MP's Home Minister has admitted that there are ambulances currently being used in the state for smuggling narcotics and that a joint committee would be organised to draft a policy that ensures ambulances are not used for illegal activities.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bhupendra Singh admitted in the Assembly on 8 March – as the Government was put in the dock by several ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members – that ambulances are being used for inter-state peddling of narcotic substances such as opium and poppy husk in Ratlam, Neemuch and Mandsaur districts.

“A joint committee would be constituted consisting of the Home, the Health and the Transport departments in order to formulate a policy with regards to ambulances to ensure that they are not used in crimes,” announced Mr Singh while replying to a calling attention notice by Mr Yashpal Singh Sisodiya (BJP).

“No clear rules exist for utility, permit or fitness of ambulances. So, anybody can obtain the permit for operating an ambulance. The Department receives no information of the exact use of these vehicles,” he said. Several BJP members including Mr Rajendra Pandey, Mr Dilip Singh Parihar, Mr Om Prakash Saklecha and Mr Kailash Chawla participated in the discussion and raised concern over the rampant problem of smuggling in the region.