Terming his two-day visit to drug de-addiction centres across the State a very fruitful exercise, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said that it would give a major boost to the State Government’s crusade against drugs besides helping in de-addiction and rehabilitation of drug addicts across the State.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by experts and key officers of the health department, on Sunday visited drug de-addiction centers at Faridkot, Ferozepur, Moga, Sangrur, Patiala, Barnala and Mansa.
Badal, interacting with the mediapersons on the second day of his whirlwind tour, said that this two-day exercise has further helped him in understanding the remedy of the voracious problem of drug addiction.
“This visit has enabled me to take stock of the services imparted by these drug de-addiction centres to the drug addicts…I would try to further improve the services provided by these centers after consulting the experts and officers accompanying me,” he said.
Badal said that it was a fact that drug de-addiction centers have proved to be a boon for the drug addicts who want to shun this curse and return back to normal life.
likewise, the Chief Minister reiterated that in order to make sure that the de-addicted youth could live a life with dignity, the state government would open 22 rehabilitation centers across the state within three months.
Badal said that Patiala would have 150-bedded drug de-addiction and rehabilitation center, equipped with the ultramodern facilities. “The prefabricated buildings for other 21 centers would be constructed by an agency of the Central Government, which would accomplish this task within three months,” he said.
“In order to make sure that drug addicts do not fall prey to this menace again, special emphasis would be laid on imparting skill training to them in these centers for enabling them to be self-reliant in future,” he added.
Chief Minister also reiterated state government’s firm commitment to check drug peddling in the state by cutting its supply line. “While the Centre has been requested to check the smuggling of drugs from across the borders, strenuous efforts would also be made to ensure that the supply of poppy husk from Rajasthan, where it was sold freely, is cut. I would soon take up this issue with the Centre,” he said.