DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

In its ongoing crusade against the menace of drugs, the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is now focusing on drug de-addiction and rehabilitation of the victims for which a threefold increase has been made in de-addiction beds from 1500 to 5000.

Divulging the details, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said that the state government has focused on cutting the supply line of drugs by nabbing the drug peddlers and putting them behind the bars. As the state government has tightened the noose around drug smugglers the supply line of drugs has snapped which has resulted in more number of victims approaching the drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers. Therefore a network of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centers have been set up to detoxify the drug addicts and enable them to live a life of dignity and pride.

In light of the ongoing "war against drugs" campaign of the Government of Punjab, the capacity of existing de-addiction and rehabilitation centres has been significantly enhanced. Several new centres have been established and the quality of service and overall environment in existing centres has been substantially improved, including the provisioning of air conditioning. The number of beds in government managed de-addiction and rehabilitation has been increased from 1,500 to 5,000.

Similarly, OOAT centres have been upgraded, and adequate availability of essential medicines has been ensured. New OOAT centres have also been established where necessary, taking the total number of OOAT centres from 529 to 565. In the next few days, the Punjab Police will further intensify its operation targeting drug-related activities as a result of which, a large number of victims are likely to approach OAT centres and de-addiction centres.

Thus, Bhagwant Singh Mann has directed the Deputy Commissioners to personally ensure that adequate quantities of medicines, consumables, and beds are available at all OOAT and De-addiction Centres under their jurisdiction. The Chief Minister has also made it clear that quality of services must be maintained at a high standard. He said that lapses observed, if any in this noble cause, shall invite strict disciplinary action.

(editor@dailyworld.in)