Senior IAS and police officers will be deployed to jointly monitor special medical camps set up at block-level to detoxify and rehabilitate drug addicts in Punjab. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a meeting of senior officers.
Underscoring the need to carry out detoxification of drug addicts on a war-footing, Badal said: “With police tightening noose around drug peddlers, the demand for treatment for drug de-addiction has witnessed a rapid surge due to which the need of the hour is to impart de-addiction facilities to addicts at their nearest places.”
Badal asked Principal Secretary (Health) Vinni Mahajan to ensure that drug addicts are given quality medical facilities to wean them away from the menace.
Chief Minister asked Mahajan to establish a control room in Chandigarh to ensure quick supply of medicines to such camps besides ensuring other logistic support. Special Secretary Health and Family Welfare Vikas Garg has been appointed the Nodal officer at Chandigarh to coordinate for the drug de-addiction operations across the State.
Badal said that services of civil and police administrations under a Deputy Commissioner and a Senior Superintendent of Police, respectively, along with a Civil Surgeon and Senior Medical Officers should be roped in for such camps.
“15 IAS and 13 police officers, who have been allotted one or two districts each, will oversee arrangements in the medical camps within their jurisdiction,” he said, adding that they would co-ordinate with the Principal Secretary, Health, to plug any loopholes to ensure best treatment to drug addicts.