Drug menace: Run to create awareness

Manipal Academy of Higher Education(MAHE), Manipal, in association with Manipal Runners’ Club, Udupi District Police and Udupi Press Club, will organise a five-kilometre run with the objective of creating awareness on the menace of drug abuse on September 23, MAHE Pro Chancellor Dr H S Ballal and Udupi SP Laxman Nimbargi said on Thursday.

Dr Ballal said the run will be flagged off from outside the university building at 7.15 am. The run will end at KMC Green. “The run is important as we have a huge youth population. It is, therefore, necessary to create awareness on negative impact of drug abuse,” he said.

Nimbargi said the Udupi police have been conducting many programmes to create awareness on the devastating effects of drug abuse over the past two months. “The run on Sunday will be a culmination of the campaign,” he said.

“The event will also be an opportunity to create awareness on physical fitness. The objective behind the initiative is to ensure Manipal remains drug free,” the SP stressed.

Event coordinator Dr Vinod Nayak, also serving as secretary of MAHE Sports Council, said a majority of the participants will be students of the university and other colleges in the district. The runners can also visit Zumba, their gymnaisum.

MAHE vice chancellor Dr H Vinod Bhat and Pro Vice Chancellor of Health Sciences Dr Poornima Baliga were also present.