Chandigarh, January 11
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has sought a one-time financial assistance of Rs 600 crore from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to set up special NDPS courts for speedy disposal of drug cases. Mann said that the drug problem in Punjab is disrupting the socio-economic balance, leading to an increase in crime, domestic violence and health problems.
Addressing a regional conference on ‘Narcotics Trafficking and National Security’ virtually, Mann appealed to the Center to provide Punjab with Rs 60 crore per year for 10 years to set up special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) courts and hire public prosecutors. Give financial support to Mann said 35,000 drug cases were pending for trial by January 1, 2025. He said that based on the current disposal rate, on an average a sessions court takes seven years to complete a case.
In the next five years, the average disposal time will increase from seven years (35,000 pending cases) to 11 years (55,000 pending cases), Mann said. He said the state had sought Rs 2,829 crore through the 16th Finance Commission, which should be sanctioned at the earliest for effective law enforcement and upgrading of infrastructure and logistical support of ANTF and jails. The Chief Minister also called for strengthening the Border Security Force deployed at the international border.
Mann said that in the last five years, 1,247 drones have been spotted and only 417 of them have been caught. He said that currently only 12 jamming systems are operational along the 552 km of the international border. He said that at least 50 more such systems are needed to prevent congestion. In the last two and a half years, the state government has registered nearly 31,500 cases under the NDPS Act, in which 43,000 accused have been arrested with 3,000 kg of heroin, 2,600 kg of opium and drugs worth Rs 4.3 crore. -News-Patiala
