TARN TARAN: Once infamous for rampant substance abuse, Tarn Taran district now boasts of having 11 drug-free villages even as 'chitta', state’s most notorious synthetic drug after heroin is being replaced by prescription drugs such as tramadol and alprazolam.“It is not that the administration itself picked and chose villages and declared them drug-free, but only after receiving reports from various agencies including police, CID, health department etc which declared in writing that there are no drug addicts or drug paddlers in these villages,” said deputy commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal.The eleven villages, which have been declared drug-free are Mughalwala, Abadi Bhagwanpura, Gillpannae, Theh Kalan, Hundal, Daudpura, Kalanjar, Manawan, Kalia, Mastgarh and Mianwal.Sources said due to the scarcity of chitta and heroin, the drug addicts have now switched to prescription drugs including tramadol, an opioid analgesics and alprazolam, used for treating anxiety disorders.“Most of these drugs are brought into district from Ludhiana or Delhi by drug paddlers under the garb of medicines but they eventually find market among drug addicts,” said sources.“We have almost successfully contained the use of chitta and heroin and a few persons who would be illegally dealing in prescription drugs will also be apprehended, we are after them,” Sabharwal said.
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