BATHINDA: Youths of Daulewala village in Moga have come together to rid the village of its dubious ‘Nashian wala pind’ (village of drugs) tag.They have formed a team to keep a watch in the village and stop people coming from outside to sell or buy drugs. The youths also uploaded a video clip in which they were seen beating a drug peddler. As many as 600 cases under the narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances (NDPS) Act and Excise Act have been registered against village residents. More than 80 women from the village have been booked in different cases and have spent time in jail.On May 29, 2014 police put up a display board outside Daulewala village saying that the village is notorious for drugs and people coming to the village are under surveillance. This evoked sharp reactions and the board was removed the next day on the insistence of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal . Whenever a campaign against drugs is started, it is taken up in Daulewala too. DGP Suresh Arora started a campaign there in 2016.“We are keeping 24-hour watch in the village to check on drug peddling. We are stopping youths from outside coming to the village to supply drugs. We have also sent a few addicts to de-addiction centres”, said Gurdev Singh, a team member.Sources said drug peddling has been contained to an extent after surveillance. Squad member Gurlal Singh said while alleged drug peddlers are learnt to be angry with the increased surveillance, we are unperturbed and want drug peddling in the village to stop.Sources said although the police kept a close watch on the village, the drug trade continued as people from outside used to get supplies. Now that surveillance has grown stricter, supply lines are being plugged, sources said.Newly-appointed Moga SSP Gurpreet Singh Toor, whose book, ‘Alhar umra talkh sunehe’(small age hard messages) about teenagers caught in the drug trap, was released by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, is visiting the village every alternate day.“I have deputed 40 police personnel to keep a vigil in Daulewala. The youths support the police and we are witnessing a positive change. I have personally monitored youths coming to the village from outside for drugs. We have taken a few of them to the de-addiction centre. From Monday, an intensive campaign will be launched in the area, especially in Daulewala, and we hope to contain the menace to a larger extent”, he said.

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