BSF's recommendation on habitual drug offenders must be followed: Punjab Governor

Chandigarh, December 13  

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Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday said the AAP government must accept the BSF’s recommendation of taking habitual offenders of drug smuggling in the border areas into preventive detention.

The governor said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government should set up village defence committees in each village to curb drug smuggling activities in the state.

Replying to a question on the recommendation by the Border Security Force (BSF) that repeat offenders of drug smuggling in border areas should be taken into preventive detention, Purohit said, “Whatever the BSF has recommended is a valid action that has to be followed and that must be followed.”  The governor told reporters here that if it is not done then it will be a mistake.

BSF Special Director General, Western Command, Yogesh Bahadur Khurania, had said on Monday that his force had recommended the Punjab government to take habitual offenders of drug smuggling in the border areas into preventive detention.

The BSF has also given a list of habitual offenders to the state government for their preventive detention, he added.

The Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, provides for preventive detention of such repeat offenders.

Section 3 of the Act empowers a government to detain the people to prevent them from engaging in illicit traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Speaking about the development activities in Chandigarh, the governor said that out of a total budget of Rs 6,087 crore, a sum of Rs 4,625 crore has been spent so far on various development activities in the current financial year.

Purohit, who is also the Chandigarh Administrator, said all-round development is taking place in the union territory.

Talking about spending on various projects of the police department, he said that a cybersecurity centre was set up while three anti-terror vehicles have been bought.

A total 112 new vehicles have been bought while new water cannon vehicles for controlling a mob have also been purchased, he added.

The governor informed that over 12 per cent of the total budget expenditure was spent on police, 18.11 per cent on education, 13.88 per cent on housing, 15.83 per cent on energy and 10.87 per cent on the health sector.

Purohit said that Chandigarh was planned for a population of five lakh people.

“But today, the population of the city has reached 14 lakh. Besides, there is also a floating population, which is also estimated to be around 14 lakh,” said Purohit.

“Load (on resources) in the city continued to rise,” he added.

On the rising number of vehicles in the city, Purohit said that he has seen a family having five vehicles.

“Where are these vehicles going to be parked? You give a suggestion whether we can do with one vehicle per flat. It will be legally examined,” he added.

The governor said that he wanted Chandigarh to be a medical and education hub where big institutions come up.