Onlykashmir.in News Desk
In a strong show of community resolve against substance abuse, cold store owners from Lasipora organised a Nasha Mukht (Drug Free) Awareness Rally in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday, drawing enthusiastic participation from local youth and sports enthusiasts. The rally commenced from SIDCO Lassipora and concluded at Panzran, covering a considerable stretch of the district while spreading its message of a drug free society at every step.
Participants, many of them young athletes and students, carried placards and raised slogans urging their peers to steer clear of narcotics and instead channel their energy into sports and constructive pursuits. The organisers, drawn from the local business community, said the initiative was born out of growing concern over rising drug abuse among young people in the Valley, an issue that has repeatedly drawn attention from civil society groups, religious leaders and law enforcement agencies across Jammu and Kashmir in recent years.
Speaking on the sidelines of the rally, participants emphasised that physical activity and sport serve as powerful antidotes to the lure of substance abuse, helping young people build discipline, focus and a sense of purpose. They appealed to parents, teachers and community elders to join hands in raising awareness about the devastating effects of drug addiction on families and society at large, stressing that the fight against narcotics cannot be won by law enforcement alone and requires sustained grassroots mobilisation.
The Lasipora Cold Store owners, who have periodically engaged in community welfare initiatives in the area, reiterated their commitment to supporting programmes that promote healthy living and youth engagement. The rally drew to a close with participants collectively pledging to spread the message of a Nasha Mukht Bharat and to actively encourage others in their circles to reject drugs.
The initiative comes at a time when authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking networks, even as officials and civil society figures acknowledge that enforcement measures need to be complemented by sustained public awareness campaigns of exactly this kind. Community led efforts such as the Lasipora rally are increasingly seen as vital in reaching young people at the grassroots level, particularly in districts like Pulwama where sports infrastructure and youth engagement programmes have expanded significantly over the past decade.
