Irate over the alleged drug menace in neighbouring Bir Talab village and thefts in their own village, residents and the panchayat of Naruana village in Bathinda district have passed a resolution banning the sale of energy drinks, boycotting sellers and imposing a heavy penalty on those violating the decision. The move follows concerns raised by villagers over the alleged use of energy drinks by drug addicts visiting Naruana and a series of thefts reported in the village.Talking to The Tribune, Naruana sarpanch Gurdhian Singh said Bir Talab was a drug hotspot and alleged that addicts often came to Naruana to consume energy drinks, which they believed helped revive the effect of drugs. He claimed that some visitors also recce shops and houses before thefts.“Drug addicts often come to our village to consume energy drinks and revive the effect of the drug. While coming to the village, they recce shops and houses. A number of thefts have taken place in the village. Thus the panchayat has passed a resolution banning the sale of energy drinks,” he said.Singh said the panchayat had also informed the police through helpline numbers. He added that several shopkeepers in the village had started installing centre locks as a precaution against thefts.Inspector Manish Kumar, SHO of the Bathinda Sadar police station, said Bir Talab was a drug hotspot and the police regularly conducted raids there and arrested people found in possession of drugs. However, he said only one theft had been reported in Naruana and that case had been traced.The Naruana resolution is not the first such village-level attempt to restrict the sale of products associated with substance use. In August last year, the panchayat of Katorewala village in the Malout Assembly segment of Muktsar district had passed a resolution banning the sale of tobacco and its by-products, energy drinks and drug use within the village.The Katorewala sarpanch had then claimed that the restrictions had produced positive results.