Demand grows for rehab centre in Kandaghat

The need for a rehabilitation and drug de-addiction centre at Kandaghat is being felt more as the scourge of drug abuse and alcoholism is spreading among youngsters.

The state government is yet to open a rehab centre in the area even as drug abuse, particularly heroin consumption, has become a major cause of concern for people.

Though some Punjab-based people are operating rehabilitation centres at Parwanoo, Baddi and Nalagarh, many of them are under the scanner for lack of facilities and alleged ill-treatment of the inmates. The addicts are forced to get themselves admitted to poorly run centres where instead of getting cured they continue to suffer.

Though Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had announced setting up of a state-of-the-art rehabilitation and drug de-addiction centre at Kandaghat, nothing has been done in this direction so far.

CM Sukhu urged to fulfil promise

I have written to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to fulfil the promise he made during his Budget speech on February 17 and set up the rehabilitation and drug de-addiction centre at Kandaghat. — Rajesh Kashyap, BJP leader

The issue was raised by BJP leader Rajesh Kashyap who wrote to the Chief Minister to fulfil his promise as the area was in a dire need of such a facility.

Talking to the Tribune, Kashyap said, “I have written to the Chief Minister to fulfil the promise he had made during his Budget speech on February 17 and set up the rehabilitation and drug de-addiction centre at Kandaghat.”

A move to set up the de-addiction centre was initiated during the BJP regime in an under-construction hospital building whose work was halted for lack of funds. However, it did not proceed beyond the cursory planning stage.

The CM had announced the completion of the hospital during his recent visit to Kandaghat after allocating the requisite funds. No other project was under way in the Kandaghat area for setting up the rehabilitation and drug de-addiction centre.

An illustration of the proliferating drug abuse could be gauged from the fact that the Solan police had arrested 107 persons for drug smuggling, including 96 big suppliers of heroin, since July last year. After this crackdown on the supply chain, the addicts were now opting for sedative capsules and drugs. They were in a dire need of rehabilitation to get rid of their addiction.