Drug abuse plagues Amritsar village

Amritsar Drug abuse is rampant in Maqbulpura - a small village in Amritsar where over 180 deaths due to drug abuse have been reported so far.

While the administration remains a mute spectator, the children of the locality have started a campaign against the ugly menace by writing letters to the authorities.

“I am writing to the authorities. Drug abuse is common here. My father was an addict and he died," said Rijwant, whose dreams died with the death of her father.

Still in school, she helps her mother and ailing grandparents to eek out a living like several other children who are the worst victims of these drug abuse deaths.

Maqbulpura has now become a village of widows. The residents say the area is home to many drug traffickers where Smack, Charas and Proxivion are commonly available.

"My husband took to drugs and got TB, he died without any treatment,” said Manjeet Kaur's, one of the locals in the village who lost her husband a year ago.

She is just one amongst hundreds of other widows, who send their children to a small school run by an NGO.

In this school, apart from education, the children are also made aware of the effects of drug abuse.

Even as the police are still trying to chalk out a strategy to check the menace, the village has been suffering from the effects of drug addiction for the last 15 years.

"We are targeting the big smugglers going for their preventive detentions. Besides, we are going to launch an awareness campaign in colleges and schools " said Sahota, an IPS officer in Amritsar.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)