Mysore/Mysuru: Hundreds of school and college students took out a jatha (rally) in city this morning to create awareness on the ill-effects of taking drugs. Police above the rank of Sub-Inspectors including all Inspectors, Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) too joined the four-and-a-half kilometre rally.

The awareness rally was jointly organised by Mysuru City Police, City Crime Branch (CCB), Manipal Hospital, Mysuru Hotel Owners Association, Red FM 93.5 and CISPMAM (CBSE, ICSE & State Board Private School Managements Association), Mysuru.

City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh launched the rally from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple, Palace North Gate, by signing the pledge board saying NO to drugs and waving a green flag.

The awareness rally passed through Hardinge Circle, Gun House Circle, Sanskrit Pathashala, Sayyaji Rao Road, K.R. Circle, Government Ayurveda Circle, Irwin Road, Nehru Circle, Ashoka Road, Clock Tower and culminated at Dr. Rajkumar Park near Palace where breakfast was arranged for all participants.

DCP (Crime and Traffic) S. Jahnavi,  DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj, Dr. Upendra Shenoy and staff of Manipal Hospital, Raghav and RJ Rajalakshmi of Red FM 93.5, C. Narayanagowda of Mysuru Hotel Owners Association, Venkatesh of CISPMAM, Manjunath Srivatsa from Sharada Public School, senior citizens Dr. Ramesh and ex-serviceman Ramesh and friends too joined the rally along with over 200 students from Sharada Public School, Police Public School, Pragathi School and Seshadripuram College.

Speaking at the launch, City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh said, “Youths were becoming victims of drug addiction. This will have a bad impact on the society. It will affect one’s health and life as a whole. Hence, awareness should be created among the public, especially youths, about the harmful effects of drugs.”

Dr. Shenoy said once the drug enters our nervous system, it cannot be removed. This will not only affect the physical health but also mental health of a person and hence, society should be careful, he added.

Hotelier Narayanagowda assured of full support from the Association to these kinds of awareness programmes.

Venkatesh of CISPMAM too said that the message of this programme will be carried forward to all the schools and colleges coming under CISPMAM.