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| How drugs from Pakistan are ruining Jammu gennext | | |
Jammu , June 6
A disaster is brewing in the mountains of Jammu. Hundreds of young men and women from Udhampur, Jammu City and other parts of the region have slipped into the dark alleys of heroin addiction as groups in Pakistan are doing here what they did in Punjab years ago, an India Today TV ground report has revealed.
It's a sinister design to ruin the next generation and escalate criminal and terror activities, accounts from busy markets and crowded neighbourhoods have shown. Sachin (name changed) and his elder brother picked up the deadly drug because of its "cool quotient" and peer push.
"My friend introduced me to a peddler from a nearby shop. We tried it for a few days. Soon, we got addicted. My body aches and burns when I feel the urge. My only focus is to buy heroin at any cost. I am prepared to steal and intimidate," said the 23-year-old, his voice shivering due to the drug's impact.
He attempted to stop heroin but soon relapsed into addiction as drug peddlers are always around. "I did not take the drug in the past 24 hours. I often try to stop but it's not easy. I urge the J&K government to subsidise expensive medicines like it has been done in Punjab. I want to recover and end my and my family's suffering," he said. Their father has lost his life savings on treatment. A flourishing business is ruined, leaving the family in a debt of over Rs 10 lakh.
"My business is bankrupt and I am on the verge of selling our house. We have spent more than Rs 70 lakh on their treatment, to no avail. My wife and I cry during the night, fearing our boys may die of an overdose," said the distraught father.
"There are constant tensions and fights at home. Sons demand money for drugs. From where will I get the money when there is hardly any even for food? I urge the government to help us out," he said.
Fights turn violent in most households in Jammu and Udhampur when young addicts feel an uncontrollable urge. A woman at a police station, holding an application for help, was crying inconsolably. Her 18-year-old son had beaten her demanding money for drugs.
In another case, a brother-sister duo has started to drop out of college. Their parents acknowledge that children are consumed by addiction but are apprehensive to reach out to a rehabilitation centre to protect their identity and avoid being disowned by relatives.
Drug mafia threats also keep families from seeking help. Many families refused to speak on the record. Local residents accepted they are fast losing the next generation in the region to the drug menace. |
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