Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday suggested the formation of fast-track courts for speedy trials under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act while mooting for the preventive detention of repeat wrongdoers.
Holding a videoconferencing with top district administrative and police officials to review the progress on drug eradication and discuss future strategy here, the CM said he would discuss the operationalising of fast-track courts at the earliest with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “The NDPS Act provides for preventive detention of such offenders,” the CM said.
The video conference was preceded by a meeting of the consultative group on drugs, headed by the chief minister, an official release said.
The chief minister extended his government’s full support to the eight Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) teams assigned to map the border areas of Punjab and coordinate the fight against drugs in the region.
NCB Deputy Director General S K Jha informed during the meeting that around 25 officers, including himself, had been deputed to strengthen coordination with other states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat, which had emerged as major sources of drugs flow into this state.
Jha underlined the need to chase money trails to check drug trafficking. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta informed that the chief minister’s letter to the prime minister, seeking a national drugs policy, had evoked positive response from the Centre, with Home Minister Amit Shah directing his officers to ensure better coordination in the matter.
The Narcotics Control Bureau has drawn 24 officers from other parts of the country and deployed them in Punjab to carry forward the anti-drugs fight in the border, said the DGP.
It was also announced that Punjab would host the next meeting of the chief ministers of neighbouring states for more effective coordination for drug enforcement efforts across states.
During the meeting, Singh reiterated his government’s zero tolerance policy against the involvement of government officials, including policemen.
Taking cognisance of complaints of collusion of police officers with drug smugglers/traders/peddlers, he directed the DGP to bring out a comprehensive posting/transfer policy to break the nexus.
He warned stringent action against the “black sheep”. Those involved would face dismissal or compulsorily retirement, he added.
Criminal cases under Section 29 (abetment) of the NDPS Act (Abetment) and the Prevention of Corruption Act to be registered against officials, wherever involvement and wrongdoing was established, he added.
The CM said the drug eradication campaign would now be carried out in the mission mode, with transfers and postings of DCs/SSPs to depend on performance in the drive against drugs.
DSPs/SHOs would be held accountable for any drug-related crime in their area, with monthly reviews to be conducted by the IGPs/DIGs Ranges, he said. Non-performing DSPs/SHOs would be shunted out, the chief minister said.
