Panaji: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Girish Chodankar has questioned the government’s decision to focus on a 500-metre radius around schools as a measure to protect children from drugs, saying that drug protection cannot stop at an arbitrary boundary.
“Protecting our children from drugs is non-negotiable. But the government must answer a simple question—why only 500 metres? What happens at 501 metres?” Chodankar said.
Chodankar was reacting to a Directorate of Education circular directing all government, government-aided and unaided secondary, higher secondary and special schools to ensure a 500-metre Drug-Free Zone around their campuses as part of a nationwide initiative to curb drug abuse among students.
According to Chodankar, if drugs are genuinely a threat to children and society, the government’s responsibility cannot end at the school gate or at an imaginary 500-metre circle.
“Goa does not need selective drug-free zones. Goa needs to become a drug-free state. Instead of drawing circles around schools and shifting responsibility onto school heads, the BJP government must explain why Goa’s drug network continues to flourish and who is protecting it,” he said.
Demanding that the government focus on identifying and dismantling the entire drug supply network rather than placing the burden of enforcement on educational institutions, Chodankar said, “Parents want action, students deserve safety and Goa demands accountability. The government must stop managing the optics of the drug problem and start eliminating the problem itself.”
Meanwhile, Aldona MLA Carlos Ferreira criticised the Education Department over what he called a ‘ridiculous’ circular asking schools to maintain ‘drug-free’ zones outside their campuses.
“Does the Education Department need schooling? Issuing the circular asking schools to ensure a 500-metre radius a drug-free zone is ridiculous. Firstly, any institution can run its writ only inside the limit of its boundaries and cannot run anything outside its boundaries. Definitely it has no jurisdiction, nor business outside its property, forget its campus,” Ferreira said.
He said the schools are situated in very highly densely populated areas.
“Do you think the head of the institution will go checking house to house? Does he have the right to do that?” Ferreira said.
