Punjab govt launches second phase of anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashian Virudh'€™

Chandigarh, Jan 7 (PTI) The Punjab government on Wednesday launched the second phase of its flagship anti-drug campaign 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' and said it will employ a multi-pronged approach to tackle the scourge.

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who was present at the launch in Jalandhar, said over 1.5 lakh volunteers or "Pind De Pehredar" have connected so far for village defence committees (VDCs), which will play a "key role" in the fight against drugs, in addition to the efforts put in by police and the administration.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia and other ministers were present for the launch of the next phase of the campaign.

The volunteers have been trained and will now give information on anyone who sells drugs in the villages, he said.

Through a mobile application, people can also report persons selling drugs in their villages and retain their anonymity, Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister's Office will monitor and see if proper action is taken on the information shared by the public. If light is shed on officials' or the police administration's involvement, strict action will be taken against them too, and they will be put behind bars.

Between January 10 and 30, padyatras will be organised in Punjab, and people will be actively involved in the anti-drug campaign, he told attendees.

Emphasising the need for rehabilitation, the former Delhi chief minister said we have to help those who have fallen into the pit of drug habit.

Phase one of the campaign -- launched on March 1 last year -- has yielded results, as the government acted with a clear intent and everyone involved put in their hard effort, he said, adding that in no other state has such a war against drugs been launched.

"Punjab alone isn't dealing with the drug problem. In many states like Haryana, Gujarat, and Delhi, drugs are being sold. But governments there don't care," he claimed, adding that during the rule of the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, drugs reached every nook and corner of the state.

"After this, Capt Amarinder Singh's government came to power, but he also failed to do anything," he alleged.

After AAP formed the government, it declared an all-out war against drugs, according to Kejriwal, who promised to make the state "drug-free" on the occasion.

"During the past 10 months of the phase one campaign, 28,000 cases were registered against drug peddlers. In 88 per cent of cases, convictions were obtained. Nearly 42,000 drug smugglers were arrested, of whom 350 are notorious smugglers," he said.

The AAP leader said properties of drug peddlers, which they had built "through ill-gotten means", were demolished using bulldozers. "For the first time, people started to feel that there is a government which is waging a war against drugs in a real sense," he said.

The big fish in the drug trade were sent behind bars, he added. PTI SUN VSD PRK PRK