The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday approved the establishment of 35 exclusive special National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) courts to expedite the disposal of drug-related cases and clear the mounting backlog. The decision was taken at a meeting of Council of Ministers chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, Punjab registers around 20,000 NDPS cases and makes approximately 27,000 arrests every year. Of these cases, nearly 12,000 are tried by Sessions Courts, while only about 5,700 are disposed of annually. As a result, 52,577 NDPS cases were pending in the state as on August 31, 2026, with the average disposal time stretching to around eight years.“The Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had assessed the requirement for additional exclusive special NDPS courts to clear the backlog over the next five to seven years. Accordingly, the Cabinet has approved the establishment of 35 such courts in the first phase,” the statement said.The Cabinet also approved 385 posts to operationalise the courts. These include 35 Additional District and Sessions Judges, 315 supporting staff members and 35 Assistant District Attorneys. An expenditure of approximately Rs 75 crore, including infrastructure costs, has also been sanctioned for the initiative.Road budget raised to Rs 1,333 croreThe Cabinet also approved an increase of Rs 283.44 crore in the allocation for road construction and repair, taking the total budget under the head from Rs 1,050 crore to Rs 1,333.44 crore.Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said this was necessary following a rise in the cost of bitumen. The increase in input costs had prompted contractors to seek a revision in the allocation, with several road works facing the prospect of being affected.He said the additional allocation would ensure that ongoing road projects in the state did not come to a halt. CM Mann has announced a plan covering around 45,000 km of roads for construction and renovation.Story continues below this ad39 acre land for compressed biogas plantThe Cabinet also approved the allotment of 39 acres of land at Samgauli village near SAS Nagar for setting up a compressed biogas plant by HPCL Renewable and Green Energy Ltd. The plant will take care of wet garbage in SAS Nagar. Cheema said the project would help address the problem of waste disposal in the area and contribute to Punjab’s green energy production.257 BBMB posts to be filledThe Cabinet cleared the rules required to fill 257 Punjab-related posts in the BBMB, a process that had been pending for several months. The decision to fill the vacancies had been taken three to four months ago, but the recruitment could not move forward in the absence of the requisite rules. With the rules now approved, the process is expected to begin soon. Cheema said the appointments would provide employment opportunities to the state’s youth.Patwari posts shifted to district cadreThe Cabinet approved a proposal to shift Group C posts of patwaris in the Revenue Department from the state cadre to the district cadre. The move is expected to facilitate recruitment and deployment at the district level.]New grain market for Lehra GagaFor the Lehra Gaga Assembly constituency, the Cabinet approved the setting up of a new grain market at village Khandebat on 217 kanal and 14 marla of government-owned land. The Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management will transfer the land to Punjab Mandi Board at the Collector Rate of Rs 15 lakh per acre, involving a total consideration of Rs 4.08 crore.Story continues below this adCabinet Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the existing grain market, spread over 12 acres, was established around 40 years ago and had now become a source of inconvenience for farmers and commission agents as it was located in the middle of the town. The new market would provide better facilities to farmers and commission agents in the area, he said.Other decisionsThe Cabinet approved amendments to the service rules governing revenue ‘Patwaris’ and ‘Kanungos’, paving the way for restoration of their district-level cadre.It approved three important sets of rules aimed at strengthening the implementation of labour welfare and social security provisions in Punjab. These include the Code on Wages (Punjab) Rules, 2026, framed under the Code on Wages, 2019; the Punjab Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2026, framed under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; and the Punjab Social Security Rules, 2026, framed under the Code on Social Security, 2020.