Board for detaining peddlers without trial for a year soon
Saturday, 29/12/2018
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday announced the setting up of an advisory board to enable detention of drug smugglers for a year without trial. He also announced creation of a separate drugs division under the state health department to centralise de-addiction efforts of the government and private centres.
An official spokesperson said the measures were part of initiatives announced by the chief minister in his government’s fight against drugs.
Officials posted in the respective police stations from whose jurisdiction drug seizures are made will now be held directly accountable, the chief minister said at the meeting.
The proposed advisory board will be constituted under Prevention of Illicit Traffic (PIT) in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act with the aim of allowing detention of drug smugglers without trial for a year as well as attachment of properties of proclaimed offenders under the said Act. The chief minister asked additional chief secretary home Nirmal Singh Kalsi to work out modalities, the spokesperson added.
The CM said the drug division in the health department will oversee the opening of new drug centres, issuance of licences to private de-addiction centres and distribution of the necessary drugs in government hospitals. The division will be headed by a Secretary.
The CM also directed STF chief Mohammad Mustafa to update him on the progress of the antidrug campaign launched by the state government, while asking chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar and ACS Home to hold a meeting every fortnight to review the progress.The STF chief informed the meeting 13,756 were arrested in drug-related cases till December 24, besides massive recovery of narcotics, including heroin 381.2 kg.
