There is an ominous rise of narcotics use and resultant increase of HIV positive in the urban localities, especially in Agartala Municipal Corporation areas.
What is more alarming is that most of the drugs users are found to be very young belonging to the age group of 16- 24 years.
The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the official figure given on Wednesday by Head of Office, Tripura State AIDS Control Society- Dr. Deep Kumar Debbarma while participating in a sensitization programme in the city.
Over the last six or seven months alone, Dr Debbarma said there has been a formidable rise of the drugs use- mostly injectable drugs among the youngsters.
He says, there are about 350-400 350-400 injectable drugs users are there in the AMC area alone among them 81 are HIV positive. The Sadar subdivision areas have been identified as more susceptible as the HIV positive cases will be more if entire subdivision is taken into consideration.
According to Dr Debbarma the trend of using injectable drugs is more among the youngsters belonging to 16-24 age areas.
While speaking at the sensitization programme initiated by the Health department and organized by Tripura State AIDS Control Society for Corporators of AMC on HIV/AIDS and injection drug use, Dr Debbarma has made it clear the formidable rise of drugs use by the youngsters cannot be contained or combatted by the health department or AIDS Control Society alone. The fight against drugs will require proactive involvement of all sections of the society and the people’s representatives too.
“The department alone can’t fight the drugs menace. The administration is definitely taking steps so that the youths don’t fall prey to drugs but the public representatives also have a major role to play in this regard,” he said.
The meeting also discussed in details about the ways to prevent the use of injectable drugs.
Dipak Majumder , Mayor of Agartala and Deputy Mayor Manika Das Dutta and the corporators also attended the sensitization programme.
Majumder called upon the citizens and social organizations to keep an eye on the situation and fight the drugs menace together. He stressed on raising awareness and getting people from all sections of the society to fight against the menace, which will otherwise turn a monstrous proportion.
