Extortion charge clouds rehab plan : The Tribune India

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Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 20

When the state is facing the challenge of controlling the drug menace, an extortion racket — in which officials associated with the state’s Mental Health Cell are allegedly involved — has rocked the de-addiction and rehabilitation drive.

Probe Underway

Satish Bharadwaj, a clerk, working under the de-addiction programme, ‘demanded’ Rs 5 lakh for facilitating licence to a private de-addiction centre
He reportedly threatened managements of the centres that they won’t get licence if they failed to pay
An inquiry is underway. Both Bharadwaj and a woman doctor, who oversaw the programme for seven years, have been removed from the drive

The Health Department is conducting an inquiry against a woman doctor — who was incharge of the Mental Health Cell which oversees the state’s de-addiction drive — and a clerk for alleged extortion from de-addiction and rehabilitation centres.

Sources said around two months back, Balwinder Singh, director of a rehabilitation centre in Mohali, attached an audio recording in which clerk Satish Bharadwaj posted under the de-addiction programme is allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for facilitating licence to a private de-addiction and rehabilitation centre. The complainant claimed that in the conversation, the clerk is also claiming to give the share to senior officials of the Mental Health Cell.

The complainant has alleged that the clerk’s salary is just Rs 15,000 but he is leading a lavish lifestyle. It has been alleged that the clerk threatens managements of these centres with dire consequences if they don’t pay money.

Taking serious note of the evidence attached with the complaint, Director, Health Services, Dr Avneet Kaur has marked an inquiry, which is being conducted by Deputy Directors Dr Lovleen Garg and Dr Shingara Singh.

Sometime back, both Bharadwaj and the woman doctor who oversaw the de-addiction programme for almost seven years in the Mental Health Cell were removed from the programme. Despite repeated attempts, Director, Health Services, Dr Avneet Kaur didn’t take calls. Attempts to contact clerk Bhardwaj too remained futile.

Around two years back, another alleged scam had hit the programme when it was alleged that some officials were forcing certain centres to purchase one particular brand of medicine.

The government has still not recovered from the shock of illegal sale of over five crore tablets of de-addiction drug buprenorphine-naxlone by private de-addiction centres in just 11 months. The government had served notice against 23 de-addiction centers and one pharmaceutical company under the NDPS Act.