CM approves action plans for anti-drugs and anti-beggary in Peshawar

Peshawar
An important meeting held here on Thursday with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair, approved two separate action plans one each for anti-drugs and anti-beggary in the provincial capital Peshawar.
Under anti-drugs action plan, special steps would be taken for the rehabilitation of over 2000 drug addicts identified in Peshawar, in addition to launching stringent crackdown against the drug addicts as well as drug supply chains across the city. Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Mian Khaliq-ul-Rehman, Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, IGP Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Abid Majeed, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Amjad Ali Khan, Administrative Secretaries of concerned departments, Commissioner Peshawar and other relevant officials attended the meeting.
The meeting also decided to establish special task force to ensure implementation of action plan against drug addiction in the provincial capital. Under the plan, private sector institutions/organizations having optimum skills and expertise in the relevant field, would be engaged for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. After undergoing of four months long rehabilitation period, the rehabilitated persons would also be imparted with two months technical and vocational courses.
The rehabilitated persons would be sent back to their homes, however they would be followed up constantly for six months so as to ensure that they are not suffered again from that scourge. Similarly, the drug addicts belonging to other provinces would be sent back to their respective home zones after completing the rehabilitation process.
The participants on this occasion, expressed great concerns over the prevailing trends of drug addiction in the educational institutes and decided that special initiatives would be taken to protect the students from this menace. It was also decided to launch awareness campaign in the educational institutes, further deciding that in the first phase, general screening of students would be carried out in the higher educational institutions.
A committee to be headed by the Secretary Higher Education would devise a mechanism in consultation with the administration of education institutes in this regard. It was further decided that the screening report of students would be shared only with their parents. “Stringent crackdown would be launched against the big fishes involved in drugs trafficking”, it was decided in the meeting, adding that the Excise and Narcotics Control department, Police and Anti-Narcotics Force would carry out joint operations for this purpose. Similarly, a special control room would be established at Chief Minister Secretariat for monitoring the actions against drug peddlers.
Addressing the participants, the chief minister underlined the need to have integrated approach to effectively deal with this challenge, adding that all the stakeholders would have to play their proactive role for this purpose. He said that protecting our young generation from the menace of drug addicts is the collective responsibility of all of us.
The elements involved in drug peddling/trafficking should be dealt with iron hands in order to make the provincial capital free from drug addictions. He directed the authorities concerned to utilize available modern technology and scanners for effectively preventing the drug smuggling. It was also decided in the meeting that the action plans proposed against beggary in Peshawar, would also be replicated to other divisions in the province. Under the plan, crackdown would be launched against professional beggars at divisional level across the province.
Briefing about the actions so far taken against beggars in the provincial capital, it was informed that a total of 1356 beggars have been identified including 280 children. It was informed that local needy and elderly beggars would be shifted to Dar-ul-Kafala, where they would be provided with free of cost residential and food facilities, whereas the beggars from other provinces would be repatriated to their home zones.
Similarly, needy/deserving children involved in beggary, would be sent to Zamung Kor. It was informed that the action plan against beggary would cost Rs. 23 million per annum. It was decided to further tighten the punishments against professional beggary in the province, directing the authorities concerned to propose necessary amendments in the relevant legal framework in this regard.