Mohali de-addiction centre under spotlight

Rocked by frequent escape of inmates from the Sector 66 Nasha Mukti Dawai Kendra and swelling numbers, the local administration, health department and police officials visited the facility to review the functioning of the centre and gather feedback from the inmates undergoing treatment here.

This is the second such visit by administration officials in the past one month in the backdrop of 24 inmates, mostly those booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases for possession of small quantities, fleeing the facility on May 15. Six more inmates, four NDPS Act accused and two voluntary inmates, fled the facility in broad daylight by scaling the wall on June 1.

Overcrowding, lack of congenial atmosphere, inadequate infrastructure, and lax security arrangements are some of the teething problems afflicting the facility.

Under the “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” campaign, Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh had on May 1 upgraded rehab facility’s bed capacity from 50 to 100.

Deputy Commissioner (DC)-cum-Chairperson of the District De-addiction and Rehabilitation Society Komal Mittal was accompanied by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development) Sonam Chaudhary, Civil Surgeon Dr Sangeeta Jain, SP (PBI) Deepika Singh, and Deputy Director (Employment) Harpreet Singh Manshahia.

Mittal also highlighted with the support of the Sun Foundation and the Employment Department, adding that the district administration was committed to rehabilitating the youth following their treatment.

She further added that the Nasha Mukti Kendra provides free de-addiction treatment not only to voluntary patients but also to individuals sent by the court under NDPS cases for reforms.