Chennai, Oct 16 (IANS): The Coimbatore rural district police have commenced an initiative to curb the drug menace plaguing the young generation and have floated panchayat-level monitoring committees for 'Ganja Free Villages'

Tamil Nadu South Zone Inspector General of Police, R. Sudhakar while speaking to IANS said that the initiative was to prevent young school-going children from falling prey to the drug menace. He said that a police officer will be assigned as the nodal officer in each village panchayat and a monitoring committee will be floated.

The monitoring committee has the village panchayat president, local school headmasters, ward members, and nodal officer as members and the main target is the ganja and other drug networks that are supplying the drugs even to the school children.

R. Sudhakar said that the police have commenced their activities from Saturday onwards and that the monitoring committees would be soon formed to curb the drug network.

Panchayat presidents, however, suggested the inclusion of prominent social and political workers in each village panchayat.

R. Gangadharan, a social activist in Perur panchayat in Coimbatore while speaking to IANS said, "It's a good initiative by the police, but my suggestion is to include local-level social and political workers in the committee so that there is a grassroots connect."

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Coimbatore Range, M.S. Muthuswamy told IANS, "The police and the local people will work together and plan to monitor and curb the drug movement and make our children free of this menace."