Drug addiction is a serious social problem: SP Tushar

Chittoor: Druguse has become a serious social problem, particularly among youth and students, stated district SP Tushar Dudi.

Chittoor district police have organised a special awareness programme under ‘Dhairya Sparsha’ initiative at Mother Theresa College, Gangavaram mandal on Thursday, where about 1,000 students actively participated.

SP Tushar Dudi, the chief guest, interacted with students on drug abuse prevention, cyber crime awareness and road safety norms, especially the importance of helmet use.

Later addressing the gathering, the SP stressed that drugs not only damage physical and mental health, but also affect family and future career prospects. He warned that the short term pleasure from narcotics leads to long term suffering.

The SP urged students to set clear life goals, stay away from drugs and motivate their friends to do the same, and to report any addiction related concerns to parents, teachers or police. He also delivered a detailed talk on cybercrimes, focusing on ‘digital arrest’ and similar online frauds. He explained that criminals often pose as police or government officials, call victims, create fear and demand money or personal details such as OTPs, bank account numbers, and passwords.

Turning to road safety, the SP pointed out that an increasing number of accidents in the district involve students riding two wheelers. He strongly condemned rash driving, over speeding, using mobile phones while riding, and triple riding on bikes, and reiterated that helmet use is not merely a legal requirement but a life saving measure that can significantly reduce head injuries and deaths in road accidents.

Later SP Tushar distributed helmets to college students and urged them to make helmet use a daily habit and to encourage family members and friends to follow the same.

He also announced that Chittoor district police will soon launch a special 28 day helmet awareness campaign, where people, who wear helmets and send photos to Chittoor police WhatsApp number or post on police social media accounts, can take part and win special prizes.

Tarun Pahwa, SDPO Degala Prabhakar, Ram Bhupal, Murali Mohan, college principal Dr Raveendra Babu, chairman Sunil, director Rajendra Reddy and others participated in the programme.