Chandigarh/ Kapurthala, March 17:
Punjab Cabinet Minister and Aam Aadmi Party State President Mr. Aman Arora issued a stern warning to drug traffickers, stating, “Either quit the drug trade or leave Punjab.”
He emphasized that under the leadership of Aam Aadmi Party Supremo Mr. Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy to eradicate the drug trade through the ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign.
Addressing the media after reviewing the progress of the anti drug campaign at the District Administrative Complex here today, Mr. Arora said that the Punjab Government’s policy to eliminate drugs has shown positive results.
He highlighted that while serious efforts are being made to curb narco-terrorism in Punjab, a three tier strategy of enforcement, prevention and rehabilitation is being implemented to eliminate both the supply and demand for drugs.
He said that under the anti-drug campaign, from March 1 to till now , 1651 cases have been registered and 2,575 drug traffickers have been arrested. Besides that 1,322 kilograms of drugs has been seized and 64.26 lakh rupees as drug money recovered.
He made it clear that the “the illegal houses built by drug traffickers with drug money under the political patronage of previous governments will be demolished”.
He added that, being a border state, maintaining peace and harmony in Punjab is a top priority and exemplary action will be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt communal harmony.
Speaking about efforts to rehabilitate drug victims, Mr. Arora said that training in various trades is being provided by the Employment Bureau to make youth who have quit drugs self-employed.
Additionally, inmates in jails are also being skilled so they can contribute to society’s progress after completing their sentences.
He further mentioned that the scope of ‘Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan,’ a sports initiative to promote the sports culture at the grassroots level, is being expanded, with over 5.50 lakh children and youth set to participate this year.
He stated that efforts are underway to involve panchayats and social service organizations in the anti-drug campaign. He appealed to the public to support the Punjab Government’s anti-drug initiative so that collectively, Punjab can be freed from this menace.
Responding to a question about increasing police personnel in police stations, Cabinet Minister said that new 10,000 police persons will soon be deployed in the field. Additionally, 2,100 police personnel and officers are being recruited annually.
On this occasion, the Cabinet Minister also launched a helpline number, 98882-19247, prepared by the district administration, through which people can directly contact for skill development training.
Earlier, the Cabinet Minister reviewed the progress of the War Against Drugs campaign with administrative officials. He directed them to intensify the campaign to raise awareness about the ill effects of drugs in educational institutions.
Besides that Punjab Police contingent presented a Guard of Honour to cabinet minister.
Prominent amongst present in the meeting included MLA Raja Gill, Sajjan Singh Cheema, Joginder Singh Mann, Harsimran Singh Ghuman, Lalit Saklani, Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal, SSP Mr. Gaurav Toora and other senior officials.
