Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Tuesday reviewed the campaign launched by Punjab Police against drug trafficking and took stock of the arrangements made by the Health Department for rehabilitation of drug addicts.
Badal presided over a meeting of the Punjab State Drug de-Addiction and Rehabilitation Board, formed to ensure better coordination among various departments with the aim to eradicate the drug menace.
Inspector General of Police (Narcotic Cell) Ishwar Singh apprised the Chief Minister that police had initiated a drive to ensure ‘zero availability’ of drugs in the State. He said that they have arrested several top smugglers and ‘proclaimed offenders (POs)’, and more operations were being carried out.
Badal approved a proposal mooted by the State Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal that various addicts, arrested with non-commercial quantity of drugs (self consumption quantity), could obtain bail after signing a bond paper in the respective court, auguring to undergo anti-drug or detoxification treatment and regular monitoring in Government-recognised drug de-addiction centre for a period of one year.
Badal asked the Chief Secretary to review 3,677 such cases identified by jail and police authorities and work out a legal remedy.
As many as 2,61,132 drug addicts have so far been treated at out-patient departments of various Government hospitals, whereas indoor treatment had been provided to 7,874 persons, the spokesperson said.
At present, total 21 Drug De-Addiction (DDA) Centres and 18 Rehabilitation Centres were operating across the state, the spokesperson said.