NDPS cases rise in Solan, yet no rehab centre established

Ambika Sharma

Solan, November 19

The Solan district administration is yet to set up a drug rehabilitation centre though the number of NDPS cases has increased. The Welfare Department was to provide Rs 70 lakh for setting up the centre, but the administration could not avail of funds in the absence of the requisite groundwork.

According to the Police Department records, 201 persons have been arrested in 97 cases of drug peddling this year against a total of 166 arrests last year.

Besides indicate the alertness of the police, the exponential increase in the number of seizures also reflects that the menace of drug abuse was on the rise in the region.

With no rehabilitation centre in the area, families seeking treatment for youth consuming drugs have to admit their wards to private rehabilitation centres in the nearby areas. They not only end up losing money, but many fail to find any relief even after spending months there.

New Generation Rehabilitation Centre in the Sector 1 area of Parwanoo was recently closed after two of its employees were found consuming heroin.

One of its employees had also sought Rs 3,000 from an inmate, who was admitted there three days ago, for providing him heroin within the centre. The said employee was booked by the police under the NDPS Act.

Family members of another drug abuser said they took their ward to the rehabilitation centre at Nalagarh as well as to several others in Shimla district, but in vain. The family members in such cases often feel helpless and have little knowledge about available services.

“A private drug de-addiction centre is operational at MMU Medical College at Sultanpur near Solan. The district administration is planning to develop it as a rehabilitation centre as no building was available for operating such a centre elsewhere,” said Solan Deputy Commissioner (DC) Manmohan Sharma. He added that funds to be provided by the Welfare Department were available and the centre would soon be made operational.

According to the official data of 2022, 80 per cent of the cases registered under the NDPS Act in Solan pertained to heroin smuggling. Youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years are falling prey to drug peddling with a majority of them being consumers as well. Also, three women each have been arrested in the two previous years.