‘Be serious about it’: Top court pulls up Punjab govt over drug menace

NEW DELHI: The drug menace is on the rise in Punjab, the Supreme Court observed on Monday, as it directed the state government to keep a check and “be serious about it” amid concerns that the “youth may finish”.

The top court also sought an action plan within a week from the state government on the steps taken to curb the production and sale of illegal liquor.

“The problem of drugs is increasing in Punjab. One has to be serious as the youth will be finished. It is very unfortunate that this is happening in the state,” a bench of justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar said.

“Your government has to take extra caution. If somebody wants to finish the country, more particularly being a border state… It is easy to finish the youth by giving drugs. Be serious about it,” it added.

Appearing for the state government, senior advocate Ajit

Kumar Sinha said it was due to the close proximity of the state to the Indo-pakistan border that the drug problem was on the rise.

The bench noted that Punjab saw nearly 34,000 criminal cases under the Excise Act between 2019 and May 2021. “Are you waiting for a hooch tragedy to take place,” the bench said. “Is it not shocking that in two years, you have over 30,000 FIRS. Is it not a failure on part of the state to curb illicit liquor being sold? The sufferer is the poor man who cannot afford to buy good liquor. The illegal transportation and manufacture of spurious liquor should stop,” it added.

SC SOUGHT AN ACTION PLAN WITHIN A WEEK ON STEPS TAKEN TO CURB SALE OF ILLEGAL LIQUOR