Punjab wants death penalty for drug peddlers and smugglers, reaches out to the Centre

• The Punjab government has decided to recommend death penalty for drug peddlers, come smugglers and has moved the Centre.
  
• The cabinet also decided to constitute a sub committee to review the state’s rehabilitation programmes.
  
• This cabinet meeting took place after the government faced a lot of public pressure from NGOs, prominent personalities and the opposition regarding its ‘inactivity’ on the drugs issue.

The drug problem in Punjab seems to be a perennial one. From being one of the main issues in election campaigns to trickling down to the grass-root levels and hampering the productivity of the youth in the state, Punjab has had its hands full. Elections are won and lost on this crux, and the current government in Punjab is facing a lot of flack from all quarters thanks to their ‘inactivity’ in the face of drug menace in the state.

But the state seems to have woken up a bit. On Monday, the Punjab government decided to recommend that the Centre punish drug peddlers and smugglers with death penalty.

The decision was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. It is interesting to note that Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act already has provisions of the death penalty for repeated drug offenders. However, it seems that the Punjab government means to suggest stricter rules to cover up months of not doing much about it.

The cabinet also decided to constitute a sub committee to review the state’s rehabilitation programme. Furthermore, a special working group will be put in place under the additional chief secretary of home, N S Kalsi, to review and monitor the actions being taken to check and control drug abuse by the government’s anti-drug campaign, on a daily basis. Health and social security ministers have been appointed as the members of this sub-committee.

Kalsi has asked the director general of police, Suresh Arora, to review drug scenarios across the state with senior superintendents of police from all districts, on a fortnightly basis. He suggested that in order to tighten the noose, those who do not perform up to the mark should be taken to task and adverse remarks should be penned in their annual reports.

The CM also ordered that Arora should intensify the police crackdown on the drug menace.

Drug abuse cases in Punjab are a regular feature and the city that is worst hit is Bathinda. Dr Jaspal, from a clinic in Ludhiana, says, “The recommendation of the cabinet is definitely right. The drug abuse situation is pretty extreme and is getting out of hand, now.”

Dr Jaspal receives about five to ten patients a day and the most common cases of drug abuse involve heroine.

This cabinet meeting took place after the 15-month-old Congress government faced a lot of public pressure from the NGOs, prominent personalities and the opposition regarding the inactivity of the government on the issue of drug abuse. Punjab recently observed a Black Week from 1 June to 7 June to protest against drugs. It was provoked by about 30 deaths reported from across the state due to drug overdose or consumption of adulterated drugs.