Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said he will raise the issue of cross border “narco-terrorism” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
Talking to reporters here, Badal said “Punjab has a 553 KM long international border with Pakistan which further has a border with Afghanistan, known for drug production”.
He said Punjab has zero production of drugs but was a victim of narcotics smuggling. “Punjab is being used by peddlers as transit route from Afghanistan and Pakistan and the state is working day and night to plug all the channels to stop the inflow of drugs to the Punjab,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said security of international borders was the primary duty of BSF and he would write letters to Prime Minister and Home Minister to press the BSF to stop illegal flow of drugs across the border.
Seeking a complete ban on legal cultivation and sale of opium and poppy husk in BJP ruled Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Badal said drug peddlers used to smuggle these narcotics to Punjab and other states. He stressed that Punjab is fighting nations’ war against drugs as Punjab Police have seized the highest percentage of drugs by any other state across the nation. Besides that nearly 30,000 smugglers were put behind bars in a special drive against drugs.
Asked about the Punjab Institute of Sports, Badal said initially 500 budding players would be admitted in this premier sports institute being setup at SAS Nagar having three sub-centres at Jalandhar, Bathinda and Amritsar. He said new job policy for players would be cleared in the next cabinet as it could not be passed due to some technical reasons in Tuesday’s meeting.