Now, private entities can run up to five de-addiction centres

The Punjab Cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal to cap the number of de-addiction centres that an entity can run at five.

The nod to the Punjab Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Counselling and Rehabilitation Centres Rules, 2025, was given in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Presently, there are 36 government and 177 private de-addiction centres in the state. According to data, 117 of these were being run by 10 businessmen. Three of the businessmen have factories in Gujarat and Meerut to manufacture buprenorphin and nalaxone salt, given to addicts to wean them off from narcotics.

While an Amritsar-based businessman (now deceased) was running 21 centres, 22 were allotted to a Barnala-based businessman, which were sealed after he was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau. A Khanna-based businessman was running 12 centres while a Pathankot-based businessman operated 11. Two other businessmen are running seven centres each, while a Ludhiana-based person is running six centres. Two persons are running five centres each.

Earlier this year, the Vigilance Bureau had written to Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, expressing apprehension that operators of these centres were selling buprenorphin in the open market at high prices.

These centres were accused of registering fake addicts to show the distribution of buprenorphin tablets at Rs 40 per tablet, when actually these were being sold in the open market at Rs 300 per tablet.

Those manufacturing the tablets were incurring a cost of just Rs 3 a tablet.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said notices for cancellation of licences will be sent to all those running more than five centres.

“Where patient load is high, grace period of six months will be given to shiftpatients to other centres,” said a source. He added that inspection would be improved and biometric attendance be made mandatory at centres.

Rs 250-cr loss on account of stamp duty rationalisation

n The Cabinet also gave approval for rationalisation of stamp duty and registration fee on instruments of hypothecation and equitable mortgage by amending the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 (Punjab) and Registration Fee Rules.The move will cause a loss of Rs 250 crore per year

Other decisions

1.  Approval for filling up of 14 Group-A, 16 Group-B and 80 Group-C posts in the Punjab Sports Medical Cadre to strengthen sports medical support system across districts.

2.  The Cabinet gave nod to lease around four acres of land for setting up 100-bedded ESI hospital in Dera Bassi.

3. Approval to create Sub-Tehsil Ludhiana (North) for improving administrative efficiency and public convenience in urban areas of Ludhiana.