As drug peddling rises, locals want leaders to see writing on the wall | Jaipur News
“It is a very common sight here, and it is known to most people.Young boys can be seen walking in these lanes and alleys to purchase drugs. Mostly women sell the drugs through small windows in every lane. We have raised the matter with the administration, but we are waiting for strict action. By seeing these boys from outside, our children here are also getting involved and bunking school,” said Ramesh Sharma, a shopkeeper in Nanakpuri.
Residents of these areas said there has been a rise in the use of drugs there in recent years. They are concerned that these areas have earned a bad name and risk violence and chaos because of the sale and purchase of drugs going on in a clandestine manner. “In many colonies in Hatwara, the residents have decided that if a child gets involved in drugs, they will be counselled, and, if it continues, action will be taken against the family. If it persists, a complaint will be lodged with police,” said Poonam, a resident of Hatwara.
A senior police official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the city police had started Operation Clean Sweep in 2019 to dismantle drug peddling and trafficking networks in the city. “We registered over 1,718 FIRs and arrested 1,828 men and 331 women. It is a lucrative trade, in which both men and women of all ages participate. The consumption of smack, a favourite of the poor and uneducated youth in Jaipur, began in 1995, and its prevalence has risen since 2010, even among the youth from the lower middle class,” he said. Women take part in peddling drugs mainly to evade suspicion by police, he added.
Ganja (marijuana) is widely smuggled in the city, and over 1,820 kg of ganja was seized since 2019, said officials.
