Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to intensify efforts to curb ganja and drug abuse across Andhra Pradesh and ordered the establishment of specialised de-addiction centres in Amaravati, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.

He said the government would adopt a comprehensive approach combining enforcement, treatment and public awareness, and announced that he would personally participate in awareness programmes in all three regions.

Reviewing the performance of various departments from the RTGS Centre at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister stressed that public service delivery must be continuously assessed and improved based on ground-level feedback. He instructed officials to analyse how government schemes and welfare programmes were being perceived by the public and to make course corrections wherever required.

Naidu said the State’s efforts to prevent ganja use and control drugs had begun to show positive results, but cautioned that sustained and large-scale awareness campaigns were essential. He called for wider public participation in anti-drug initiatives and directed departments to design programmes that actively involve citizens, educational institutions and community organisations.

The Chief Minister also flagged basic civic services as a priority, warning that there should be no complaints regarding drinking water supply and street lighting. He instructed officials to conduct regular quality tests of drinking water, ensure transparency by sharing test results with the public, and issue immediate alerts wherever contamination is detected.

Special emphasis was laid on hostels, with Naidu directing that there be zero negligence in matters related to drinking water and sanitation, and that RO plants be installed without delay wherever they were lacking.

Emphasising administrative discipline, the Chief Minister said field-level staff must compulsorily attend offices and remain accessible to the public. He instructed the RTG Centre to regularly monitor file movement, attendance and service delivery indicators and submit periodic reports. Chief secretary K Vijayanand and senior officials from multiple departments attended.