In a new move to combat cross-border drug smuggling and narco-terrorism, the Punjab Government on Wednesday conducted a trial of advanced anti-drone technology in Naushera Dhalla village, located near the India-Pak border in Tarn Taran district. The demonstration was held in the Sarai Amanat Khan area, a hotspot for drone activity and cross-border smuggling over the past two years. It was attended by ministers Aman Arora and Laljit Singh Bhullar, along with senior Punjab Police officials. Addressing the media on the sidelines of the trial, Arora said the event was aimed at analysing cutting-edge anti-drone systems designed to counter the growing threat of drone-based smuggling of arms, explosives, and narcotics. “The Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab government has been taking concrete steps to eradicate the drug menace, a crisis that previous governments failed to address. For years, the drug trade has destroyed countless lives in Punjab while previous governments turned a blind eye. Today, under Mann’s leadership, we are taking concrete steps to eliminate this scourge from the state,” he said. Arora added, “The anti-drone systems demonstrated by a private company featured detection, identification, and neutralisation capabilities, forming part of a broader strategy to fortify Punjab’s second line of defence. These systems are expected to play a pivotal role in preventing illegal activities by targeting drones that cross the border, a growing concern for law enforcement.” The trial was conducted on the basis of real-time scenarios to assess the effectiveness of the technology in challenging border conditions. Arora said that while the primary responsibility for securing the international border lies with the Border Security Force (BSF), the Punjab Government has been taking proactive measures to complement these efforts. He said the Punjab Government is looking to acquire the world’s best anti-drone technology to deal with the challenge of cross-border drug smuggling and narco-terrorism and for this the state government has invited companies from across the globe for demonstrations.
