Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Sunday said that its assertion that five crore missing buprenorphine tablets had increased drug addiction in Punjab has been substantiated by a government report which stated that 67,000 addicts were now seeking treatment for buprenorphine addiction under the State’s de-addiction programme.
“Now that a government report has proved that diversion of five crore buprenorphine tablets by the state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu to the drug mafia has increased addiction in Punjab, he had no business to remain in the Cabinet and should be dismissed immediately,” said SAD legislative party leader and Sahnewal MLA Sharanjit Singh Dhillon.
He said that a Punjab Government’s report, which has surveyed de-addiction centres, found that as many as 17 percent of the total 3.94 lakh patients enrolled in government and private de-addiction centres were taking treatment for buprenorphine addiction. “There cannot be a bigger indication that this. Now addicts want treatment from buprenorphine,” he said.
Stating that all this proved that Balbir Sidhu was the kingpin of the drug mafia in Punjab and that thousands of youth had become addicts due to illegal diversion of buprenorphine tablets under his watch, Dhillon said that a case should be registered against the Health Minister.
He said that Sidhu was not only guilty of diverting tablets worth around Rs 300 crore in the open market but also sheltered private centres which distributed the tablets recklessly to addicts at a high cost.
Dhillon demanded that the State Government should also order an independent inquiry into the case to buttress the investigation being carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).