The Centre has acceded to the Punjab government's request pertaining to strengthening of zonal and sub-zonal offices of Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) at Chandigarh and Amritsar to tackle the drug menace in the state in more efficient and result-oriented manner.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has agreed to spruce up the functioning of these offices by posting 40 additional personnel following a request by Chief Minister Parkash Singh in this regard.
This decision was conveyed by Rajnath to the Chief Minister through a Demi-official letter addressed to him, a statement by the Punjab government said today.
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Singh informed Badal that the NCB has been instructed to review the position of the entire staff and decide the possibility of increasing the workforce in Amritsar sub-zone and Chandigarh zone accordingly.
He informed that efforts were afoot to increase the total strength of the NCB by another 209 posts. The staff number in Chandigarh zone would be increased by 30 and in Amritsar sub-zone by 10.
Rajnath Singh in his letter further mentioned that the NCB, which is the central coordinating agency against the war on drugs, has already taken a slew of measures to tackle this problem.
The Union Minister also said that at present there were 13 zones and 12 sub-zones of the NCB and concerted efforts were made to spruce up the Chandigarh zone and Amritsar sub zone.
Underscoring the need for an integrated action from all the drug law enforcement agencies and the Punjab Police, Rajnath said special efforts by the State and Centre were needed to eradicate the drug menace.
He said apart from the NCB, there were various other drug law enforcement agencies such as Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Bureau of Narcotics, State Police, State Excise, Customs and Central Excise and Central Bureau of Investigation that were also empowered to control the drug trafficking under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.
Rajnath also mentioned in the correspondence that the Border Security Force was also empowered under the Customs Act 1962 to interdict drugs and it acts as a seizing agency on the Indo-Pak border.
Badal in his letter to Union Home Minister on June 13 had sought Singh's personal intervention for strengthening the zonal and sub-zonal office of NCB at Chandigarh and Amritsar respectively.
