Smoking, drug users banned in Ima Keithel
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, February 03 2023:
The working committee of the three Ima Markets has unanimously resolved to ban smoking and entry of people using drugs and alcohol inside the three Ima markets with immediate effect.
Addressing media persons on Friday, committee co-convenor Asem Nirmala stressed the importance for unstinted public support to the "War on Drugs" campaign launched by chief minister N Biren as the issue of drugs in Manipur has been lingering on since 1970 and threatening to destroy the younger generation and leaving women as widows at an early age.
Reminding that poppy cultivation was part of the diabolic policy employed by the then British empire to crush the Chinese, she expressed grave concern that the same sinister plan reached India and is being planted on large scale in Manipur.
Nirmala said: "We need to understand that this very trend is a means to destroy Manipur irreparably and it is for this very reason that we all need to support the "War on Drugs" campaign launched by CM Biren.
We all have equal responsibilities to save Manipur and we cannot leave everything to the government".
In addition to banning smoking and entry of any person using drugs in the Ima markets, the committee will also very soon adopt resolutions for banning sale of tobacco products inside the markets, she added.