A team of 75 cyclists pedal from Mysuru to Virajpet to create awareness

To encourage fitness and create awareness, an anti-drug cycle rally with a message ‘say no to drugs’ was organised from Mysuru to Virajpet in Kodagu this morning. People from different age groups took part in the rally.

The rally was organised by the Youth Empowerment and Sports Department, General Thimayya National Academy of Adventure, and Kalaburagi Cycling Club. The rally, covering a distance of 118 kms, began at Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple and it was flagged off by City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta at 5.30 am.

A team of 45 cyclists from Kalaburagi and 30 cyclists from Mysuru are participating in the rally and they arrived at Chamundi Vihar Stadium last evening where they were welcomed by Dr. Chandragupta and officers from Youth Empowerment and Sports Department.

Addressing the cyclists, the Police Commissioner said that the rally was organised in order to raise awareness on the growing menace of drug addiction among youngsters.

“The situation has taken an alarming turn where a lot of students, including minors, have been taken into custody over the past few months for possession of drugs. The rally must motivate people to raise their voices against drugs. Even the Police Department conducts many awareness programmes on drug abuse and in the coming days, more such initiatives will be taken,” Dr. Chandragupta said.

“We need to stop the supply of drugs and provide proper treatment to drug-addicts and help them get rid of their addiction. Awareness can play a major role to remove this social evil. Under the drive, we would create more awareness about its ill-effects,” he added.

 “Through this kind of efforts, we will always try to keep the nation free of incidences of drug abuse, and in this role, youngsters will play an important part, as they take steps not to get addicted to sedative drugs and also educate the society at large about the menace of drugs abuse,” said President of Kalaburagi Cycling Club Kirankumar Shetkar.

He said the use of drugs not only affects their health, but also induces them to indulge in criminal activities and thus lower their stature in society. He urged youths to take a pledge to say ‘no’ to drugs and lead a safe and healthy life. Drug users faced serious health hazards, he said.