A marathon in Salem against drugs
The city of Salem wore a festive look as Rotarians from RC Salem Phoenix, RID 2982, in partnership with the Salem City Police, organised a grand marathon against drug abuse, in which 2,000 persons, including children from three years onwards, and elderly persons, participated.
The event saw keen participation from police officers including Salem city police commissioner Najmul Hoda. “We were overwhelmed by the response we got; young children had assembled at the venue, Salem Gandhi Stadium from 5am, and while the event, which was divided into different categories, had 2,000 participants, it was watched by around 4,000 people,” said event chair and club member Hemnath. “At the end of the day, it was not only an effective way to raise awareness against drug abuse, but also boost the public image of Rotary, and show how it works for the welfare of people in the community,” he added.
The marathon included shorter run of 2km for children below 12 years, 5km and 10km runs for women and men respectively. Each participant was given a medal and a certificate. Trophies and cash prizes were given to the top three winners in each category.
Police commissioner Najmul Hoda, addressing the gathering as chief guest, complimented Rotary for working for the welfare of the community through various projects and recalled the vital assistance given by Rotarians to the administration during the Covid pandemic. He spoke on the evils caused by drug abuse and thanked Rotary for taking up this cause. District governor
P Saravanan, deputy commissioners of police S P Lavanya, M Madasamy and S Radhakrishnanan participated.
Club president J Kesavan said the club’s objective in organising this run against drugs was to raise awareness against drug abuse and “ensure that our mission that Salem remains a clean, drug-free city is accomplished.”
