These kids, mostly 10 years of age or older, target any public property with iron parts in it. By selling these they earn Rs 20 to 100 — enough money to buy dry dust or leather solution, which they use as drugs.
Missing iron grills as seen at Dwarka Chowks
Iron grills, manhole covers, boundary walls of parks and benches at public places have become subjects of vandalisation by drug addicts in Dwarka. It is common to come across missing portions of walls and grills in parks and at chowks across sectors 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 of the sub-city.
Working in the field of drugs de-addiction in the community, general secretary of Sahaj Sambhav, a rehabilitation centre in Dwarka, Rekha Jhingan, said, “I have come across many such children during my work in rehabilitation. These kids, mostly 10 years of age or older, target anything in public place with iron parts in it. By selling these they earn 20 to 100 Rupees — enough money to buy dry dust or leather solution, which they use as drugs.”
Authorities and community is worried both about the loss of public property and these kids wasting away their lives. Social worker and general secretary of Choti Si Khushi, an organisation working with children, Namita Chaudhry, said, “While on the one hand, this is a loss of public property, on the other, it is damaging the next generation from under class. We have counselled many such children and a lot of them have successfully returned to normal life. However, there is a need for collective effort from the authorities and the community.”
Social activists have been regularly raising the subject of iron theft from public property and drug addiction in children in police public meetings, but nothing effective have been done yet and the thefts and addiction in children is still rampant. “It is my opinion that the thefts and drug addiction in kids is closely associated. Police need to implement a mechanism to control these things completely,” advised SR Krishna, a resident of Sector 11.
In talks with City Spidey on the subject, ACP Dwarka said, “We are in touch with some social organisations on this subject. I have personally been visiting the parks in the area. We are working on resolving these issues.”
