Enhance vigil at borders, Punjab CM asks BSF Director General

Chandigarh, July 31 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday asked Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF) Pankaj Kumar to enhance vigil at the borders of the state for checking smuggling of drugs and weapons from across the border.

The Director General called on the Chief Minister here.

During deliberations, the Chief Minister said Punjab being a border state Punjab faces numerous challenges in the wake of the smuggling of drugs and weapons from across the fence.

He said this needs to be checked with a heavy hand as it poses a grave threat to the unity, integrity, security and sovereignty of the country.

Mann said Punjab is fighting the country's war against drug menace as not even a single ounce of drug is produced in Punjab but as the state is on transit route of drug supply, so it is battling hard to prevent smuggling of drugs into the country.

The Chief Minister said that meticulous planning and flawless execution of strategy against drug smuggling by the BSF and the state police can act as a 'barrier' to save the country from the poison of drugs.

He said this is the need of the hour to break the backbone of narco-gangster-terrorist nexus, which is trying to flex its muscles for disturbing the hard earned peace of state.

Mann, however, assured full support and cooperation to the Director General for this cause.

Underlining the need for equipping the BSF and the state police with the latest weapons and gadgets to combat cross border terrorism and smuggling more effectively, the Chief Minister said he had already flagged this issue with the Union government.

He said both Punjab Police and the BSF are working tirelessly for checking the cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs, adding that strenuous efforts on part of both the forces will bear the desired results.

Mann also lauded the services rendered by the BSF for safeguarding the border of the country in general and the state in particular.