Under Punjab Government’s mission “War Against Drugs”, Cabinet Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Industry and Commerce, Investment Promotion, Labour, Tourism, and Cultural Affairs, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, held a special meeting with the Fatehgarh Sahib, district’s civil and police administration officials at the Bachat Bhawan today.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Sond stated that Punjab has no place for drug traffickers who are destroying the youth. He directed officials to create a master plan to eradicate drugs from the land of martyrs, Fatehgarh Sahib, and launch an extensive awareness campaign in schools and colleges to educate youth about the harmful effects of drugs, ensuring that future generations do not fall into its grip.
He also instructed officials to launch a district-level drug helpline number. Before the meeting, Cabinet Minister Sond paid obeisance at Gurdwara Sahib and prayed for the success of the war against drugs.Speaking to the media after the meeting, Sond highlighted that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government has arrested over 6,500 major and 45,000 minor drug traffickers in the last three years, registering more than 30,000 cases under the NDPS Act since 2022. To break the nexus between police officers and drug traffickers, over 10,000 police personnel have been transferred.
He also revealed that the current government has seized ₹612 crore worth of drug traffickers’ property, compared to just ₹142 crore confiscated by previous governments. Additionally, 1,128 kg of heroin has been recovered so far, whereas the previous government had seized only 197 kg.
Minister Sond criticized previous governments for allowing drugs to spread and even facilitating their distribution. He assured that to curb drug smuggling from Pakistan, the Punjab Government will hold meetings with senior BSF officials to dismantle this network.
He urged district officials to treat drug eradication as their social responsibility and assured them of the government’s full support. He encouraged them to act fearlessly in the fight against drugs. Furthermore, he directed that village panchayats should be involved in this mission, and awareness should be spread among people to report drug traffickers without fear, with full confidentiality of their identity.
Among those present at the meeting were MLAs Advocate Lakhbir Singh Rai (Fatehgarh Sahib), Rupinder Singh Happy (Bassi Pathana), and Gurinder Singh Gary Baring (Amloh), along with Deputy Commissioner Dr. Sona Thind, SSP Shubham Agarwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Surinder Singh Dhaliwal, SP (D) Rakesh Yadav, SDM Amloh Chetan Bangar, SDM Bassi Pathana Harbir Kaur, SDM Khamano Manreet Rana, and officials from various departments.