Punjab govt's anti-drug campaign showing positive results, says governor

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Sunday said the state government's 'Yudh Nashyan Virudh' (anti-drug war) had become a mass movement as it was showing positive results. Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a function, he said the campaign sensitised people who were coming together to eradicate drug menace from the state.
Stating that collective efforts were needed to root out the problem, he exhorted all sections of society to participate in war against drugs. 'Everyone should understand his responsibility and lend his support to the anti-drug campaign,' he said, adding that mere government efforts were not enough to wipe out the menace.
The governor said that unemployment and idleness were the root causes of addiction, so youth must be given ample job opportunities and associated with constructive activities.
Earlier, addressing members of village and ward defence committees, he said they could play a very significant role in identifying drug peddlers. He appealed to the district administration to give powers to these committees to help them act in a more effective way.
Deputy commissioner Ashika Jain informed the governor about the steps taken by the administration to curb drug business. She revealed that capacity of all government-run and private de addiction centres had been raised and three new OOAT centres were being opened in the district.
The governor also visited the de-addiction and rehabilitation centre in the city's Fatehgarh area where he interacted with inmates. He took information about the vocational training being imparted to them.
144 peddlers arrested, 6-kg heroin seized
Chandigarh Punjab Police on Sunday arrested 144 drug smugglers and recovered 6.7-kg heroin and 440-kg poppy husk from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached 16,492 in just 99 days of the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' (anti-drug war) campaign, officials said.
Special DGP (law and order) Arpit Shukla said over 200 police teams, comprising over 1,400 personnel, under the supervision of 88 gazetted officers, conducted raids at 479 locations across the state, leading to registration of 107 first information reports (FIRs). Police teams also checked 541 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he said.
The special DGP said that the state government enforced a three-pronged strategy — enforcement, deaddiction and prevention (EDP) — to eradicate drugs from the state. As part of de-addiction, cops convinced 89 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment on Sunday, officials added.