Rana Gurjeet Singh seeks central package to deal with unemployment, drugs problem

Jallandhar/Ferozepur : Congress legislator from Kapurthala, Rana Gurjeet Singh, said on Tuesday that four years since it took over, the Punjab Government has failed miserably to tackle the drug menace, which continues to fuel crime and play with the future of the state’s youth.
Addressing the media here, senior Congress leader  said Punjab shares a 550-kilometre international border with hostile neighbour Pakistan. He pointed out that the area under Central security forces inside Punjab was increased from 15 kilometres to 50 kilometres in 2021 due to increasing infiltration. “This clearly proves that the threat is known,” he said.
He revealed that the BSF has seized 367 quintals of heroin and intercepted 272 drones so far. “This can only be a fraction — barely 2 to 10 per cent — of what is actually entering Punjab. The Punjab Police itself claims seizures of nearly two tonnes of heroin.                                                                                  The question is: where has the remaining unseized consignment?” he asked.
Rana Gurjeet Singh also referred to the seizure of 620 weapons by the Anti-Gangster Task Force. “If such a large number of weapons have been seized, how many more are in circulation? he questioned.

Mentioning  Guv Gulab Chand Kataria’s Padyatra, he said, “We welcome the Padyatra being undertaken in Ferozepur today. Punjab’s real need at this stage is employment. I urge the Governor to act as a bridge between the State and the Central Government and help secure a special economic and industrial package for Punjab.”
Raising serious national security concerns, he asked “Why are drugs and weapons entering through Punjab and not through Rajasthan or Gujarat? If Pakistan intends to send weapons, Why not through coastal routes or shipping channels? This selective targeting raise questions, and accountability must be fixed,” he said.
Holding both governments responsible, Rana Gurjeet Singh said the Punjab Government cannot escape blame, but the Government of India also cannot be absolved of the responsibility. “A padyatra by the Governor is not the answer today. Such measures might have helped 15 years ago. Today, Punjab needs decisive policy action, not symbolic gestures,” he asserted.
He said the Central Government must take direct responsibility for the 50-kilometre border belt, where drug consignments are repeatedly entering.
Highlighting Punjab’s economic isolation, Rana Gurjeet Singh said the state is at the far end of the country, with sealed borders and no cross-border trade. “Punjab is nearly 2,000 kilometres away from the nearest port. If we genuinely want to eliminate drugs, we must create employment. That requires industrial growth, and Punjab deserves special incentives and an industrial package,” he said.
Referring to the special Assembly session held at Anandpur Sahib last year to mark the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, he said. “Nothing concrete was demanded from the Centre. As a border state, Punjab should have sought a special industrial package on the lines of the North-Eastern states under the Donor states model,” he said.
Rana Gurjeet Singh said that since both the State and the Centre have acknowledged that drugs are entering Punjab through drones, the Governor, as the constitutional representative of the Government of India, must actively take up Punjab’s case with the Centre.