Story by CGTN's Shweta Bajaj
Polling got underway in the Indian states of Punjab and Goa on Saturday- the first in a series of regional elections across the country. The elections are being seen as 2017's first major test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after his controversial removal of all 500- and 1,000-rupee notes from circulation in December last year.
As voters queued to cast their votes in Punjab - once one of the most prosperous regions in India - other citizens in the state were grappling with widespread drug problems, with recent figures showing the extent of the addiction issues facing Punjab's youngsters.
Voters line up to cast their votes outside a polling station during the state assembly election in the northern state of Punjab, India, February 4, 2017. /Reuters Photo
The drug menace in the state is so acute that many families are fighting for the survival of their loved ones.
According to Eurasia Review, in some border areas of Punjab as many as 75 percent of people aged 15-25 are using heroin.
"First I used to borrow drugs from friends and then I started giving them money to buy heroin for me. Then I had a dealer who came to the road to deliver. Sometimes I used to go out, and it's so easy that people yell to you to come and buy from them. It's that simple," said drug addict Sukhjinder Singh.
A man looks on as he arrives to cast his vote inside a polling station during the state assembly election in the northern state of Punjab, India, February 4, 2017. /Reuters Photo
Another addict Gurpreet Singh has been in a rehabilitation center for two months. But he tells us back in his village most young men and women don’t realize that this is a problem, and are only getting sucked ever deeper into the downward spiral that is drug addiction.
"Families are struggling within themselves. They are not looking at trying to stop us. We are all in big trouble," said another drug addict named Gurpreet Singh.
For the people of Punjab, it’s the single most important issue when they go out to cast their votes. Punjab’s border with Pakistan has become a hotbed of drug smuggling activity – with heroin the main narcotic being sold on.
Experts say only awareness can save the state. "Creating awareness amongst the youth, amongst the women, amongst the children, that is the only thing that can solve this major problem,” said Dr. Sandeep Bhola, head of the Kapurthala Anti-Addiction Center.
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