There are two sets of youths who frequent this site. They get their drugs from a peddler in the next street. While one gang smokes up and lolls on the ground, another starts creating a ruckus Ajit Singh, a businessman

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike

Residents keen on fixing the place

Krishnagiri

Defence officials, residents fed up of the nuisance in their midstIn a clear sign that the drug menace is spreading its tentacles in the city, young drug users are identifying new and empty sites and deserted places to indulge their addiction. One such place is the ex-servicemen colony in RT Nagar, where an empty site is being used by youths to smoke up and disturb the peace in the neighbourhood.Residents allege that young people gather here, smoke weed and fight with them when questioned about their activities. They allege that at nights too, the area is full of people who arrive in cars, park them near the empty site, smoke, drink and play loud music and get into fights.Residents claim that they are afraid to walk by the site even during the day for fear that the youths will pass lewd comments and pick fights with neighbours when questioned about their behaviour. The empty site was supposed to be a park and is currently under dispute between the original owner and the BBMP over ownership.Ajit Singh, a businessman said that there are about 50 people who reside around the empty site where drugs are being openly consumed. Said Singh, “There are two sets of youths who frequent this site. They get their drugs from a peddler in the next street. While one gang smokes up and lolls on the ground, another starts creating a ruckus. They have damaged houses with pets as they bark at them. Despite several complaints to the police, the drug menace has continued to grow.”Singh added that there was no regular police patrol in the area. He said, “After we complain, the police visit the spot and pick up one or two of the boys but the peddlers and addicts return after a few days. There are no street lights on the road and this makes it easy for them to conduct their activities after dark.”Singh’s wife says some boys in school uniform hide behind cars and smoke after school. “If we question them, they stare at us and ask us to leave them alone,” she said.R Ashok, another resident and a retired Army officer, said that both the(BBMP) and the police have failed to take any action against the menace. “After several complaints, a street light, facing the empty site, was installed but this was removed by the miscreants within a few days. Sometimes, they come and park their cars in front of our houses and start playing loud music. They smoke inside their cars and the smell of cigarettes and drugs wafts into our houses,” he says.Neerja and Meghna, teachers at Sattva Preschool said that a few youths used to dig holes in front of the preschool, besides the clump of trees, and hide substances there to smoke up later. “There are many bushes here and they sit behind them and smoke up. Finally, after many complaints, the police came a few days ago and seized everything. Since then, they have stopped hiding their drugs there,” they said.RT Nagar inspector said that such empty sites are used by youths to smoke cigarettes. He said there are at least 20 such deserted sites located in each police station limits. “We were not aware about this particular issue and it came to our notice only a few days back. We have increased police patrolling in the area and we are also keeping a check on such anti-social activities,” he said.A mother and her son who is a Naval officer, were attacked a few days ago when they questioned some of the boys who were smoking at the site. The gang pushed her around and assaulted the officer. An FIR was registered in this regard with the RT Nagar police on August 11.After this, the residents came together and met the Additional Commissioner of Police (West), Umesh Kumar and requested him to increase the police patrolling in the area. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Joint commissioner of Police (Crime), Sandeep Patil said that the police have been going after old drug peddlers in the city. He said, “All this time we had been going after dealers and the ones who used to distribute drugs in the city but now we are targeting the suppliers who are supplying the drugs from other states to Bengaluru’s drug distributors. All the DCPs have been directed to identify places which are being used to selling or consume drugs. We are also conducting raids regularly in places like pubs, college hostels, empty grounds and empty sites based on tip offs.” He added that other than this the police are also spreading awareness among youths and the public about the drug menace.The RT Nagar police have arrested a 50-year-old woman drug peddler and recovered nearly 200 grams of ganja from her. The accused, Saraswathi, a resident of Hosur in, was allegedly commuting to the city in response to an order placed by one her clients. Police said that Saraswathi used to take trains and buses while commuting to the city and used to supply drugs to her regular customers, mostly college students aged between 18 and 22.A senior officer said that the woman was arrested on Sunday and taken into two days’ police custody. “She is a hard nut to crack and did not reveal any information about the suppliers. We know for sure that she used to buy drugs from Tamil Nadu and used to sell it here in the city. There was no particular location or time. She would come here whenever there was a demand from her clients,” he said.He added that they are not sure whether she has a criminal background or not and but they have taken her fingerprints to verify her identity. A source said that the police were surprised to see the team of lawyers who had rushed to her help.