"Request all to motivate people to quit drug abuse": Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria

Gurdaspur (Punjab) [India], April 4 (ANI): Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria is leading by example in the fight against the drug menace in Punjab. He flagged off a six-day foot march from Shri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to Dera Baba Nanak, covering the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar on Thursday.
Kataria said on Friday that the government alone cannot fight against any social evil without the support of the people and requested them to motivate people to quit drug abuse.
Kataria was speaking at the event organised on the second day of the foot march against the drug menace from Shri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to Dera Baba Nanak to raise awareness and mobilize public participation in combating addiction.
"Due to this social evil of drug abuse, our youth is weakened, families are destroyed...The government is doing whatever it can. We cannot fight against any social evil without the support of people. I request you all to motivate people near you to quit drug abuse," Kataria said.
Meanwhile, speaking to ANI, the Punjab Governor said that this movement will become successful when it becomes a "people's movement."
"Today's the second day of my six-day long foot march. This is people's journey, not my journey. I request everyone to join this journey...It will become successful when it becomes a people's movement..." he said.
Speaking on the drug and drone menace in Punjab, the Governor stated that both the central and state governments has taken measures and allocated funds to fight this menace.
Kataria stated, "The government is doing all it can. It has given anti-drones too. The central government has given anti-drones...the state government has also allocated Rs 10 crore to this issue. We will be able to restrain the entry of drugs through drones if more help is provided..."
This is a six-day anti-drug padyatra from April 3 to April 8, covering the Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts, to raise awareness and mobilise public participation in the cause.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria said, "Until the public supports the fight against drug menace, it cannot be fought. Efforts have been ongoing for long in Punjab to fight this menace. Through this program, we will show the whole of Punjab and the nation how to make Punjab and India free from drugs. I promise to honor and respect your efforts."
"The government alone can't solve this issue; we need public support, especially from parents and sisters. For years, people in Punjab have tried to fight addiction in different ways, but we need a public awakening. When I visited a border district, mothers and sisters told me that the main concern was saving their children from drugs. Their pain was clear, as they watched their children suffer," Kataria said.
The foot march commenced on April 3 from Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur, and will culminate for the day at St. Francis Convent School, Dera Baba Nanak. According to the statement released by Raj Bhavan, the padayatra would start from Badesha Marriage Palace and conclude at SD College for Girls, Fatehgarh Churian, on the 4th of April.
The Amritsar leg of the padayatra would start on April 5 from Guru Harkrishan Public School, village Nawan Pind, and make a halt for the day at Guru Ramdas College of Nursing and Medical Sciences, Village Pandher.
On April 6, the yatra would start at Oxford School in the village Majhupura and end at SBS Nursing & Medical Sciences Campus, village Chetanpura.
On April 7, Circuit House, Amritsar, would be the starting point, while the ending point would be the Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue at Rambagh Garden in Amritsar.
On the last day, April 8, the yatra would begin from Deen Dayal parking at Bhandari Bridge and end at Jallianwala Bagh. According to the statement, the Yatra would commence at 7 am on all days. (ANI)