Chandigarh, June 26 Counseling centres should be established in schools to keep students away from drug abuse, feels city shuttler Oscar Bansal. Interacting with the participants during a round-table conference organised by the Joshi Foundation on drug menace at the ICSSR auditorium at Panjab University, Bansal said: “Proper counseling centres should be established in all local schools, especially in the peripheries, to put the students on a right track.” Bodybuilder Hardeep Singh Malhi endorsed Bansal’s views. “The actual problem starts at school level. The students should be taught about the hazards of drug abuse at a young age so that they stay away from it.” He also emphasised the need to make sports activities mandatory in all schools. “Sports activities should be made mandatory in schools so that students have something to rejuvenate themselves,” he said. Highlighting the use of drugs in bodybuilding, Malhi said: “In bodybuilding there are lot of cases of drug abuse which can even lead to deaths. The only reason for this is lack of awareness among the youngsters.” Chess prodigy Tarini Goyal, who was also present in the conference, sought right kind of sporting infrastructure for the kids, which would eventually keep them away from the harmful distractions. Skater Aryanpal Singh also expressed his views on the issue. Earlier, the conference was inaugurated by former Union Minister Vijay Sampla in presence of former Chief Secretary, Punjab, Sarvesh Kaushal and Niharika Bhatt, SP (Operations), Chandigarh Police. Director Sports, Panjab University, Mahender Singh, Joint Director Vineet Joshi, Joshi Foundation chairman Saurabh Joshi and chairman, The British School, Ranjan Sethi were also present on the occasion. “It’s a first of its kind initiative in Chandigarh, where we have tried to bring together all the members of society to promote a social cause. Proper knowledge at a young age could save many lives and sports is a medium which could help them lead a healthy life,” said Vineet Joshi. A similar event was also organised at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium, where the youngsters were made aware about the drug abuse by Dr Gaurev Sharma. The event was attended by UT Sports Department coaches.

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