Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday declared the state’s ‘Yudh Nashean Virudh’ (War Against Drugs) campaign to be in its final phase, directing police to intensify ground-level action against drug sellers, suppliers and smugglers and target remaining drug hotspots.Chairing a review meeting with deputy commissioners, commissioners of police, SSPs and senior police officers through video conference, Mann said the campaign had moved beyond the police force and become a people’s movement. He pointed to a 41% rise in feedback from Village Defence Committees (VDCs) as evidence of growing public participation.Mann said 14,846 VDCs with 74,230 active members were currently functioning across Punjab. Of these, 3,808 committees with 36,814 members were active in border areas, which he said had a crucial role in identifying and disrupting drug-smuggling networks.According to Mann, complaints received through VDCs had resulted in 4,129 FIRs and the arrest of 5,589 alleged drug smugglers since January this year. He directed police officers to ensure complaints received from the ground were promptly followed up and action taken against those involved in the drug trade.The chief minister also highlighted the Safe Punjab App as another channel for public participation. He said around 19,310 FIRs had been registered and 25,138 alleged drug smugglers arrested on the basis of complaints received through the app over the past year.Mann said the figures showed that the anti-drug campaign was no longer confined to police stations or government offices but was being fought in villages and localities through community participation.He claimed the state government had “already succeeded in breaking the backbone of the drug supply network” by putting a large number of smugglers and suppliers behind bars. However, he cautioned that the campaign could not be considered over until the last link in the supply chain was eliminated and every village was made drug-free.“The time has come for the final assault, and drug hotspots, if any, at the ground level need to be targeted for better results,” Mann said.
