Sale of illicit drugs is thriving as a cottage industry in a residential neighbourhood in the vicinity of Fort St. George, the seat of the State government.
A number of houses in Annai Sathya Nagar, opposite War Memorial, have reportedly started selling illicit drugs.
“The activity has been reported for many years. Now, it is developing as a cottage industry. This is cause for concern,” says a resident.
“We hear that a number of students from Loyola College, New College, Pachaiyappa’s College, Presidency College, University of Madras and Nandanam Arts College have reportedly started developing contacts with residents from this locality,” he says.
A number of police vehicles and high-end cars are found parked on the roadside near the entrance to the neighbourhood.
One youngster, who purchased a packet of illicit drugs from a resident of the neighbourhood on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, said he was a vendor on Marina Beach. “I am not an addict. I have started to come here just for fun,” says the 20-year-old.
Pointing to illiteracy as a key factor, a teacher of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) who has worked in the slum says Annai Sathya Nagar is the most challenging locality for mainstreaming of school dropouts.
Many of the students here who have dropped out of school are associated with the illicit trade.
“We have tried our best to bring such students back to school. But the parents are often reluctant,” says an SSA block resource teacher-educator.
