Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday ordered officials to seize the assets of those involved in drug trafficking. During a meeting focused on reviewing the state's law and order situation, Mann reaffirmed his government's dedication to eradicating the drug problem in Punjab.
He stated that the state government has already imprisoned key individuals involved in drug trafficking and emphasized the need for immediate action by confiscating the property of these traffickers.
Mann also asked the officials to ensure that villagers unanimously pass resolutions to make their villages drug free. The chief minister also mentioned that necessary amendments to relevant laws will be made if needed and stressed that officials in charge of areas where drugs are sold will be held responsible for any failures.
In addition, Mann requested that officials work with villagers to pass resolutions declaring their villages drug-free and offered incentives, including grants from the Rural Development Fund, for these drug-free villages. He also pledged to ensure the security of these villages through any means necessary.
A few days ago, Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal attacked the AAP government in Punjab over the drug menace in the state. Harsimrat Kaur Badal pointed out that even the Supreme Court had said that menace of liquor and drugs is damaging Punjab. “The youth of Punjab is being destroyed due to excess use of drugs and this menace is now gradually spreading to other parts of the country like Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat,” she said.
Referring to a huge stock of drugs busted in Gujarat recently, she said that “narcotics terrorism” is being spread in the entire country.
A day later, Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that every drug trafficker in India will be behind bars within two years. He said that the Centre had mapped the drug networks across the country and will soon take action. “We have mapped the drug network across the states. No matter how big the criminal is, in the next two years there'll be a situation that they'll be behind the bars,” he said in Lok Sabha during the Winter Session.