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From Red Corridor to Drug Corridor: Punjab–Haryana Drugs Crisis Next Big Battle After Naxalism
Panchkula/ Chandigarh: Against the backdrop of the intensifying drug crisis gripping Punjab and Haryana, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Panchkula on Wednesday, signalled that the Centre’s next central internal security mission—after eliminating Left-Wing Extremism—is the complete eradication of the narcotics menace from the country.
According to senior officials, Shah has made it clear in recent interactions with top security and intelligence agencies that once the March 31, 2026 deadline to end Naxalism is met, the national focus will shift decisively towards dismantling the drug ecosystem—an issue of particular urgency for border states like Punjab and Haryana, which have emerged as major transit and consumption hubs.
At the apex-level meeting of the Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) earlier this year, Shah had categorically asserted that “not even a gram of drugs” would be allowed to enter India, underlining the government’s zero-tolerance approach. He has since directed security agencies to prepare a time-bound, actionable roadmap to break the supply chains fueling drug abuse, organised crime and cross-border narco-terrorism.
The Centre’s data underscores the scale of the crackdown. Over the last decade, agencies have seized 5.43 lakh kilograms of narcotics valued at more than ₹22,000 crore—nearly four times the quantity seized between 2004 and 2013. Shah has repeatedly highlighted that these gains are the result of structural, institutional and intelligence-led reforms, combined with a “whole-of-government” strategy.
With synthetic drugs increasingly replacing traditional narcotics in Punjab and Haryana, all state anti-narcotics task forces have been instructed to identify and destroy illegal drug laboratories, and to ensure scientific disposal of seized substances on a quarterly basis to avoid security risks associated with prolonged storage.
The Home Minister has also ordered the preparation of district-wise anti-narcotics action checklists, mandating quarterly reviews to ensure enforcement reaches the grassroots. Dedicated forensic laboratories focused on narcotics are being established, while special state-level squads are tracking financial trails, hawala networks, cryptocurrency transactions and cyber linkages associated with drug syndicates.
Crucially, Shah has warned that the drug trade is no longer a law-and-order issue alone but is deeply intertwined with narco-terrorism, with proceeds increasingly being used to fund activities hostile to national security—an assessment particularly relevant for Punjab’s sensitive border districts.
His directive to enforcement agencies is unambiguous: the fight must go beyond arresting users and street-level peddlers, and focus on busting the entire nexus—from financiers and traffickers to international handlers—if Punjab, Haryana and the wider region are to be freed from the grip of drugs.
