Chandigarh, (Gurpreet) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday asked the Deputy Commissioners, Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police, to further accelerate three pronged strategy of ‘Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention’ for making Punjab a drug free state.
Chairing a review meeting with the officers here at his office in Punjab Civil Secretariat, the Chief Minister said that area–specific strategy should be tailored to each police station area/locality/village for effective enforcement. He said that appropriate action should be taken against colluding police officials/government officials to break any nexus with drug traffickers and property of drug traffickers should be confiscated under the provisions of the NDPS act, 1985. Bhagwant Mann also asked the officers to ensure that provisions of preventive detention under PITNDPS act 1988 is implemented along with tracing the forward and backward linkages in the supply chain through proper investigation of each recovery of illicit drugs. He also asked the officers to ensure capacity building of IOs /GOs to effectively implement NDPS act by conducting regular training and workshops.
The Chief Minister also asked the officers to ensure proper rehabilitation and treatment of the victims of drug menace. He said that emphasis must be given on outpatient treatment based on harm reduction, medication, counselling and peer support along with effective implementation of DAPO and Buddy program should be ensured. Bhagwant Mann said that the medical infrastructure in form of 528 Outpatient Opioid assisted Treatment (OOAT) clinic (including 17 in central jails), 36 Government De-addiction centres, 19 Government Rehabilitation centres, 185 Private De-addiction centres and 75 private Rehabilitation centres must be judiciously utilised for wiping out this menace.