CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said that gangsters, smugglers, criminals and other antisocial elements will soon be wiped out from the state.
He blamed the previous governments for patronizing gangsters and criminals.
Addressing the gathering during the passing-out parade of 2490 police personnel at Jahan Khela in Hoshiarpur, he said that criminals have made this state their abode.
He also said that the state government has now started a crusade to weed out these anti-national elements, adding that they will be behind the bars soon.
He said that the Punjab government has launched a decisive war against drugs in the state as the government has adopted a zero tolerance policy against drugs.
He added that Punjab will be made completely drug free with the active support and cooperation of the general public.
Mann said that the supply line of the drugs is being snapped and drug peddlers are being put behind bars. Properties of the drug smugglers are also being confiscated or razed, he added.
He also expressed that the new police personnel will become an integral part in the war against the drugs.
He said that to overcome major challenges faced by the state, the police force must be updated as per advanced requirements in the field of investigation, science and technology.
Mann called upon the newly inducted cops to play a proactive role in wiping out the menace of drugs from the state.
He said that Punjab is fighting the nation's war against drugs and the Punjab Police has always acted as a barrier for checking its supply. He also stated that since 2022, more than 10,000 youngsters have been appointed in the Police force to update the force.
Mann expressed that the state government has also decided to recruit 10,000 new cops in Punjab Police for which necessary clearance will be given by the cabinet soon.
He said that the state Government has launched the first of its kind initiative in the country, a dedicated Sadak Surakhya Force to ensure enhanced security and to save precious lives on the state and National Highways.
He said that specially trained, freshly recruited 1597 personnel including women, are acting as the backbone to this force
He shared that they have been provided with the latest, fully equipped 144 vehicles and since its launch in February last year, and the state has witnessed a 48.10 per cent reduction in casualties due to accidents.
Mann said that force has been deployed all along 4200 km of the Highways, prone to traffic accidents.
He also shared that even the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had hailed this initiative of the state government in the Parliament.