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Activists, teachers welcome move to set up anti-drug task force
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay approved a plan to establish an Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) in police stations across districts. Activists and educators welcomed the move, calling for a complete gutka ban, stronger enforcement, and collaboration with NGOs and schools to keep campuses drug-free.
Why It Matters
If implemented effectively, the ANTF could disrupt narcotics supply chains and improve safety in schools and communities.
Timeline
1 Event
Chief Minister approves Anti-Narcotic Task Force plan to be set up in police stations
May 11, 2026
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay approved a plan to establish an Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF). The proposal calls for ANTF in each of the 37 police stations in all districts and one in each of the nine metropolitan police districts, with 28 police stations in each metro district. The move was welcomed by activists and educationists: S. Cyril Alexander of the Tamilnadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control urged a complete ban on gutka and stressed disrupting supply chains; he noted that current bans are annual and may not fully curb the problem, and he emphasized that arrests for ganja are often followed by releases, allowing supply to continue; Sumithra Devi of Aarvam NGO expressed hope for better outcomes and that task forces be accessible to the public and work with NGOs and children to keep substances from reaching campuses; a government schoolteacher from Chennai called for the task forces to support schools in keeping campuses drug-free.