Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, it seems, wants others do some things for his state and its people. Facing criticism of sorts for not doing much to deal with issues plaguing the State, Capt Amarinder is on a letter writing spree to the national leaders to act.
Raising the issues ranging from Punjab’s drugs problem, to Sikhs’ safety in Afghanistan, to the issue of Sikh prisoners, Capt Amarinder on Wednesday write separate letters to the Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, and Sushma Swaraj, and his counterparts in Karnataka HD Kumaraswamy and Rajasthan Vasundahra Raje.
Capt Amarinder, in a letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, pressed for a national policy for the prevention and control of drug abuse, with a coordinated strategy for checking smuggling of narcotics into the border state.
At the same time, he also sought a series of measures to be taken by the Central Government to support the state’s efforts to fight the drug problem, which “is seriously impairing the future of our next generation”.
“While the state government is determined not to let this happen, we need full and active support from the Central Government in formulating and pursuing effective measures including the national policy for prevention and control of drug abuse,” he said.
Capt Amarinder urged the Home Ministry to ensure effective check on smuggling of drugs from across the border by the Border Security Force (BSF), restrictions on drug plantations in the neighbouring states, and formulation of a national policy to regulate and prevent drugs in the country.
He said that the Punjab Police has detected and caught huge quantities of heroin and other drugs smuggled from across the international borders, and “the intelligence gathered by us in this regard is shared with BSF regularly, but unfortunately smuggling continues unabated to the detriment of our society”.
The Chief Minister pointed out that his government, on its part, was aggressively chasing drug peddlers and smugglers to obliterate drugs from the State. Besides making every possible effort to have drug addicts treated with proper medication, the state government’s strategy, focused on strict enforcement of laws, de-addiction and prevention of drugs, has started yielding good results.
He added that during the last few weeks, Punjab has been able to build a peoples' campaign against drugs. As a result, footfall in drug rehabilitation centers and Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) Centres set up by the state government has increased substantially, he further pointed out.
“While we will continue with our efforts to check the menace of drugs, it is felt that certain measures need to be taken at the level of Government of India,” the Chief Minister asserted, seeking appropriate necessary action at the earliest possible.
CAPT URGES SUSHMA TO ENSURE SAFETY OF SIKHS IN AFGHANISTAN
Punjab Chief Minister has urged the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take all possible steps to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sikhs settled in Afghanistan.
Capt Amarinder, in a letter to the Minister, expressed concern at the recent bombings in Kabul, besides the earlier series of terror attacks in Afghanistan, that had left many Sikh families adversely affected.
He urged the Minister to advise the concerned officials in MEA, as well as the Indian High Commission in Afghanistan, to ensure the safety and security of Sikhs in the war-torn country.
Measures aimed at security, relief and rehabilitation of violence-affected Sikh families in Afghanistan needed to be pursued at the level of Ministry of External Affairs in order to ensure justice to them, he said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that about 40 families had migrated to ludhiana from Afghanistan in 2012, of which 20 had returned. The issues concerning these families also needed to be attended on priority, said Capt Amarinder, adding that this was essential so that the simmering discontent in the community about the fate of these families could be addressed.
He urged a humane approach in resolving the problems of these Sikh families and requested the Union Minister to intervene on an urgent basis.
CAPT WRITES TO KUMARASWAMY FOR TADA PRISONER’s PREMATURE RElEASE
Asking his Karnataka counterpart HD Kumaraswamy to sympathetically consider the case of TADA convict Gurdeep Singh Khera, Capt Amarinder has sought the militant’s premature release on the basis of his good conduct.
Khera is currently serving double life sentence in Amritsar Central Jail after having been transferred from Karnataka's Gulberg jail in 2015.
In his letter, Capt Amarinder sought his Karnataka counterpart’s indulgence in advising the Prison Department of his state for reconsideration of the matter as Gurdip Singh alias Deep, son of Banta Singh, had been languishing in the jail for the last 25 years under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and TADA after being convicted in Delhi and Bidar bomb blast cases.
Notably, Amritsar District Magistrate had earlier taken up the case with the Karnataka Government which had intimated their inability under existing guidelines.
CAPT WRITES TO RAJE SEEKING SIKH POlITICAl PRISONER’s TRANSFER TO PUNJAB JAIl
Capt Amarinder has also written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundahra Raje for expediting the transfer of Sikh political prisoner Harnek Singh Bhap, currently lodged in Central Jail Jaipur, to a suitable prison in Punjab.
He pointed out that Director General of Rajasthan Police had already forwarded his recommendation to the Department of Home in June this year and the final approval was awaited.
A Sikh delegation had approached the State Government, through Cabinet Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, with a request to raise the issue with the Rajasthan government.