Drones, drugs figure in Bhagwant Mann-Amit Shah meet

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday urged Union home minister Amit Shah to generously allocate funds for checking supply of drugs and weapons from across the border.

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday urged Union home minister Amit Shah to generously allocate funds for checking supply of drugs and weapons from across the border.

The chief minister, who called on Shah at his office in Delhi, apprised the Union home minister about the use of drones for supply of drugs and weapons from across the border. (AFP file photo)

The chief minister, who called on Shah at his office in Delhi, apprised the Union home minister about the use of drones for supply of drugs and weapons from across the border. Expressing concern over it, Mann said this needs to be checked with heavy hand for which the support of Union government is must. He also sought kind intervention of the Union home minister to combat this challenge effectively, according to an official release.

“We discussed the issue of drones and drugs on the border…The issue of shifting the barbed wires on the border was also discussed….Asked him to release Punjab’s pending rural development fund soon,” Mann tweeted after the 40-minute meeting with Shah, adding that the Centre and Punjab will work together on law and order.

During the meeting, the CM asked the central minister for additional security forces from the Centre in view of upcoming festival of Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib next week and two G-20 meetings in Amritsar from March 15-16 and March 19 and 20. He also sought funds for modernization of the state police force for effectively combating the new challenges. “The need of the hour is to provide ultra-modern gadgets and weapons to the state force for checking cross border infiltration and drone attack from across the border,” he said.

Mann also underscored the need for better coordination between the central government and the state government to face this challenge from across the border. He said that Pakistan is patronising drug mafia which can be very fatal for the unity and integrity of the country.

The official release said the CM also had detailed discussion with Amit Shah on the gangsters nabbed by Punjab and apprised him about his government’s zero tolerance policy against the gangsters. He also urged the home minister to appoint a Punjab cadre officer as SSP in Chandigarh. The CM was accompanied by DGP Gaurav Yadav and Special Principal Secretary to CM Ravi Bhagat.