Anti-drugs campaign successful: Amarinder

Amritsar/Chandigarh, Aug 14 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday said that his government's drive against drugs in the state had been "highly successful" while admitting that some drugs were still available.

"Our government's campaign against drugs has been highly successful, with over 6,900 dealers and suppliers already in police net," he told the media in Amritsar on Monday.

"Huge quantities of drugs, including 95 kg of heroin, have been seized. The big players in the trade are being chased by the police and would be arrested soon," he said, adding that many of the so-called big fish in the trade had fled the state.

But the Chief Minister, who had vowed last year that his government would eliminate drugs from Punjab within four weeks of coming to power, admitted that drugs were still available.

"I am not saying that everything has stopped. Wherever we come to know about it, we are taking action. But I can tell you this that the rate for 'chitta' (a drug), which was available earlier at Rs 1,500 per gram is now selling for Rs 5,000 per gram. It means that the pressure is on," Amarinder Singh, who became Chief Minister in March this year, said.

The Punjab government had, earlier this year, set up a Special Task Force to crack down on drug abuse in the state.