Cops on toes in border towns

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, January 18

With the Nalagarh sub-division sharing its border with poll-bound Punjab, the police are undertaking joint checking in coordination with the Punjab Police at its four entry points of Dheerowal, Bagheri, Navagaon and Dhabota.

The Punjab Police was seen checking all vehicles that entered from the Himachal border. While extra police force has been pressed into service, an effort is being made to ensure that liquor, drugs and cash did not find way into the villages of Punjab lying in the precincts of Nalagarh. Since the people from these areas are known to have close ties with each other, the police have to ensure that the infiltration of drugs and liquor are not facilitated by the locals into the poll-bound state.

There is a steep decline in NDPS cases in the Nalagarh area ever since polls were announced. Though the four key entry points are being closely monitored, the plethora of escape routes which connect villages on both sides continue to be vulnerable. Baddi SP Basher Singh said extra force had been deployed and nakas had been put up at vulnerable points.