Controlling smuggling: Drug control stations not to start work until July

Senior excise officials to serve as SHOs of these stations

RAWALPINDI: The newly established drug control stations, working under the supervision of the Excise and Narcotics Department, is expected to start working from the next fiscal year.

Starting from July 1, the drug control stations will commence work in 136 districts of Punjab, including Rawalpindi. These stations will only focus on stopping the smuggling of drugs and wine.

Office space for these stations has been earmarked and officials are dispatching critical elements such as the requisite weapons, stationery and other items to these centres.

Senior excise inspectors will be deputed as Station House Officers at these new stations. They will also be allotted special cars. Divided over multiple phases, in the first stage, these stations will be founded in Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad.

Excise and Taxation Department Director General Ashraf Gondal and Narcotics Control Director General Raja Zahid have started work on setting up the foundations of the stations.

However, officials suggested that the establishment of the stations had been delayed owing to the failure of the department to collect an adequate amount of tax during the ongoing financial year. As a result, all inspectors have been directed to ensure they meet their recovery targets by June 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2018.