Ludhiana to have de-addiction centre for women

Anupam Bhagria

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 16

After Kapurthala, Ludhiana will be the second district where an NGO has come to the rescue of women drug addicts.

Amanjeet Singh, founder of Growth Foundation, an NGO that plans to open the 20-bed de-addiction centre, said, “We have been running a de-addiction centre for men at Chhoti Mundiyan for the last 10 years. Every month, I receive about half a dozen queries about indoor treatment of female addicts. So, we have decided to open a separate de-addiction centre for females.”

At present, there is only one NGO-run de-addiction centre for female addicts in the state. Nayi Aas Foundation runs the centre at Kapurthala.

Amanjeet said, “For the purpose, we have selected a half-acre land at Kohara in Ludhiana district. We plan to open the centre by March 2015. The centre will have 10 rooms with attached toilets and bathrooms, a huge hall and area for outdoor activities. For its smooth functioning, the staff will be hired as per the guidelines of the Government of India and will include three experts, three counsellors, two security guards, two cooks and a yoga instructor.”

The NGO claimed to have treated and rehabilitated about 2,000 addicts in the span of 10 years.

Amanjeet, who is also the president of Punjab State Drug Counselling and Rehabilitation Centers Union, said, “I had been an addict for seven years but managed to quit drugs. I can very well understand the agony and circumstances of drug addicts and their family members. Addicts yearn to return to the mainstream of society. So I decided to help them out.”