Punjab’s Amarinder Singh government has taken the battle with drugs head on! Punjab, the state that is suffering from an acute drug menace, has now resorted to some major steps against the lackadaisical dealing of drug-related cases. In possibly the most drastic moves in recent time, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has now asked the Centre to award death penalty to first-time offenders in drug-related cases. Singh has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for an amendment to the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances) Act for this purpose. Apart from this, Singh has also made it mandatory for all government employees to undergo an annual drug test. The order also covers new recruits and employees being considered for promotion.

Why is Punjab drug problem making headlines now?

Although Punjab has been drug-plagued for a long time, 6 major cases reported from across the state have acted as a trigger. As per an Indian Express report, a 24-year-old man died after he was found unconscious in Talwandi Sabo area of Bathinda with a syringe lying nearby. He is said to be a drug addict for 3-4 years. In another case, 27-year-old Basant Singh died allegedly due to drug overdose in Khilchian village of Ferozepur. 21-year-old man, Shivam allegedly dies as he was used to taking intravenous drugs. Another Ferozepur resident Manmohan Singh also died allegedly of drug overdose.

In a video that has surfaced online, a person was found in a heap of garbage with a syringe still stuck in his veins. In another video, a man is mourning his son’s death in Amritsar. According to media reports, around 23 people have died due to drug overdose last month.

How Amarinder Singh plans to curb drug peril

a) The Punjab Cabinet has announced that it would recommend death penalty for first-time offenders under the NDPS Act. Under Section 31A, a provision already exists for the death penalty for second-time offenders. However, an amendment in 2014 and a division Bench of Bombay High Court held the clause “unconstitutional”. This could be a major hindrance for Punjab government.

b) Amarinder Singh has ordered a mandatory dope test for all government employees including the police personnel. The CM has asked the Chief Secretary to work on modalities for the same and issue the necessary notification. The dope test of staff will be conducted on new recruits as well and at every stage throughout the service.

Punjab Police acts after Amarinder Singh’s intervention

The Punjab Police continued its crackdown on policemen allegedly involved in drug trade, dismissing a head constable and cancelling its earlier order of extension in service for an inspector. Head Constable Jatinder Singh has been removed from government service by the Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).

Other steps taken to curb drug menace

Special Task Force: STF, headed by ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, was set up by the government to weed out the drug menace from the state in 2017. Amarinder Singh has said that the in the last one year 18,977 drug peddlers have been arrested and treatment of more than 2 lakh drug victims have been done.

Community Project: The Punjab government launched a Drug Abuse Prevention Officer (DAPO) project, a community participation programme in March this year. The government announced that all its employees (around 3.5 lakh) and elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions (around 1 lakh) would be ex-officio DAPOs to raise awareness.

Buddy Project: STF has designed a Buddy Project aiming to include all schools and colleges for student awareness. It has bee launched in Tarn Taran district as of now.

Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment/ OOAT: The programme has seen the health department open 81 OOAT clinics for opium and heroin addicts since May.

Politics over drug menace in Punjab

Senior Congress leader and Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has slammed that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) saying that it the party had acted responsibly on the drugs issue during its rule, the state would not have seen such “harrowing” days now. Hitting out at former CM Parkash Singh Badal, the cooperation minister reminded the Akalis that during their tenure in December 2013, had demanded in the Assembly that all the MLAs must undergo dope test. Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was responding to a reported demand by Badal about conducting dope test of Congress MLAs and ministers after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced that as part of the anti-drug campaign, the employees would have to undergo dope test.