PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed excise, taxation and narcotics control department to take concrete measures to discourage drug abuse and protect youth from the menace of narcotics.

Presiding over a meeting of the department here on Thursday, he directed the quarters concerned for early vetting of rules drafted under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Control of Narcotics Bill, 2019. The meeting reviewed the progress and other reforms initiatives undertaken by the department, said an official meeting.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Excise Ghazan Jamal, Excise Director General Fayyaz Ali Shah and others attended the meeting. The chief minister directed the officials to adopt realistic timelines for implementation of reforms initiatives being undertaken by the department.

He said that use of narcotics could be reduced up to considerable extent by controlling narcotics production industries and its supply. He asked the quarters concerned to take steps for rehabilitation of drug addicts.

Mahmood issues directives for early vetting of draft rules in narcotics bill

The meeting was told that during the last fiscal year a total of Rs2917.144 million taxes had been collected while during the last five months of the current financial year a total of Rs1,335.56 million had been collected.

During the last two years, excise department seized 2,288 kilograms of hashish, 272.50 kilogram heroin, 318.30 kilograms of opium, 9.48 kilograms of ice and 24,497.50 litres alcohol. The meeting was told that 355 accused had also been arrested during that period.

It was told that a huge quantity of narcotics including hashish, opium and ice had been seized since July this year while 89 vehicles had been confiscated so far.

The meeting was informed that geographic information system-based survey was underway in Peshawar and would be completed by the end of current month. GIS system in Peshawar is expected to be launched formally at the end of February 2021.

Similarly, work on GIS-based survey in Abbottabad and Nowshera was started in October 2020 whereas PC-1 for Kohat and Bannu had also been approved. The meeting was informed that a project for GIS-based survey in Mardan had been re-advertised and technical evaluation was in process.

The meeting was told that under the new GIS system, multiple online facilities would be provided to citizens including e-payment of property tax, online Challan, self-assessment calculator both in English and Urdu version and online verification of Challan etc.

The meeting was also briefed about various important features of digital App prepared for online payment of property tax. The forum was informed that work was in process to introduce universal number for the registration of motor vehicles throughout the province. Five narcotics police stations have also been established so far.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2020