Bhubaneswar: The higher education department has directed all govt and govt-aided colleges in the state to conduct a physical verification of their surroundings and ensure that no shop or outlet selling narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, alcohol, tobacco or other intoxicating substances is operating within a 500-metre radius of their campuses.In a letter issued by the department to the govt on Thursday, Ramesh Chandra Behera, the department’s special secretary-cum-deputy secretary, instructed principals of all govt and non-govt-aided colleges to submit details on the maintenance of drug-free zones around their institutions through the Higher Education Institution Management System (HIMS) portal by July 15.Colleges have been asked to ensure compliance with existing legal provisions and govt instructions that prohibit the operation of shops or outlets dealing in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, alcohol, tobacco and other intoxicating substances within a 500-metre radius of their campuses.To monitor compliance, principals have been asked to carry out a physical inspection of the area surrounding their campuses and furnish the prescribed information through the HIMS portal within the stipulated deadline.The exercise is part of the state’s efforts to strengthen anti-drug measures in educational institutions and assess whether campuses are adhering to norms aimed at protecting students from exposure to addictive substances.The dept has emphasized that the information submitted by colleges will help the govt monitor the implementation of the drug-free zone guidelines and identify areas requiring further intervention or enforcement.
