Over 3.31 Lakh People Reached as Kulgam Completes 100-Day Anti-Drug Campaign
Kulgam, KNT: The District Administration Kulgam, in coordination with Kulgam Police, on Tuesday released a comprehensive report on the successful completion of the 100-day anti-drug campaign conducted from April 11 to July 20, highlighting significant achievements in public awareness, law enforcement and rehabilitation initiatives across the district.
The campaign, conducted under the guidance of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, was built around three key pillars—awareness and prevention, enforcement against drug trafficking, and rehabilitation of persons affected by substance abuse.
As part of the awareness campaign, special Gram Sabhas were organised in all 178 Gram Panchayats, drawing participation from nearly 29,900 people. Educational institutions also played a major role, with a four-tier competition involving 598 schools and colleges, while sports activities engaged nearly 49,000 young participants.
The district also organised a mega marathon involving 4,268 runners, a mass yoga programme attended by 7,653 participants and a large public march led by the Lieutenant Governor through Kulgam town on June 1. In addition, 431 awareness rallies, public wall paintings, outreach programmes for religious leaders and traders, and a plantation drive involving 2,589 saplings were conducted, taking the campaign’s overall outreach to more than 3.31 lakh people.
On the enforcement front, Kulgam Police registered 85 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested 96 alleged drug peddlers. During the campaign, police seized nearly 58 kilograms of narcotic substances and destroyed more than 1,143 kilograms of contraband.
Authorities also recovered proceeds of crime linked to narcotics, attached 11 properties worth ₹5.78 crore in 10 cases and demolished eight illegally constructed structures valued at ₹3.67 crore that were allegedly linked to drug-related activities.
As part of anti-narcotics enforcement, authorities destroyed illicit poppy cultivation spread over 25 marlas and wild cannabis growing on 57 kanals and three marlas of land. Officials also retrieved 28 kanals of government land and made 11 adverse entries in revenue records against offenders.
The campaign further witnessed the cancellation of 34 driving licences and 22 vehicle registration certificates of offenders. Besides, 387 bank accounts were frozen, 23 anti-narcotics search operations were conducted, 235 medical shops were inspected—leading to the suspension of 27 licences—and 92 investigating officers received specialised training.
The rehabilitation component of the campaign focused on treatment, counselling and reintegration of individuals affected by substance abuse. The Addiction Treatment Facility at District Hospital Kulgam registered 2,141 patients, of whom 2,019 are currently undergoing medication. A total of 10,567 counselling sessions were conducted during the period.
Officials said that 363 individuals were brought under structured rehabilitation through a 48-hour referral mechanism to Government of India-supported de-addiction centres. Additionally, 48 young people were linked with livelihood and self-employment opportunities under Mission YUVA to facilitate their social and economic rehabilitation.
Reaffirming their commitment to eliminating the drug menace, the District Administration and Kulgam Police appealed to the public, particularly the youth, to actively support anti-drug initiatives by sharing information about narcotics trafficking through the emergency helpline 112, with the objective of making Kulgam a drug-free district. [KNT]
