Spent lakhs on 'chitta', addicts now repent

Parvesh Sharma

Sangrur, January 15

Having wasted lakhs of rupees on chitta, three addicts have been fighting a battle to recover at a local Red Cross Drug Deaddiction Hospital being run under the supervision of Sangrur Deputy Commissioner (DC).

Wasted Rs 25 lakh

I first started taking chitta in 2014 and got de-addicted in 2017 but I restarted consuming it in May 2020 and got admitted here in December 2022. In total, I have wasted around Rs 22-25 lakh on the drugs. A recovering drug addict

They say the easy availability of drugs is to blame for the menace and their high educational qualification is an indication that well-educated people too are falling prey to drugs.

“I first started taking chitta in 2014 and got de-addicted in 2017 but I restarted consuming it in May 2020 and got admitted here in December 2022. My dose had been increased to around 1 gm, which is of around Rs 4,000. In total, I have wasted around Rs 22-25 lakh on the drugs,” said a 30-year-old man who has done M.Sc in Maths and M.Ed, besides clearing the Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).

Another 27-year-old man, who has done BSc and BEd, said when he was in a college, his friends made him a chitta addict in 2017 by offering him some free doses.

Later, his dosage increased to around 1 gm daily and he bought chitta from Jakhal in Haryana.

“I have wasted around Rs 13 lakh on chitta. Some of my friends offered me chitta in 2017 and said it would increase my concentration in studies, but I got addicted. Since I had seven acres of land, I arranged the money needed for the daily dose of drugs,” he said.

Some other addicts also informed The Tribune that two types of chitta was being supplied. One came from the border, which was called “border wala” and was costly and of high quality.

The second type called the “New Delhi wala” which is of lower quality and less costly.

“I am trying to avoid chitta as I have wasted lakhs on it. I was running my own dairy farm, but fell in the trap of drugs,” said another 27-year-old graduate.

Sangrur DC Jitendra Jorwal said they were trying to provide all facilities to help youngsters shun drugs. “Under the supervision of the DC, we give full attention to all patients admitted here,” said Naib Singh, an employee of the hospital.