Rehabilitation centre comes up in Sirsa jail

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, June 18

Sirsa district — situated at the junction of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — has been battling a surge in drug addiction. However, the narcotic control mission of the police has got a boost, courtesy a judicial officer.

Dr Ram Niwas Bharti, District and Sessions Judge, has started counselling of prisoners in various jails and launched a campaign in drug-affected villages of the district. Sirsa and neighbouring Fatehabad district, which are increasingly being used by traffickers to smuggle in narcotics from Rajasthan to Punjab, have become a hub of drugs and pharmaceutical intoxicants.

Dr Bharti inaugurated a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in the district jail last week, where he told inmates how drugs ruined their families and hurt society. Later, he announced that an awareness drive would be launched in various villages of the district through the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).

“During my visits to the Sirsa District Jail for inspection, I was shocked to learn that over 15 per cent of the inmates had been arrested for drug trafficking, purchasing or storing narcotics for their consumption. My efforts are aimed at ensuring that youths do not spoil their lives owing to lack of awareness,” said Bharti.

Sirsa SSP Hamid Akhtar, too, has launched a campaign named “Prabal Prahar” against drugs. He even takes drug-related complaints on Facebook.