Chandigarh

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday reviewed the ongoing efforts to curb drug peddling in the city and directed the Chandigarh Police to take strict action against drug suppliers and peddlers to make Chandigarh a drug-free city.
Presiding over the meeting at Chandigarh Police Headquarters with Secretary Home Mandip Singh Brar, DGP Sagar Preet Hooda, IGP Pushpendra Kumar, all SSPs/SPs, DSPs and SHOs, the Administrator said that the first priority should be to stop the supply and sale of drugs within Chandigarh. He directed the police to identify drug suppliers and peddlers as well as areas where drugs are being sold or consumed and take stringent action against those involved. On the occasion, the DGP emphasised the need to strengthen the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) by deploying more police personnel, cyber experts, legal experts and experienced officers.

Kataria also stressed strengthening the beat policing system at police stations to curb drug peddling. Strict action should be taken against drug peddlers and said that negligence by police personnel in dealing with the drug menace would also invite stringent action against the officials concerned. The Administrator further directed the authorities to closely monitor medical stores to ensure that medicines containing addictive or controlled substances are not sold without valid prescriptions. He also suggested foot patrolling in vulnerable areas and surprise inspections to strengthen police presence and monitoring.

Kataria said that making Chandigarh drug-free would require not only strict police action but also regular monitoring, rehabilitation of persons battling addiction and active support from families and society. He called for sustained and coordinated efforts by all stakeholders to make Chandigarh a safe and drug-free city.