CP, ADC and SSP review implementation of DAPO program

Sarkar Darbar Bureau

Jalandhar, June 4

Commissioner of Police Jalandhar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Additional Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Navjot Singh Mahal today said that the administration would adopt a three pronged strategy of enforcement, de-addiction and rehabilitation to wipe out the menace of drugs from Jalandhar.

Presiding over a review meeting of Drug Abuse Prevention Officer (DAPO) program here on Monday at the District Administrative Complex, the Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner said that under this strategy the focus would be laid on cutting the supply line of drugs by ensuring effective enforcement of law.

They said that the de-addiction and detoxification of the drug addicts would also be ensured in government de-addiction centres. They said that similarly the drug dependents who were shunning this would also be provided opportunity for rehabilitation by chalking out a concrete action plan.

The Commissioner of Police, Additional Deputy Commissioner said that the main thrust was to ensure that Jalandhar was made free from this curse. They said that no stone would be left unturned for this noble cause and the efforts to eliminate this scourge would be made on war footing.

The officers said that the state government led by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was following a zero tolerance policy against drugs in the state and administration was duty bound to implement it in right earnest.

Soliciting fulsome support and cooperation from the various walks of people for making anti-drug mass mobilization DAPO program a huge success, the officers said that this 360 degree comprehensive strategy was aimed at wiping out the curse of drug completely.

They said that perhaps for the first time in the globe a serious effort has been made to check the demand of drugs by motivating the people to be partners in this cause.

They said that the DAPO scheme aims at channelizing the anti-drug sentiment, which was all pervasive amongst every citizen of the state, except the drug addicts.

They said that drug addicts were not criminals and were infact victims, which need to be brought into the main fray through this initiative. They said that drug addicts could be reformed well by detoxification through the government drug de-addiction centres in local civil hospital and Nurmahal.

Likewise, they said that that besides these two centers Outpatient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centers were also operational in Jalandhar, Phillaur and Nakodar where outdoor health care services were being imparted to the patients suffering from drug addiction.

They said that DAPO program aims at persuading the addicted youth to take proper treatment so that they could also lead a normal life like others and contribute immensely in socio-economic growth of the state.

On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner Jasbir Singh, Deputy Commissioners of Police PBS Parmar and Gurmit Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police Ms. D Sudharvizhi and Sachin Gupta, Sub Divisional Magistrate Paramvir Singh and others were also present.

Draft memorandum to be presented before cabinet to bring ordinance for timely start of session

Sarkar Darbar Bureau

Chandigarh, June 1:

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday gave clearance for the operationalization of a new Sports University in Patiala from September 1, 2019, and directed the Department of Higher Education to finalise the admission regulations for the first batch.

Chairing a high-level meeting of the Steering Committee for the establishment of the university, the Chief Minister also approved `The Punjab Sports University’ as the name of the proposed institution, for which a draft memorandum will be presented in the next cabinet meeting.

An ordinance will be brought out to ensure timely commencement of the academic session, according to an official spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office.

The Chief Minister directed the Deputy Commissioner Patiala Patiala Kumar Amit to initiate the process of acquisition of 97 Acres of land adjacent to the Rajiv Gandhi National Law University in Sidhowal village, for the construction of the university building.

While 97% of the land is being provided free of cost by the village Panchayat, the remaining will be acquired. Acceding to a proposal from the DC, the Chief Minister also gave in-principle approval to reserve some Group C and D jobs for the eligible natives whose land is acquired.

In the interim, Captain Amarinder asked the Sports Department to immediately take possession of Mohindra Kothi to run the institution there till completion of the new building.

A sum of Rs 50 lakh has been sanctioned for renovating the Kothi for this purpose, said the spokesperson.

The Chief Minister further asked the ACS Sports to explore the possibility of engaging top industrial houses like Reliance and Wipro for sponsoring various courses and the related infrastructural development.

Reliance had evinced interest in being part of the venture during the Chief Minister’s visit to Mumbai; it was disclosed at the meeting.

The course curriculum, which has already been finalized, will focus on development of knowledge, skills and competence at various levels in the fields of physical education and sports sciences, sports technology and high performance training of all sports and games.

It would also provide the best coaching facilities and state-of-the-art infrastructure, besides efficient institutional support and ecosystem to budding athletes to tap their potential at an early stage.

Urging youngsters to take up at least one sport right from school level, the Chief Minister asked the Sports Department to launch an innovative state-wide awareness programme to attract and capture talent at an early age for nurturance into world-class players.

Steering Committee head and International Olympic Committee member Randhir Singh attended the meeting, along with Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Sports Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, and Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, besides Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary to CM Tejveer Singh, Secretary Sports Sanjay Kumar, and Director Sports Amrit Kaur Gill.

Civic Body Organises Workshop on Solid Waste Management 

Sarkar Darbar Bureau

Jalandhar, May 31

Commissioner of Municipal Corporation Jalandhar  Diparva Lakra today called upon the Principals of all the government and private schools in the district to come forward for developing their schools as ‘Plastic Free Zone’.

Addressing the gathering during a workshop on Solid Waste Management organized by the civic body for the School Principals here at the local KMV Sanskriti School, the Commissioner, accompanied by the Joint Commissioner Municipal Corporation Aashika Jain, said that in order to avoid environmental hazards the school Principals must ensure that use of plastic was completely banned in the school premises.

He said that disposable material must be completely prohibited in the school canteens along with the plastic bags. Lakra said that plastics play a major havoc with the health of the residents due to need of the hour was to ban them in school premises.

Dwelling on another point, the Commissioner said that all the government schools where Mid Day meal was offered must ensure that waste generated while preparing the meal was duly composted as per Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

He said that the waste must be disposed off with the through Pit Composting technique being adopted by the Municipal Corporation.

Lakra said that the civic body has already set up Pit Composting Unit at Government Senior Secondary School Nehru Garden adding that the other Principals could also use the same technique to compost this waste.

Batting for mass awareness campaign amongst the students to make them aware of solid waste management, the Commissioner said that the students must be made aware of the benefits of the source segregation for proper disposal of the waste.

He exhorted the schools to encourage the students for ensuring source segregation at their homes so that Jalandhar could be made clean, green and pollution free.

Lakra announced that after the summer vacations were over the Municipal Corporation would assess the performance of schools on the themes of plastic free zones, pit compositing and source segregation adding that as per the performance of schools the civic body would select 10 best performing schools out of them.

On the occasion District education officer Harvinder Pal Singh, District Guidance Counselor  Surjit Lal and others were also present.