Commissioner of Police Jalandhar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Mr. Navjot Singh Mahal today said that the administration would adopt a three pronged strategy of enforcement, de-addiction and rehabilitation to wipe out the menace of drugs from Jalandhar.Presiding over a review meeting of Drug Abuse Prevention Officer (DAPO) program here at the District Administrative Complex, the Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner said that under this strategy the focus would be laid on cutting the supply line of drugs by ensuring effective enforcement of law. Likewise, they said that the de-addiction and detoxification of the drug addicts would also be ensured in government de-addiction centres. They said that similarly the drug dependents who were shunning this would also be provided opportunity for rehabilitation by chalking out a concrete action plan.The Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner said that the main thrust was to ensure that Jalandhar was made free from this curse. They said that no stone would be left unturned for this noble cause and the efforts to eliminate this scourge would be made on war footing. The officers said that the state government led by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was following a zero tolerance policy against drugs in the state and administration was duty bound to implement it in right earnest.
Soliciting fulsome support and cooperation from the various walks of people for making anti-drug mass mobilization DAPO program a huge success, the officers said that this 360 degree comprehensive strategy was aimed at wiping out the curse of drug completely. They said that perhaps for the first time in the globe a serious effort has been made to check the demand of drugs by motivating the people to be partners in this cause. They said that the DAPO scheme aims at channelizing the anti-drug sentiment, which was all pervasive amongst every citizen of the state, except the drug addicts.They said that drug addicts were not criminals and were infact victims, which need to be brought into the main fray through this initiative. They said that drug addicts could be reformed well by detoxification through the government drug de-addiction centres in local civil hospital and Nurmahal. Likewise, they said that that besides these two centers Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centers were also operational in Jalandhar, Phillaur and Nakodar where outdoor health care services were being imparted to the patients suffering from drug addiction. They said that DAPO program aims at persuading the addicted youth to take proper treatment so that they could also lead a normal life like others and contribute immensely in socio-economic growth of the state. On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr. Jasbir Singh, Deputy Commissioners of Police Mr. PBS Parmar and Mr. Gurmit Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police Ms. D Sudharvizhi and Mr. Sachin Gupta, Sub Divisional Magistrate Mr. Paramvir Singh and others were also present.