Sena to the rescue of State drug-addicts

“Both the drugs are increasingly available on Mumbai’s streets for Rs 120 to Rs 160 for a dose and are the choice drugs for rave parties,” said Merchant.

Giving further insights into the alarming drug scene here, Merchant informed that while in the early 90’s most of the heroin abused in India was of Indian origin, today Pakistani heroin is doing the round of most parts of northern India and has recently entered Mumbai.

Earlier it was common to find Tanzanians and Kenyans peddling drugs on the city streets, but nowadays Ghana nationals are pouring into the city armed with LSd and Ex’tacy( from USA and western Europe) and kilos of lethal heroin (from Pakistan via Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain or an African port). The modus operandi, is to destroy the passports once in India, therefore ensuring a long stay in the country. “The same method has frustrated German and Swiss enforcement officials in the past,” he said.

He even suggested that there is a likely ISI connection for the increased Pakistani heroin in the country as most of the narcotics’ profits are diverted for terrorist activities. While in Pakistan, heroin is available for Rs 18,000 a kg, the same fetches Rs 80,000 per kg in India. The presence of drugs is increasingly felt in the interiors of Maharashtra having spread via the rail route. It is not unusual to find brown sugar in Nanded, Nagpur, Wardha and even Yavatmal.

“In Mumbai, the latest drug addicts are known as GTMOs or Gujjus-turned-mod-overnight”, said Merchant and their numbers are rising. Prescribed medication abuse has also increased in the city. Drug abuse among street children between six and 14 years of age is also on the rise.

Roshini, who was hooked onto a Pentazocine injection, a painkiller for 14 years, however revealed that all it takes to rehabilitate a drug addict was plenty of love, support and encouragement. And this is where the Sena’s strength will show. On July 7, a training programme for 100 Shiv Sena female activists from Mumbai will begin. The volunteers will be trained in drug awareness which will include helping parents to identify drug abuse in their children. Within six months these 100 are expected to scan the entire state and impart training to 100 female volunteers each from various districts.

Twenty-four zonal centres of Shiv Sena will serve as the nuclei for the campaign. Smita Thackeray’s lack of knowledge on the subject is of little consequence to the project which is being masterminded by Merchant. The project will envisage visits to all schools and colleges in the State to spread the awareness message. Also a share-a-meal programme, where parents will have at least one meal a day with their children, is expected to help parents to understand their children better.