Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Saturday said the police’s anti-drug drive has achieved “major success” and that narcotics are no longer easily available in the state.
Though the drug menace has not been completely eliminated, the drive to wipe it out will “continue relentlessly”, the police chief told the media here.
His statement assumes significance as chief minister Bhagwant Mann had on February 28 set a deadline of three months to make Punjab drug-free.
Sharing details of the ongoing anti-drug drive, DGP Yadav said a total of 13,038 people have been arrested and 8,344 FIRs have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Of the total arrested, he said 1,696 were “big fish”.
He said police seized 586kg heroin, 14,000kg poppy husk, 247kg opium, 253kg ganja, 1.6kg ICE, and 25.70 lakh capsules and tablets during the drive.
Of the 1,205 drugs cases in which trial has been completed, conviction was secured in 1,085, which is 90%, the officer added.Yadav said 48 hawala operators were arrested and ?10.76 crore of hawala money was recovered.
Asked whether Punjab has become a drug-free state now, the police chief said, “In our assessment, we have got a very big success and I feel that it is an example not only in entire India, but in the world also in which a determined and multi-pronged effort has been undertaken to eliminate drugs from the state.”“We have got a major success in it. We have got maximum control over it as per the feedback from independent channels and intelligence. Our effort is to reach out to people to take them along and also to take our three-pronged strategy -- enforcement de-addiction and prevention -- forward so as to bring drug users into the mainstream,” he said.
“Our focus is clear. We want to eliminate drugs and we have had major success in this. This drive will continue relentlessly,” he added.
Asked whether Punjab is now a drug-free state, Yadav said, “I can say that drug availability in the state has reduced majorly. There are pockets where drugs are available, but (earlier) there was a talk of easy availability (of drugs), there is no such thing now. I cannot say it (drugs) is totally eliminated because it is a cyclical thing, but otherwise major work has been done in this regard.”
Last month, Yadav said senior police officers in districts had been directed to cut the drug supply lines by May 31 to make narcotics unavailable in the state.
Senior superintendents of police and commissioners will be rewarded for their good work and those whose performance is not up to the mark, their accountability will be fixed, he said.
