Chandigarh, Oct 31 (IANS): Tightening the noose around medical practitioners and chemist shop owners who prescribe and sell illegal and banned drugs, the Punjab government Friday said that such people will lose their licences.

Medical Education and Research Minister Anil Joshi said his department has issued written directions to the senior superintendent of police (SSPs) of all districts across Punjab to launch a massive search operation in their respective areas to uncover the unauthorised chemist shops and medical practitioners who are selling and prescribing banned drugs.

Joshi said that the state government was committed to eradicating drug abuse in the state.

He said that the police department has been asked join hands with the medical education and research department to uncover and eradicate the sale of banned drugs.

"The Punjab Pharmacy Council has urged the SSPs of all the districts to execute search operations to collect data of the chemists' shops running in their areas. They have also been asked to get the license and registration number of all chemists. The council would scrutinise it and would cancel the license of all fraudulent license holders," Joshi said.

The Punjab government has put a number of drugs and medicines on the banned list to discourage sale of these for intoxication purposes. Drugs abuse in Punjab is quite rampant.