CHANDIGARH — Stepping up the Aam Aadmi Party’s counter-offensive during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema asserted that the Central Government has failed to crack down on pharmaceutical drug manufacturing hubs operating in BJP- and Congress-ruled states. Addressing a press conference, Cheema stated that the synthetic and prescription drugs flooding Punjab—such as Pregabalin, Tramadol, and Zopiclone—are manufactured outside the state in industrial clusters like Baddi, Haryana, and Gujarat, yet the Centre has ignored repeated statutory appeals.
Cheema highlighted that the state health administration formally wrote to central authorities on multiple occasions, including letters sent in October 2025 and September 2026, urging that these substances be brought under the schedules of the National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He further criticized past central responses regarding industrial chemical regulations, arguing that outdated laws failed to prevent tragic incidents. Highlighting local security measures, Cheema noted that the Punjab government independently financed and deployed anti-drone systems to counter cross-border smuggling, calling on the Centre to complement state efforts by cutting off supply chains at their origin rather than treating the issue as a political platform.
