Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said Punjab’s anti-drug drive – ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ – has entered its final phase and called for a decisive final push to completely eradicate the menace from the state.
He announced that he would personally hold meetings with station house officers to review the anti-drug campaign at the police-station level and intensify the ongoing war against drugs. He directed officers to maintain continuous coordination between the civil administration, police, VDCs and citizens so that the anti-drug campaign becomes a sustained mass movement.
The CM said that 14,846 village defence committees are currently active across Punjab, comprising 74,230 active members. He pointed out that feedback from VDCs against drugs has increased by 41% across the state, reflecting growing public involvement in the campaign. The CM said that the entire system of reporting drug-related activities should be made simple and accessible so that genuine complaints can be registered without hesitation and prompt action can be taken against drug smugglers.
He said it’s imperative to build a Punjab where the younger generation can live free from the scourge of drugs. He said the government will not rest until drugs are completely eradicated from Punjab. He said that complaints received through VDCs are being followed up by the police and strict action is being initiated against drug smugglers. “Since January this year, 4,129 FIRs have been registered and 5,589 drug smugglers have been arrested on the basis of complaints received from VDCs,” he said.
