Punjab Cabinet Minister and AAP state president Aman Arora reaffirmed on Thursday that the Punjab government is committed to completely eradicating the drug menace from the state, vowing to take strict action against drug traffickers and smugglers.
Speaking at a meeting with civil and police officials at the police lines as part of the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, launched under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Aman Arora—accompanied by Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian—stressed that drug peddlers must either surrender or face severe consequences. As a member of the high-level five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee formed to tackle the issue, he asserted that the AAP government will not stop until the fight against drugs is decisively won. He also praised the Punjab Police for their capabilities and urged the public to support law enforcement in curbing drug trafficking.
Aman Arora highlighted that the police have been granted full authority to take strict action against drug dealers to make Punjab drug-free. He revealed that between March 1 and 4, Punjab Police registered 580 NDPS cases, arrested 789 accused, and seized 170 kg of narcotics. Additionally, 60 illegal structures linked to drug networks have been demolished across the state.
He encouraged citizens to report drug traffickers and urged the health department to inspect chemist shops and unlicensed medical practitioners.
During the meeting, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjiv Arora, MLAs Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina, Madan Lal Bagga, Ashok Parashar Pappi, Daljit Singh Bhola Grewal, Kulwant Singh Sidhu, Manvinder Singh Giaspura, Jagtar Singh Dyalpura, Mayor Inderjeet Kaur, and District Planning Committee Chairman Sharanpal Singh Makkar shared suggestions for tackling drug trafficking and pledged full support to law enforcement.
Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal highlighted ongoing preventive and enforcement measures, alongside efforts to strengthen de-addiction and rehabilitation facilities. He emphasized that individuals recovering from addiction would receive job opportunities and skill development training. A mass awareness campaign is already underway in collaboration with civil society, industry, educational institutions, and NGOs to combat drug abuse. Plans are also in place to modernize Kapoor Hospital into a state-of-the-art de-addiction and rehabilitation center. Additionally, a marathon will be organized this month to spread awareness, alongside short films in theaters, social media campaigns, wall murals, and school awareness programs.
Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal, SSP Ludhiana Rural Dr. Ankur Gupta, and Khanna SSP Jyoti Yadav informed the minister that assets worth hundreds of crores belonging to drug traffickers have been frozen, while illegal encroachments linked to them have been demolished. They assured that major players in the drug trade are being apprehended daily, and their entire network will soon be dismantled.
Civil Surgeon Dr. Pradeep Kumar Mohindra reported that the district has 46 OOAT (Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment) centers, each catering to 20-40 patients daily.