Punjab Jails Department has treated more than 22,000 drug addicts in its eight central jails in the State during past one year and 461 inmates were presently undergoing treatment in different jails.
Though the State’s Jails Department considers the same as its “major breakthrough”, the huge number of addicts present in the State’s jails is enough to corroborate the allegations of drug menace rampant not only in the state, but inside the four walls of the jails.
State’s former DGP (Prisons) had submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that as per his study, with the “political interference” and connivance of jail officials, daily 10 kg of heroin and smack was consumed in various jails of the State.
He had also revealed, in his report, that the prisons were “no less than dens of drug addicts — an allegation always played down by the state government.
Waking up a bit late, the state’s jail authorities has now claimed to have treated 22,669 drug addicts in eight central jails of the State by multi-pronged de-addiction therapy that included medical treatment, psychological and sociological counseling besides through religious sermons.
“Under a de-addiction campaign launched by the department, 461 inmates are presently undergoing treatment in different jails. The department has been making concerted efforts in bringing addicted jail inmates to normal life by providing them best medical treatment in the drug de-addiction centres established in eight central jails of the state,” said State’s Jails Minister Sohan Singh Thandal.
He said that spiritual and moral education is also being imparted through counselling, religious sermons and yoga whereas sports kits have been provided to encourage them to play games. “The State Government has been incurring Rs1.78 crore on making these drug de-addiction centres ultramodern to help the addicted jail inmates to get rid of drug use,” he said.
Thandal said that de-addiction activities in jails have been closely supervised by the concerned jail superintendent. “To bring the addicted jail inmates from the scourge of drugs, holistic approach concerning ‘mind and body’ has been adopted which included best medical treatment by specialist doctors and encouragement to play sports. Sports kits have also been provided,” he said.
He said that religious sermons, meditation sessions and yoga activities were also a regular feature to enrich spiritual and intellectual aspects besides medical treatment to these addicted jail inmates.
Drug de-addiction centres have been established in eight central jails at Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot and Ferozpur. “Rs1.78 crore has been spent for providing medicines, laboratory equipments, ECG machines, urine or blood testing kits etc to these drug de addiction centres,” he added.