Chandigarh: Punjab Finance Minister and Chairman of the Yudh Nashian Virudh Cabinet Sub Committee, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, announced on Tuesday that the state’s Safe Punjab Portal—a WhatsApp chatbot launched in August 2024—has enabled the registration of over 5,000 FIRs within a year, with a 32% conversion rate from public tips to police action.
The portal, accessible via WhatsApp at 9779100200, was launched by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to gather citizen information on drug peddlers and trafficking hotspots. Cheema said the overwhelming public participation has made it one of India’s most effective public-police engagement tools.
Launched as part of the Yudh Nashian Virudh (War Against Drugs) campaign—initiated on March 1, 2025—the portal has become a crucial intelligence-gathering platform.
Campaign Achievements:
- 16,322 cases registered under the NDPS Act since March 2025
- 25,552 arrests made
- 182 illegal properties of drug smugglers demolished
- Major seizures: 1,054 kg heroin, 21,534 kg poppy husk, 366 kg opium, and over 3 million tablets/capsules/pills
Cheema accused the previous SAD-BJP alliance of protecting the narcotics trade for a decade and criticized the Congress government (2017–2022) for failing to curb the menace. He asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party government has been committed from day one to eradicating drugs, with the campaign designed to deliver a “final blow.”
Highlighting recent successes, he said that known drug kingpins are behind bars and that the arrest of Joga Singh could lead to the capture of other major figures in the drug network.
