Police swoop down on Anngarh area

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 23

Rolling up their sleeves to counter the flourishing illegal drug trade in the border state, the Punjab Police today started carrying out search operations in the drug-infested areas besides holding public meetings, asking the people to cooperate and share information about drug peddlers in the city.

Earlier, senior police officials headed by Police Commissioner G Nageshwara Rao held a meeting with the officials of the Excise and Taxation Department headed by Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner Harinderpal Singh in this connection. The Police Commissioner asked excise officials to coordinate and cooperate in nailing bootleggers and stopping illegal sale of liquor in the city.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh gave clear-cut instructions to the Punjab Police to take every step within law to nail drug peddling. A concerted drive has been launched in the state to eradicate the menace.

Talking to The Tribune, Police Commissioner Rao said a search operation has been carried out in the Anngarh area, which is infamous for rampant drug abuse, peddling and bootlegging. He said more such operations would be organised in various parts of the city in near future. He said no stone would be left unturned in order to stem the problem of drug addiction.

When asked about the numerous complaints regarding the arrests of a large number drug consumers during a similar drive launched during the previous SAD-BJP regime a couple of years ago, he said drug consumers would be sent to de-addiction centres and there would be no “planting” for the sake of the drive.

“I would not comment what had occurred in the past. We have clear instructions from the Chief Minister that our focus should be on drug smugglers and not consumers. Drug consumers would be sent to de-addiction centres,” he said.

Meanwhile, a huge number of policemen today swooped down in the Anngarh area and carried out house-to-house search operations that were continuing till the filing of the report. However, the information of the search operation spread like fire in the area and miscreants fled away. The police failed to make any major recovery during the operation.

The police officials also held a public meeting in the Gujjarpura area, which is also infamous for drug peddling and its high-crime rate. Senior police officials urged the people to cooperate with the Police Department in order to completely eradicate the drug problem. They also asked them to share the information with the police and assured them that informers’ name would be kept a secret.