Under the initiative of Uttarakhand State Legal Service Authority (SLSA) to eradicate drug and alcohol abuse in the State through the scheme ‘Sankalp Nashamukt Devbhoomi’, the Dehradun District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) has made a constitution task force and counselling committee. Senior officials of DLSA stated that police and other administrative departments have started sanitising drug addicts.
According to the sources, at the meeting organised on August 29 and attended by members of DLSA, SLSA, representatives of non-governmental organisation and owners of drug rehabilitation centres operating in Dehradun, it was proposed that rehab centres will provide at least 25 per cent of patients free of cost treatment while the rest 75 per cent will be either funded by the State Government or SLSA.
Sources further stated that as of now DLSA is working to verify whether or not the rehabilitation centres operating here are up to the mark. The option of a State aided rehabilitation centre is also being considered.
Regarding the issue of non-registered senior DLSA officials stated, “The idea is to focus on the solution. Even if we catch drug addicts today there is no Government aided infrastructure that can be used to rehabilitate them. In order to work it through we are taking outside help, but rest assured these rehab centres will be personally verified by us so as to ensure their treatment procedure.”
It is pertinent to mention here that on September 28 Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court will be launching the scheme after which the task force will start catching drug addicts and drug suppliers. The scheme will be working in two phases.
The task force will be catching drug suppliers and addicts both. While the addicts will be sent to the rehab centres in order to provide counselling and treatment the suppliers will be penalised and sentenced as per the law.
It is also important to mention here that during the survey that was conducted by DLSA in slum areas, factory areas and on the streets on the banks at Rishikesh it was found that children from the age of five are indulging in drug abuse.
In most of the cases they are inhaling glues and solvents directly from polythene bags.