Poonch, June 07 : Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday joined the ‘Drug-Free J&K’ campaign and Padyatra in Poonch, asserting that the fight against narco-terrorism has entered a decisive phase with the mass movement now covering all 20 districts of the Union Territory.
Addressing a public gathering, Sinha said the objective of the 57-day-long campaign is clear – to free the soil of Jammu and Kashmir from drugs and eliminate narco-terrorism.
“The fight for a drug-free Jammu Kashmir intensifies today from Poonch. For the next 43 days, every citizen, panchayat and ward must unite to target drug smugglers and peddlers, drive awareness and accelerate rehabilitation,” the Lt Governor said.
He added that during the past 57 days he has visited every district and assured the people that those harming society will not go unpunished. “Today I assure all citizens that we will light the lamp of a brighter future,” he said.
Highlighting Poonch’s vulnerability as a border district, Sinha said narco-terrorists attempt to exploit the geography. “Cross-border drug smuggling is destroying young lives and, at the same time, financing terrorism. We must confront this through a whole-of-society approach,” he said.
The Lt Governor called for a massive movement over the next 43 days to make every panchayat, lane and household in the district drug-free.
He said confronting the drug menace requires a shift from indifference to action, and that the ‘not my problem’ mindset only emboldens smugglers who rely on public silence.
Sinha said the campaign has so far led to the arrest of over 1,130 smugglers under 1,038 FIRs, detention of 63 persons under the PIT-NDPS Act, and attachment of more than 100 properties. He added that 700 driving licences have been cancelled and steps taken to revoke 130 passports.
The Lt Governor said law enforcement agencies have been given a free hand to eradicate the narco-terror ecosystem, and a new SOP provides for immediate action including cancellation of passports, driving licences, arms licences and Aadhaar, besides attachment of movable and immovable assets under the NDPS Act.
“A drug-free Jammu Kashmir will be born of this mass movement. The road ahead is long, but we will not stop until every narco-terror network is dismantled,” he said. (KNS)
