E-Paper
Punjab: 875 FIRs registered, 1,188 drug traffickers caught in first 12 days of war on drugs
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that ₹35 lakh drug money, 68 kg heroin, 873 kg poppy husk, 42 kg opium, 3.5 kg charas, and 6,74,370 intoxicating tablets have been seized during the campaign launched on February 25.
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on Punjab’s anti-drug campaign, on Sunday said that 875 first information reports (FIRs) have been registered and 1,188 drug traffickers arrested in the first 12 days of the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign.
Cheema said that ₹35 lakh drug money, 68 kg heroin, 873 kg poppy husk, 42 kg opium, 3.5 kg charas, and 6,74,370 intoxicating tablets have been seized during the campaign launched on February 25.
“Additionally, a widespread awareness campaign is actively mobilising citizens to contribute towards building a drug-free and prosperous Punjab,” he told journalists at a press conference here.
The minister also blamed previous governments led by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance and the Congress for the drug epidemic in Punjab. “Before 2007, Punjab had never heard of synthetic drugs like heroin or ‘chitta’,” he said, adding that while the conviction rate under AAP’s tenure stands at an impressive 86%, it was significantly lower during the Congress regime at 58% and even worse under the SAD-BJP government at just 40%.
“Some districts such as Sangrur, Nawanshahr and Ropar, have achieved conviction rates exceeding 90%,” the minister said.
He said the government has also undertaken several proactive measures to tackle the drug crisis, including 1,028 meetings with students in universities and colleges to raise awareness and village outreach programmes to address drug-related issues locally. The government has also acted against drug peddlers by demolishing the homes of 22 drug traffickers, he added.
Cheema also criticised the SAD-BJP for facilitating drug trafficking across India, pointing to Gujarat as the entry point for narcotics. “It is no secret that Gujarat is the hub for drug smuggling. The SAD-BJP alliance is directly responsible for enabling the spread of drugs nationwide,” he remarked.
Lambasting the Congress government, Cheema alleged that Capt Amarinder Singh took a false oath in 2017, promising to eradicate drugs within four weeks. “Instead, his government deepened ties with drug peddlers. Even during the COVID-19 lockdown, while basic necessities were inaccessible, drug trafficking flourished under the Congress rule. This is why the people of Punjab rejected them in 2022,” he alleged. He claimed that AAP’s historic mandate in 2022 was a rejection of SAD-BJP and Congress’ corrupt and anti-people policies.
