Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday directed the police to prepare a list of top drug-peddlers under each station and take decisive action to dismantle drug networks within 30 days.
He asserted that the administration will take stringent action on drug traffickers and syndicates, including revocation of their passports, driving licences, Aadhaar cards and arms licences.
Sinha was speaking after launching a 100-day intensive anti-drug campaign — Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir Abhiyaan — in Jammu’s Kathua district.
“We will crack down hard on traffickers and criminals, but those trapped need empathy and mercy. If a youth strays, we help him recover,” he said, addressing a massive rally at the sports stadium in Kathua.
The lieutenant governor directed police officials to prepare a list of top drug peddlers in each station and take decisive action to dismantle drug networks within 30 days. He asked the police authorities to adopt a focused and time-bound approach for the complete elimination of drug syndicates.
Warning drug syndicates, Sinha said, “A groundbreaking Standard Operating Procedure, recently notified, will ruthlessly crush smugglers by revoking their passports, driving licences, Aadhaar cards, and arms licences.”
Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, he said, “We will confiscate all movable and immovable assets, freeze bank accounts, and launch exhaustive financial probes.”
The lieutenant governor said a drug-free Jammu and Kashmir will emerge not from one person, but from collective action. “Society must realise that drugs don’t just kill individuals; they erode the honour and destiny of entire villages, wards and cities,” he said.
Sinha led a massive padyatra in Kathua, joined by citizens, public representatives, senior officials, civil society members, social activists, NGOs, women, students and various stakeholders.
He called upon every citizen and family in Kathua to rise and unite against drug abuse.
“I ignite a people’s revolution to eradicate drugs from every panchayat, alley and family in Kathua. This is no dream, it is my unbreakable pledge,” he said.
Sinha said the future will not be scripted in documents but forged through decisions of this people’s movement in the next three months.
“We have crafted a well-planned 100-day roadmap: Month one ignites awareness and mobilisation, month two deepens community and family penetration, and month three cements sustainability.”
The L-G said the campaign’s cornerstone is compassionate rehabilitation.
“We must shift our mindset: Addicts are patients, and they need our help and support,” he said, stressing the need for more effective, accessible and humane rehabilitation centres where lives are reclaimed.
He also called upon women’s self-help groups to form “women vigilance squads” to monitor drug abuse cases in their respective areas.
“People say, ‘This isn’t my problem’. This mindset must go. We must remember that true prosperity stems not just from wealth, but from vigilant and collective resolve. Government and society must unite for surveillance, rally anti-drug support, and cultivate drug-free villages and towns,” he added.
Sinha said the police force and security agencies are empowered with full authority to dismantle drug syndicates, and also entrusted NGOs and activists to drive grassroots efforts and feedback.
“A youth who grasps life’s purpose becomes the strongest weapon against drugs,” said Sinha, who administered an anti-drug pledge and also launched the Nasha Mukt Jammu Kashmir anthem at the rally.