The Punjab government told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it would integrate drug de-addiction centres with rehab centers and would soon come up with a comprehensive plan to tackle the drug problem in the state.
A division bench of the High Court, comprising Justices Surya Kant and Sudip Ahluwalia, was hearing the suo moto cognizance taken by the court in 2013 regarding the drug menace across Punjab. While hearing the state government’s counsel, the court observed that the state government can also involve semi-government organisations such as Red Cross in tackling the problem.
“If you are unable to do it, why can’t you involve semi-government institutions such as Red Cross for such a purpose,” observed Justice Surya Kant.
Additional Advocate-General of Punjab, Reeta Kohli, apprised the court that the entire strategy on the drug issue was being re-worked on and the government was preparing a comprehensive plan. “De-addiction centres are full and rehabilitation ones are empty. There were a lot of facilities in rehabilitation centres that were not used fully,” said Kohli, elaborating on the plan to integrate drug de-addiction centres with rehabilitation centres.
News Source: http://indianexpress.com
