Child rights activists and educationists have welcomed Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s move to approve an Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF).

An ANTF would be set up in each of the 37 police stations in all the districts and one in each of the nine metropolitan police districts and 28 police stations each.

Welcoming the move, Tamilnadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control (TNPFTC) State Convener S. Cyril Alexander pointed out that he needs to ensure that there is a complete ban on gutka sale and products. “Presently, the ban is being implemented every year. A complete ban would help curb it,” he added.

Noting that there is need for proper enforcement of the law, he added that people arrested over ganja are released soon, which means that the supply continues. “Only when the source and supply chain is disrupted can the sale of narcotic items be curbed. And as new devices for tobacco are invented there is a need to keep a check on those too,” he said.

Executive director of Aarvam NGO Sumithra Devi was happy about the initiative. “As Vysarpadi and a few other areas now come under the Chief Minister’s constituency we are hoping for better outcomes. The task forces need to be accessible to the public so that complaints can be taken seriously. They need to work with the public, NGO, and children to ensure these substances are not sold,” she added.

A government schoolteacher from Chennai also added that the task forces needed to support schools. “These items reach school premises. It reaches the student’s hands but we are unable to put a stop to it. The task force also needs to work with us to ensure that campuses remain drug-free,” the teacher added.