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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Drug smugglers out on bail in Punjab set to be tracked through GPS-enabled anklets
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab police are planning to introduce GPS-enabled anklets for drug smugglers out on bail to track their movements, taking a cue from their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir where Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) accused are monitored with these devices. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said here on Saturday, "In Jammu and Kashmir, GPS tracking anklets were started for UAPA accused who are bailed out. We are examining the proposal from a legal point of view. When an accused is released on bail, there are some conditions. After taking orders from competent courts, GPS anklets will be put on notorious smugglers out on bail to track their movements." He said it will be done on a case-by-case basis and the right to privacy will be kept in mind. Yadav said the police would also focus on drug users who have been released on bail. "We have devised a system of monitoring their activities by taking village elders and panchayats into confidence. Our objective is to integrate them into the mainstream. They (drug users) will be motivated to go to OAAT (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment) clinics and drug de-addiction centres," he said. The station house officers will call such people to police stations, and a self-declaration will be taken from them that they will neither consume drugs nor peddle them, he said. However, he said police will take action against repeat offenders. Yadav said artificial intelligence software will be developed to upload information regarding arrested drug smugglers in districts into centralised data for forward and backwards linkages. He further said de-addiction centres will be started in jails for drug users who are put behind bars. Replying to a question on deploying an anti-drone system to check smuggling of drugs and weapons, Yadav said the order for the system has been placed and it is expected to be delivered by August.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Nasha Mukti Kendra in Mohali's Sector 66 upgraded to 100 beds
Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday inaugurated the upgraded Nasha Mukti Kendra at Sector 66, enhancing its bed capacity to 100 and introducing skill training courses with support from the Sun Foundation. Plans are in place to expand the facility further to accommodate 200 patients by constructing an additional floor, the minister said. Dr Singh stated that the state had increased de-addiction centres' capacity from 1,500 to 5,000 beds across Punjab and was integrating vocational training programmes to support patient reintegration into society. The health minister also announced that the Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres, now renamed Nasha Mukti Dawai Kendras, have risen to 565 statewide. These centres now operate with digitised medicine disbursement systems for greater transparency and efficiency. Private medical and nursing colleges across Punjab have been asked to join the anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nasheya Virudh'. The institutions have offered 1,200 seats to the government for treatment of drug addicts. Currently, around 2,500 patients are receiving treatment across the state's de-addiction centres. Dr Singh said drives launched under 'Yudh Nasheya Virudh' campaign have led to large-scale contraband seizures and demolitions of properties of drug suppliers has disrupted the supply chain. Rajya Sabha MP and Sun Foundation patron Vikramjit Singh Sahney and SAS Nagar MLA Kulwant Singh, who thanked the minister for selecting the Mohali centre for this revamp, were also present at the event. Dr Singh said that the Punjab government is committed to strengthening the treatment and rehabilitation infrastructure for drug-addicted youth.
