Chander Prakash Ganga Throws Down the Gauntlet: Challenges Police to End Drug Menace during DISHA meeting in Samba.
||Black and White Digital News||
||Parvinder Singh November 21,2024 ||
Samba : The District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting, chaired by Jugal Kishore Sharma, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for Jammu-Samba-Reasi, took an unexpected turn today as MLA Vijaypur, Chander Prakash Ganga, fiercely challenged the Samba police over the escalating drug menace in the district. Held in the Conference Hall of the District Administrative Complex, the meeting was initially convened to review the progress of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) and development projects in Samba. However, Ganga’s scathing remarks shifted the spotlight to a grave issue threatening the region’s youth.
The meeting, attended by Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Sharma, DDC Chairperson Keshav Dutt Sharma, MLAs Surjit Singh Slathia (Samba) and Devinder Kumar Manyal (Ramgarh), SSP Samba Virender Singh Manhas, and other senior officers, was intended to highlight significant achievements, including the National Highway and Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway projects. Yet, Ganga’s passionate intervention dominated the session.
A Grim Reality Unveiled:
Chander Prakash Ganga did not mince words as he openly challenged the Samba police’s inaction against the rampant drug trade, particularly near Balol Bridge, an area he described as a haven for drug peddlers and criminals. “Forget about evening or night; even in broad daylight, no common man dares to traverse this area,” he declared, directly addressing SSP Virender Singh Manhas.
Ganga claimed that a specific section of a particular community was not only involved in the drug trade but also engaged in thefts, creating an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness. He categorically stated, “Even the police seem scared to act against them.” His words were both an indictment of the current law enforcement strategies and a call for urgent, decisive action.
A Plea for Accountability:
The MLA presented alarming statistics, revealing that 20 youths aged 18-22 had died in Samba district due to drug overdoses since the last assembly elections. He accused families of concealing the true cause of death out of societal shame, further complicating efforts to address the crisis.
Turning his ire towards the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Ganga demanded clarity on the number of drug-related deaths. When the CMO failed to provide precise figures, he retorted that he had come prepared, underscoring the lack of official accountability.
“Development for Whom?”
Ganga’s impassioned address posed a poignant question: “For whom is all this development being done if our youth and children are dying?” He emphasized that the drug menace was undoing the very progress being discussed in the DISHA meeting, urging officials to recognize the gravity of the situation.
A Challenge to the Police:
In a dramatic conclusion, Ganga challenged the police to launch an all-out operation against drug peddlers in Vijaypur and Samba, warning that he would not hesitate to take to the streets if no action was taken. His remarks shifted the meeting’s focus entirely, leaving every attendee to ponder the devastating impact of drugs on the district’s youth.
The Way Forward
The DISHA meeting, which began as a platform for developmental reviews, transformed into a clarion call for collective action against the drug epidemic. While the infrastructural progress in Samba is noteworthy, Ganga’s passionate plea served as a stark reminder that development must go hand in hand with social reform.
As the meeting adjourned, it became clear that the fight against drugs in Samba district requires not just police intervention but a united front involving all stakeholders. Whether the police will rise to the challenge posed by Chander Prakash Ganga remains to be seen, but his words have undoubtedly ignited a much-needed conversation about the future of the district’s youth.
