Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday said that the anti-drug campaign launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has evolved into a mass movement, with citizens “actively joining hands” with the government to eliminate the drug menace that had plagued the state for decades.
Slamming previous SAD-BJP and Congress governments for “turning a blind eye” to drug trafficking, Cheema said: “The previous regimes were responsible for allowing drug traffickers and gangsters to thrive in Punjab. Unlike them, the AAP government, under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Mann, is committed to eradicating drugs from the state.”
As part of the ongoing campaign, the Punjab Police have registered a total of 1,572 FIRs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, leading to the arrest of 2,364 “drug peddlers and traffickers” across the state.
The campaign has also resulted in the seizure of significant quantities of illegal drugs, including 90 kilograms of heroin, 51 kilograms of opium, 1,128 kilograms of bhukki, and 13 kilograms of ganja. Furthermore, cash amounting to Rs 63 lakh, believed to be linked to drug trafficking, has been confiscated, he said.
Additionally, properties worth crores linked to 33 drug traffickers have been demolished. “These actions send a strong message to those involved in drug trafficking that their illegal wealth will not go unchallenged,” Cheema added.
The campaign also prioritises the rehabilitation of individuals struggling with addiction. Hundreds of people suffering from substance abuse have been admitted to government-supported de-addiction centres, where they are receiving proper treatment to reintegrate into society, the AAP minister said.