‘Chitta-Free Village’ Campaign Launched from Seechewal; 32 Village Panchayats Pledge United Fight Against Drug Menace
PHAGWARA: Rajya Sabha MP and environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal on Sunday launched the ‘Chitta-Free Village’ campaign from Seechewal village, calling for active community participation to eliminate the drug menace from Punjab. Addressing a massive gathering at Nirmal Kutia, Seechewal, attended by sarpanches, panches, prominent residents and police officials from nearly 32 villages, Sant Seechewal said Punjab could not become drug-free unless the chain connecting drug suppliers, traffickers and buyers was broken.
He stressed that society must now take responsibility alongside the police to save the future of the state’s youth. The participating village panchayats unanimously pledged to introduce Thikri Pehra (village vigilance patrols), install CCTV cameras, maintain constant coordination with the police through WhatsApp groups and strengthen surveillance against drug traffickers in their respective villages.
Sant Seechewal said addiction to synthetic drugs such as chitta was pushing young people towards theft, robbery and other criminal activities, destroying families and disturbing social harmony. He appealed to villagers not to treat drug addicts with hatred but with compassion and to help rehabilitate them through collective social support. He particularly highlighted the role of families, especially mothers, in helping addicted youth return to a healthy life while ensuring that more youngsters do not fall into the trap of drugs. Referring to the shortage of police personnel, he said it was impossible to eradicate drugs and crime without public cooperation and urged every village to strengthen vigilance through community patrols, CCTV surveillance, prompt reporting of suspicious activities and better communication among neighbouring villages. “Once every village protects itself, the entire region and eventually Punjab will become safe,” he remarked.
Baba Gurmej Singh described drug addiction as Punjab’s biggest challenge and said only coordinated efforts by society and the police could defeat the menace. He pointed out that families of addicted youth were living through immense suffering and urged the police administration to tighten action against scrap dealers allegedly purchasing stolen goods, thereby encouraging crimes committed to finance drug addiction.
Speaking on the occasion, Assistant Superintendent of Police S.D. Dhirendra Verma of Sultanpur Lodhi appreciated Sant Seechewal’s initiative and assured full cooperation from the police. He said several drug traffickers had already been arrested on the basis of public information and appealed to people to continue supporting law enforcement. Advocate Chahal said citizens were ready to cooperate with the police, provided the identity of informants was kept completely confidential so that more people could come forward without fear.
Several religious leaders, police officials, community representatives and panchayat members from villages including Seechewal, Chak Chela, Malupur, Motipur, Kotli Gajran, Badli, Sihariwal, Raiwal Dona, Uggi, Malsian, Turna, Muridwal, Talwandi Madho, Billi Chao, Kotli Kamboj, Dadwindi, Giddarpindi, Siddhwan Dona, Malliwal, Sherpur Dona, Mirajwal, Fauji Colony, Sheikhmanga, Sarupwal, Kaniyan Khurd, Nangal Ambian, Thigli and Daudhar extended full support to the campaign.
In a special message, Sant Seechewal said strict action against traditional narcotics had forced many addicts towards chitta, which had caused the greatest damage to Punjab. He alleged that drugs could not be sold without some form of patronage and observed that small packets of chitta were reaching villages with alarming ease. He said previous governments had also failed to curb the menace, leading to an increase in robberies and other crimes, while inadequate police strength and public silence had emboldened drug traffickers. He asserted that Punjab could not depend solely on the police and called upon every village to actively participate in making itself a ‘Chitta-Free Village’ through people’s involvement.
During the gathering, a unanimous four-point resolution was adopted to implement the campaign at the grassroots level. The resolution committed all participating villages to establish Thikri Pehra, install CCTV surveillance systems, extend every possible support for the rehabilitation of drug-dependent youth and organise sustained awareness and preventive campaigns to protect the younger generation from falling victim to drugs, reaffirming a collective resolve to make Punjab free from the scourge of narcotics.
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