NC Govt is sleepwalking into a drug disaster: Purnima Sharma

•  Every day of NC’s silence is another life lost: Purnima on drug menace rise in J&K 

JAMMU: Jammu & Kashmir is facing a drug catastrophe, and the NC government’s inaction is pushing an entire generation toward destruction,” BJP spokesperson Adv. Purnima Sharma said on Monday, issuing a scathing criticism of the ruling National Conference for failing every promise it made to the people, including those written in its own manifesto.

Sharma said the drug menace in J&K has now crossed all red lines, and the available data itself exposes the collapse of governance on this front. She cited official figures indicating an estimated 13.5 lakh drug users across the Union Territory, including 1.68 lakh minors, many still in school, and noted that more than 95,000 young people are dependent on opioids, mainly heroin, one of the most dangerous addictions known.

Despite these chilling numbers, Sharma said the NC government has shown no urgency, no accountability and absolutely no follow-through in combating the crisis. She added that in the last three years alone, over 25,000 addicts had to be enrolled in OPD and IPD services, reflecting how rapidly drug dependence is spreading across the Valley and Jammu region. Calling the situation nothing short of a public-health emergency, Sharma said that if the Government cannot certify even one urban ward as drug-free, it raises serious questions about its will and capacity to protect its own youth.

Recalling that the Government’s Standard Operating Procedure for Nasha Mukt Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies, issued on December 20, 2023, had laid out clear and measurable targets such as monthly awareness drives, active Gram Sabhas, Mahila Sabhas and Youth Clubs, zero peddling cases for six months, zero drug users for six months, mandatory destruction of illicit crops, display of helpline numbers and regular district and tehsil monitoring, she said the ground reality paints a very grim picture.

Not a single Urban Local Body ward has been certified Nasha Mukt, and only about 1,000 of more than 4,000 Panchayats have met the criteria. The number of drug users remains at 13.5 lakh, including 1.68 lakh minors, and despite raids, arrests and seizures, the supply chain remains unbroken. Even though 32 de-addiction centres exist across J&K, the addiction graph continues to rise, Purnima said, adding that the drug market remains alive and thriving because the administrative side of the government has failed to dismantle the deeper networks responsible for trafficking and distribution.

Calling out the ruling NC for political apathy, Sharma reminded that strong anti-drug action was a key promise in the NC election manifesto, yet nearly one and a half years into their tenure, the situation on the ground has deteriorated rather than improved. She questioned where the promised action plan was, where the rehabilitation drives were and where the promised crackdown was, saying that instead of building a comprehensive, community-supported framework against addiction, the NC government had reduced the issue to a few statements and token events, while families across J&K were watching their children fall into the worst crisis the region has ever seen.

Purnima added that the mere existence of 32 de-addiction centres means nothing when the number of addicts is rising at a pace they cannot handle. A de-addiction centre, she said, is not a dumping ground for victims but requires long-term counselling, rehabilitation, community support and strong administrative monitoring—none of which the government has ensured.

Sharma concluded by urging immediate and coordinated action, including stronger community engagement, real on-ground implementation of SOPs, protection of minors from drug exposure and a sustained war against trafficking networks. “The NC government cannot abandon the youth of Jammu & Kashmir,” she said. “Every day of silence is another life lost.”