Number of beds in Punjab’s de-addiction centres increased from 1,500 to 5,000

Chandigarh: The Punjab govt on Wednesday said it was focusing on drug de-addiction and rehabilitation of the victims as part of the anti-drug campaign and a threefold increase had been made in de-addiction beds – from 1,500 to 5,000.

An official spokesperson said the state govt was making efforts to cut the supply line of drugs by nabbing the drug peddlers and putting them behind the bars. "As the state govt has tightened the noose around drug smugglers, the supply line of drugs has snapped, resulting in more victims approaching the drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres. Therefore, a network of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres has been set up to detoxify the drug addicts," said the spokesperson.

"The capacity of existing de-addiction and rehabilitation centres has been significantly enhanced. Several new centres have been established, and the quality of service and overall environment in existing centres has been substantially improved, including the provisioning of air conditioning.

The number of beds in govt-managed de-addiction and rehabilitation has been increased from 1,500 to 5,000," the spokesperson added.

Similarly, out-patient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) centres have been upgraded, and adequate availability of essential medicines has been ensured. New OOAT centres have also been established where necessary, taking the total number of OOAT centres from 529 to 565.

In the next few days, the Punjab Police will further intensify its operation targeting drug-related activities, as a result of which a large number of victims are likely to approach OOAT centres and de-addiction centres, said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also said the CM had directed the deputy commissioners to personally ensure that adequate quantities of medicines, consumables, and beds were available at all the OOAT and de-addiction centres under their jurisdiction.