Bhubaneswar, Nov. 12 -- From Sambalpur and Bargarh to Barpali and Sonepur, the rampant availability of codeine-based cough syrup and other intoxicants is raising serious concerns over the future of young people. Parents appeal to the Odisha government and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to intervene before it is too late.

A growing drug menace is threatening the future of young people in western Odisha, with codeine-based cough syrup, sedative tablets and other intoxicating substances allegedly finding an easy market in towns and rural pockets. While repeated police and Excise Department raids have resulted in major seizures and arrests, the ground reality in places like Barpali, Bargarh, Sambalpur and Sonepur continues to raise troubl...