Punjab Governor to tour areas close to Pakistan

Chandigarh, Feb 12 (IANS) Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit will tour areas adjoining Pakistan from February 20 to February 23, it was announced on Monday.This marks his sixth visit to the border regions in the past two and a half years.During his visit, the Governor will traverse through border districts of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka.He will hold meetings with central agencies and state government officials to review the progress made since his previous visits and to address any new issue that cropped up during the recent times, an official statement by the Raj Bhawan said.A key focus of these meetings will be on enhancing coordination between central and state agencies to overcome bottlenecks, particularly in the realms of border infrastructure, security, smuggling and combating the menace of drug trafficking in the border areas.The Governor’s agenda also includes interactions with Village Defence Committees (VDCs), which have proven instrumental in combating drugs and other social evils in the border regions.These engagements aim to glean ground-level insights and feedback from various public representatives and the Press, enabling issues pertinent to the border areas to be addressed effectively at both central and state government levels, added the statement.–IANSvg/uk