Chandigarh, May 4 -- In what was the largest anti-drug rally in Chandigarh, over 5,000 students joined Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday in a state-level march against drug abuse. The event, flagged off from the UT Secretariat in Sector 9 and culminating at Tiranga Park, Sector 17, set in motion the ambitious "Nasha Mukt Chandigarh Abhiyaan". Led by the governor himself, the rally stretched over 1.75 km and drew participants from across schools, colleges, government departments and civil society, resulting in an impressive turnout. Kataria's counterpart in Haryana, Bandaru Dattatraya, along with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, also joined the 7,000-strong gathering at Tiranga Park. The campaign's slogan "Nashe se door, jiyo bharpoor", translating to "Stay away from intoxication, live fully", reinforced the message of living a life free from the detrimental effects of drugs. Together, the political leaders, civic officials, youth and citizens pledged to resolutely and sincerely support the collective fight to make Chandigarh drug-free. At the culmination of the march, the leaders addressed the crowd with strong messages calling for unified action, with students' colourful handmade posters against drug abuse adorning the stage. In his address, Kataria underlined the importance of unity among citizens to combat the menace of drugs and urged everyone present to stand together in safeguarding the future of the nation. He highlighted the need to equip youth with skills to make India a healthy, happy and developed country. Urging the entire city to join the movement, he stated, "Come, let us unite to say no to drugs and turn Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a healthy, safe, and drug-free India into a reality." The chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana applauded Kataria for his dedicated efforts in addressing drug abuse issues at the grassroots level. They commended the Chandigarh administration's efforts in unifying neighbouring states, emphasising the collective mission needed to protect the youth of India. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said, "Today, I can see a revolution against drugs in Chandigarh. Don't make singers who sing songs promoting drugs your role model. Let your ideal be Milkha Singh or Harmanpreet Singh. People of Punjab are famous for joining the army, for wrestling, for kabaddi, and for bhangra. But our fame has faded. If the stone in a ring gets faded, the value of the ring diminishes. If Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh shine, the whole country will shine." The rally was live-streamed to schools, Model Jail and other institutions across the city, reaching over 1.5 lakh people. A powerful performance by students of GMSSS-16, highlighting the cost of drug abuse, received a strong response from the audience. Also present were Chandigarh mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar, councillors and hundreds of MC employees. Religious leaders pledged grassroots participation through a "Sarv Dharm Jan Chetna Abhiyaan", and members of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal committed to raising awareness through market-level engagement....