is mightier than any cure in such cases.

'We must reach our children before drugs do, igniting awareness and self-respect in every school, college, playground, and community hub,' Sinha said.

He also called upon J&K Police and other enforcement agencies to ensure exemplary punishment for drug smugglers.

'Make sure no culprit escapes. We should unleash exemplary crackdowns on traffickers poisoning our youth. Those ruining generations won't slip away,' the Lieutenant Governor said, further adding that the administration has crafted a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to obliterate drug smugglers' networks and ensure swift justice.

Sinha said that from detection and counselling to detox, rehab, and aftercare, our pledge is total rehabilitation. He asked the officials to audit weekly activities, including a list of rehabbed lives and a list of arrested smugglers, while ensuring that fake centres are shuttered.

'We will restore people's dignity, reconnect them to our shared society, and unleash their potential to build Rajouri's brighter future. This mission demands more than government efforts. I call upon every social organisation and NGOs to join us in this noble endeavour,' the LG said.

On the occasion, Sinha administered the anti-drug pledge and also launched the Rajouri Premier League and the Rajouri Football Club under the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan.

Artists through musical opera spread awareness on the devastating impacts of substance abuse. (ANI)