Punjab cabinet approves draft law on attachment of property in drug cases
Property older than six years at the time of the registration of the case will not be attached
Acting tough against drug smugglers, the Punjab cabinet on Friday gave green signal to a draft legislation enabling the authorities to attach, seize and forfeit properties of offenders booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The decision to approve the draft of Punjab Forfeiture of Illegally Acquired Property (PFIAP) Act, 2017 was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh here.
According to the draft legislation prepared in consultation with director general of police (DGP) Punjab Suresh Arora, the property of an accused will be attached following the registration of a case under the NDPS Act, while its confiscation or forfeiture will take place only after the final conviction.
However, the property older than six years at the time of the registration of the case will not be attached.
The PFIAP Act applies to every person who has been convicted of an offence punishable under the NDPS Act, with imprisonment for a term of ten years or more, and to every person in respect of whom an order of detention has been made under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988.
This will not apply in cases wherein order of detention has been revoked on the report of the advisory board constituted under the said Act or such order has been set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction.
SOG TO KEEP VIGIL ON MILITANT THREATS
The cabinet has also approved the creation of a Special Operation Group (SOG), which will keep a vigil on militant threats, with non-fiscal incentives for the personnel who will join the new force.
The SOG will contain, counter and neutralise militant threats such as fidayeen attacks, hostage situations and armed infiltration to save precious lives and properties.
The SOG, comprising a team with world-class training and the highest degree of commitment, would help respond effectively, adequately and in the least possible time to neutralise armed aggressors.
It will also minimise collateral damage in the form of loss of civilian lives and damage to the strategic assets of the country.
PUNJAB DISTILLERY RULES AMENDED
In another decision aimed at streamlining production at distilleries, the cabinet accepted a proposal for amending the Punjab Distillery Rules 1932, requiring the licensee to install flow meters at a location specified by the excise commissioner for the purpose of monitoring the production and dispatch of extra neutral alcohol/rectified spirit (RS).
Flow meters in the production line would help streamline the production and stem any leakage from the distilleries so that the entire production is captured.
OTHER KEY DECISIONS
The cabinet okayed ‘The Punjab Victim or their Dependents Compensation Scheme, 2017’ to compensate victims of acid attack with a minimum compensation of Rs 3 lakh each. While the Centre will provide one-time assistance of Rs 4.01 crore to crime victims and their dependents, the state will make budgetary provisions for the same.
It also decided to amend its Premature Release Policy to allow early release of mentally incapacitated or terminally ill life convicts, in line with the directives of the Punjab and Haryana high court.
The cabinet also approved the Connect with Your Roots (CYR) programme to reach out to youngsters of Punjabi origin settled in other countries. The programme, aimed at young boys and girls of Punjabi origin whose parents, grandparents or great-grandparents are settled abroad in various countries across the globe, will seek to connect them with their ancestral roots and glorious cultural heritage of Punjab.
Giving a boost to the government’s crop diversification efforts, it decided to bring guava, banana and vineyard growers at par with orchard farmers in the matter of the maximum land size they are permitted to own or hold.