We’re using it to reach every corner with message: ADC
SSP Talib says mass movement crucial against menace
Sopore, Apr 27: Tongas—old horse-carts from Sopore’s past—took centre stage in a rally against drugs on Monday. The district administration used these fading icons to spread the anti-drug message to everyone, especially youth.
Authorities, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), launched a striking awareness drive, parading Tangas emblazoned with anti-drug slogans through Sopore’s streets. The event, flagged off from River Edge and winding near Fruit Mandi, drew crowds, civil society and police.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Sopore, Shabir Ahmad Raina, who led the initiative, said the objective is to disseminate the message about the ill-effects of drugs to as many people as possible, especially the youth. “The Tanga isn’t just transport—it’s our history. We’re using it to reach every corner with the message,” Raina told KNO.
Similarly, SSP Iftkhar Talib described the effort as evolving into a “public movement”. “All sections of society are joining hands. We’re building a mass movement against this serious threat,” Talib told reporters, while calling for collective action to rehabilitate addicts and shield vulnerable youth, framing it as “sustained grassroots mobilisation”.
Tehsildar Sopore Sheikh Tariq reinforced the resolve, saying the fight against drug peddlers will continue until the menace is eradicated from ground zero. Everyone must support the administration for a happy, prosperous Kashmir, he said.
Historically, Tongas were Sopore’s lifeline — elegant, two-wheeled horse-carts ferrying merchants, families and produce along the town’s fruit-laden orchards and markets since the Dogra era. As roads widened and autos proliferated, they faded into memory.
Earlier, the Chemists and Druggists Association held an anti-drug rally. The participants marched through busy Iqbal Market with signs and slogans against narcotics. The Association president Showkat Mohiddin Lone said they always back such causes. “This is the need of the hour,” he said. (KNO)
