District Collector Nishant Kumar unveils an anti-drug campaign poster at Madanapalle in Annamayya district on Friday.
Annamayya District Collector Nishanth Kumar on Friday (February 27) directed the police to intensify drone-based surveillance and adopt a zero-tolerance policy to eradicate drug abuse in the district.
The Collector chaired the District Narcotics Coordination Committee (DNCC) meeting at the Collectorate. Mr. Nishant Kumar called for immediate action to curb the sale and consumption of the nicotine product ‘Cool Lip’, which was allegedly found near the school campus at Chowdepalle near Madanapalle on Thursday, leading to the seizure of tobacco products worth ₹20 lakh.
The Collector directed the Education Department to enforce the ban on tobacco products near educational institutions. Emphasizing the need to set up a de-addiction center at Madanapalle, he said NGOs could coordinate with relevant officials to set up a full-fledged facility.
Senior police officials informed the Collector that more than 600 awareness programs including 3K runs and village level campaigns have been conducted in educational institutions in Annamayya district. A toll-free helpline was widely publicized in 1972 to encourage reporting of drug-related activities.
Measures taken include drone surveillance, deployment of trained sniffer dogs at bus stations, railway stations and other congested public areas and implementation of “Operation Safe Campus”, police said.
Later, when Mr. Nishant Kumar released the ‘Drugs Vaddu Bro’ campaign posters, he emphasized the importance of counselling, mental health promotion and continuous follow-up after rehabilitation to prevent relapse and called for continuous inter-departmental coordination to eradicate drug abuse.
Published – 27 Feb 2026 20:44 IST
