Punjab drug scene hits a new 'high'
It is one of the most prosperous states of India and produces the bulk of the country's foodgrain, but Punjab may soon take the lead in a dubious field - narcotics. Police have seized hundreds of kilograms of drugs in the first seven months of the year, the highest in the country.
The recovery included 160 kg of heroin, valued at nearly Rs 200 crore in the international market, 50,000 kg of poppy husk, 455 kg of opium, 23 kg of smack, 800 gm of cocaine, 44.5 kg of charas and 351 kg of ganja.
The haul also included 148 kg of bhang, 11 kg of sulpha, over 700,000 tablets of intoxicating drugs, 160 kg synthetic powder, over 22,000 bottles of illegal liquor and nearly 26,000 injections.
"It is a matter of great concern that such a huge haul was made," a concerned Punjab DGP, Mr P.S. Gill, said here.
Senior police officials say drug abuse was rampant in the state, and was on the rise in the last decade.
With just 1.5 percent of the country's geographical area, the frontier state contributes over 60 per cent of India's total foodgrain production.
It also shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan, from where most of the drugs arrive.
The consignments arrive from Pakistan and Afghanistan, police officials told IANS.
Drugs worth over Rs 2,000 crore could be transiting and landing in Punjab, sources in the police department said, adding that drugs worth over Rs.800 crore have been seized in the past two years.
The actual seizure of drugs is much higher, with agencies like Border Security Force (BSF), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, customs department, Anti-Narcotics cell and others too seizing huge quantities.
Mr Gill said over 4,000 people have been arrested, and nearly 1,500 people convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985.
"We have started a campaign to make youth aware of the harmful effects of drugs. Drying up the demand for narcotics is the best method to check their smuggling," he said.
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