Law alone cannot stop the drug problem: Kataria

Punjab: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday expressed concern over the drug problem in the state’s border areas, saying that law alone cannot stop it. He said the situation has worsened to the point where parents are being pressured by their children to sell their property to buy drugs. He said, “To think that the government alone can stop this is not effective. Laws were made long ago, but they haven’t been able to stop the crime.” Kataria stressed that colleges and universities should be the focus for a drug-free, vibrant Punjab. He said, “In ten years, the entire Punjab will be drug-free, this is my guarantee.” The governor made these remarks during an event organized by the Vidya Bharati Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan. Vidya Bharati is the education wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and runs a large number of schools across the country. Praising the organization, he said, “I believe Vidya Bharati has nothing of its own. Whatever society has given, the organization has tried to repay. I stand before you today as a former Vidya Bharati teacher. Now, I stand here as the Governor.” During the event at Vidya Dham, he inaugurated a mobile science lab, a newly constructed block, and a crèche garden run by the Sarvhitkari Shiksha Samiti, a subsidiary of Vidya Dham in Jalandhar. Praising the Punjabi spirit, he said, “During the floods, I saw that we administrators arrived late, but the villagers arrived promptly. People worked 12 to 14 hours a day to strengthen the embankments to prevent them from breaking. This means that Punjab has a lot of strength.” The Governor, accompanied by his wife Anita Kataria, also paid tribute to freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries at Khatkar Kalan.