Unfazed by the rain that poured over Perumbavoor on Friday, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala flagged off the Operation Toofan Jagran rally from the town’s Government Boys Higher Secondary School. The Home Minister was joined by Operation Toofan Zonal Officer Putta Vimaladitya and MLA Benny Behanan, among others, in the culmination of the rally at Perumbavoor’s Fine Arts Society Auditorium.
In his public address, Chennithala listed details of drug abuse cases that have been reported across the state to paint a picture of the rampant drug use that has gripped Kerala. But the Home Minister emphasised that a new dawn was awaiting Perumbavoor and Kerala with Operation Toofan. Thursday marked one month since the operation was launched. According to the Home Minister, the drug crackdown operation has resulted in more than 5,000 arrests since it began, making it a successful campaign.
Referencing the iconic river scene from the Mohanlal-starrer ‘Naran’, Chennithala spoke about the biggest strength of Perumbavoor, its plywood industry. Calling it one of the biggest plywood industries in Asia, Chennithala illustrated the important role Perumbavoor plays in not just the state’s economy but in each individual worker’s lives.
Children gather for the march. Photo: Onmnanorama
The Home Minister said migrant workers flocked to Kerala and Perumbavoor for the state’s employment opportunities and fair wages, likening it to the Gulf dream of an earlier generation of Malayalis. “Kerala and Perumbavoor is the Gulf of the migrant worker,” the Home Minister added.
Delving into the subject of migrant workers, Chennithala said many workers do indulge in drug use, but it was not fair to blame them alone, as many Keralites too were actively involved in the state’s narcotics distribution network. “The drug mafia is thriving in Kerala by using and exploiting migrant workers,” said Chennithala.
He added that as part of Operation Toofan, structural changes would be made in the police wings handling narcotics. Narcotics officers existed during the previous LDF government’s tenure too, but there was no active initiative to tackle Kerala’s drug crisis, he said, adding that a special task force for Operation Toofan would be launched soon.
Before ending his speech, the Home Minister shared that the war on drugs could not be won by the police alone. Operation Toofan’s success depended on joint cooperation between the public and the state police force, he said, asserting that those behind the narcotics network were being closely watched, extending a warning: “If you do not cease your operations, have no doubt that you will be in cuffs soon.”
Following the event at the auditorium, the Home Minister headed to the Kandanthara market, a residential area of migrant workers, to interact with its residents.
