JALANDHAR, October 17, 2026: Jalandhar’s civil administration and police have begun a new ground-level campaign targeting areas identified as drug hotspots, with senior officials personally visiting affected localities and reviewing the functioning of a de-addiction centre as part of a broader 60-day action plan.
Deputy Commissioner Varjit Walia and Commissioner of Police Satinder Singh carried out the inspection along with officials assigned to the campaign. The initiative is being taken forward under the state’s Yudh Nashian Virudh programme, with the administration seeking to combine police enforcement with rehabilitation, civic development and employment-related support.
According to the Deputy Commissioner, senior officers are being assigned responsibility for individual hotspot areas so that problems can be examined at the neighbourhood level rather than being dealt with only through periodic enforcement operations. Officers from the civil administration and police are expected to remain directly involved in monitoring progress.
The administration’s approach will also cover issues that may contribute to poor living conditions in affected areas. Residents will be encouraged to raise concerns related to basic facilities and local development, allowing the authorities to identify problems that require intervention from municipal or other government departments.
Officials from the health and education departments are also being associated with the initiative. The administration believes that tackling drug abuse requires more than police action and must include awareness, treatment, rehabilitation and opportunities that help people return to a stable routine.
During the visit to the de-addiction centre, the Deputy Commissioner interacted with patients and reviewed the facilities available to them. Authorities said feedback from those receiving treatment would be used to identify gaps and improve rehabilitation services.
The administration is also looking at ways to connect people recovering from substance dependence with employment and skill-development opportunities, with the objective of helping them rebuild their lives and reducing the risk of returning to substance abuse.
Police Commissioner Satinder Singh said the latest ground-level exercise follows the recent review of the anti-drug campaign by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Police and the civil administration have been asked to work together in areas receiving repeated drug-related complaints and deliver measurable improvement within the two-month period.
The Commissioner said the strategy would include both enforcement against illegal supply networks and development-oriented measures in vulnerable localities. Police teams will continue gathering information about suspected drug activity while working alongside other departments responsible for health, education and local infrastructure.
The issue of pharmaceutical drugs being allegedly sold outside legal rules has also come under focus. Satinder Singh said that in a recent action involving two medical shops, around one lakh suspected intoxicating tablets were recovered and the premises were sealed. He added that proceedings concerning the licences of the establishments would also be taken up with the competent authorities.
Any final legal responsibility in such cases will depend on the investigation, laboratory or regulatory findings where applicable, and proceedings before the relevant authorities. Seizure or sealing of premises by itself does not amount to a final finding of guilt.
Officials said the new campaign is intended to create sustained supervision rather than a one-day checking exercise. Nodal officers will monitor hotspot areas, listen to residents and coordinate with different departments to address both illegal drug activity and the social conditions affecting those communities.
The administration has set a 60-day window for the focused exercise, although senior officials said they would aim to achieve visible results before the deadline.
Police have also appealed to residents to share information about suspected drug trafficking and cooperate with rehabilitation efforts, stressing that reducing drug abuse will require participation from families, communities and government agencies together.
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