Karnataka Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara, yesterday said a special drive will be undertaken to rid State’s schools and colleges of drug menace. “We will not allow Karnataka to become ‘Udta Punjab.’ We have directed the Police to step up vigil near educational institutions and also create awareness on drug abuse,” Parameshwara told the Legislative Council. In the last two months, Police arrested 88 drug traffickers, including 23 foreign nationals.
Replying to Lehar Singh of the BJP, he said that the sale of narcotic drugs is rampant near professional colleges across the State. “The Police have found that petty shops in the vicinity of many of these colleges indulge in drug peddling. Though there are rules stating that tobacco should not be sold near schools and colleges, we have learnt that petty shops near educational institutions have been peddling drugs,” he added.
