Sustained efforts taken by the Tirunelveli District Police in rural areas have created 34 drug-free villages in the district where banned tobacco products and drugs have been flushed out.
According to Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tirunelveli Range, R. Thirunavukkarasu, each Station House Officer of each police station in Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari were asked on July 1 to select a village to completely ban tobacco products and drugs so as to declare it a ‘Drug-Free Freedom Village’.
During this drive, the police, who had already created sufficient intelligence network by creating personal contacts with informers in the villages, took additional efforts to weed out these illegal products.
The intelligence network was further strengthened by conducting awareness events in schools and colleges in these villages and nearby towns. As the police shared the phone numbers for alerting them to sale or stocking of banned tobacco products or drugs, they started receiving sufficient information.
The bond between the police and the students was further reinforced by organising sports and cultural events for rural youth with the help of social organisations and volunteers.
“With this, the flow of information about banned tobacco products and drugs from our sources started, and we acted upon the information immediately. We have flushed out banned tobacco products and drugs from 34 villages of Tirunelveli district as on August 11. Similar drive is going on in Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts… These efforts are being widened to other villages too. We will achieve the cent per cent drug-free districts in southern Tamil Nadu in near future,” Mr. Thirunavukkarasu hoped.
He said a dedicated WhatsApp number — 79043 27007 — for alerting the police to smuggling, stocking, selling and using banned tobacco products and drugs in Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts had been introduced.
“The identity of the informers will not be revealed. Hence, the public can inform the police about the name of the offender, spot, village, phone number, vehicle number, etc., via this WhatsApp number. Since the DIG and the Superintendents of Police concerned directly handle these alerts, the police will immediately swing into action,” he added.
The police had also introduced ‘Warriors of Wellbeing’ (WOW) badges to the volunteers who joined hands with the police in making drug abuse awareness drive a continuous exercise. “They can use this WOW badge as their ‘Display Picture’ in social media platforms,” he said.
Published – August 12, 2026 07:12 pm IST
