Cheema gives stern warning to smugglers

Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday issued a stern and final warning to drug traffickers in Punjab to either give up smuggling or leave the state.

- HT Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday gave Punjab a three-month deadline to make the state drug-free.

Chairing a meeting of top police officials, including police commissioners, senior superintendents of police and deputy commissioners, and civil administration here, Mann announced a slew of measures, including a crackdown on smugglers, special courts for speedy trial, confiscation/demolition of their properties and no subsidy to peddlers and their family under various government schemes, to tackle the drug menace in the state.

"The state government has a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs. Punjab Police has a long and glorious history of dealing with hostile law and order situations. They will make the state completely drug-free with the active support and cooperation of the general public," he said.

Cabinet ministers Harpal Cheema, Aman Arora, Balbir Singh, Laljit Bhullar and Tarunpreet Sond - all members of a five-member sub-committee constituted by the CM to monitor the government action against drugs, were also present.

The AAP, which made a pre-poll promise to eradicate drugs from Punjab, has been drawing flak from the opposition parties for failing to deliver.

While campaigning for the 2022 state polls, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had vowed that Punjab would be made drug-free within three months if the party formed a government in the state.

On Friday, Mann told the police officers to ensure that within three months, there should be no availability of drugs. "After a month, an evaluation of each SSP will be made on progress made in the anti-drug programme in the district. All officers will be accountable and action will be taken against non-performers," the CM said, asking the officers to ensure that bails of arrested accused in big and intermediate quantity cases are opposed tooth and nail.