Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Tuesday that his government is prepared to implement new measures to combat the drug problem in the state.
Addressing the media after a meeting with Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) from all districts and other senior police officers, Mann emphasized the state government’s commitment to eliminating the influx of drugs and the associated corruption within law enforcement. He attributed the recent surge in cash and drugs to attempts to influence voters in the past three months but affirmed that with the model code of conduct now over, decisive action will be taken.
“Drugs come to Punjab from Gujarat, but our state has been unfairly vilified on this issue,” Mann stated. He revealed that over the past three days, more than 10,000 low-ranking police officials have been transferred to disrupt the nexus between some police officers and drug smugglers.
Mann issued a stern warning to any police officers involved in the drug trade, stating that they will be immediately dismissed from service. Additionally, the properties of private individuals engaged in the illicit drug business will be seized within a month. The Chief Minister also announced the recruitment of 10,000 new personnel to strengthen the Punjab Police force.
Reflecting on the recent Lok Sabha elections, Mann noted that Punjab had the longest code of conduct as the elections were held in the final phase. “All development works had stopped in the state; we could only implement what was allowed by the Election Commission of India (ECI),” he said.
Mann shared his insights from the election campaign, where he gained firsthand experience of the public’s issues. “It opened my eyes to the problems faced by the public. To address these issues, I called meetings with all bureaucrats yesterday and police officers today, instructing them to maintain a good administration-public interface,” he added.