| News Details |
| No plans by J&K Govt to create new drug de-addiction centres concerning: Devyani Rana | |
Jammu, February 06 (Scoop News)MLA Nagrota, Devyani Rana, in a statement while reacting to the official reply to her Assembly question on drug de-addiction infrastructure across J&K, expressed deep concern over the government’s lack of plans to create new drug de-addiction centres.
Ms Rana said the data reveals that Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu is treating the highest number of drug-dependent patients in the entire Union Territory, effectively functioning as a de-facto referral centre for several Assembly constituencies that lack even a single dedicated de-addiction or rehabilitation facility.
Devyani Rana lauded the exemplary efforts of GMC Jammu for shouldering this enormous responsibility and providing treatment to the maximum number of drug-affected patients across the UT. She also placed on record her appreciation for various NGOs, voluntary organisations and social groups that are doing commendable work in rehabilitating individuals trapped in the menace of drug addiction, often with limited resources but immense commitment.
Based on the reply furnished by the Government, it has clearly emerged that Srinagar bears the brunt of addiction prevalence. “Youth across J&K including in Srinagar must be provided avenues to kick their drug habit in a safe and medically sound environment”, she said.
Rana also lauded the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other paramilitary forces for their relentless crackdown on the drug menace, noting that over 9,200 kilograms of narcotics—primarily opium and cannabis—have been seized during the last over five years, reflecting commendable enforcement efforts. However, she stressed that enforcement must go hand-in-hand with robust treatment and rehabilitation mechanisms to deliver lasting results.
She expressed serious concern over the Government’s reply which, despite acknowledging over 30,000 registered cases of drug addiction, admits that no new drug de-addiction centres are currently under consideration. “This is deeply unfortunate and reflects a glaring gap in providing rehabilitation back into society of victims of drug menace”, she said.
Rana further said that the Government has avoided providing constituency-wise details of de-addiction infrastructure, which itself raises serious questions about equitable distribution of facilities. “If centres were adequately and evenly distributed, there would be no hesitation in clearly outlining which Assembly constituencies are covered and which are not,” she observed, adding that Assembly constituencies remain invisible as a unit in official data simply because no facilities exist there.
Rana strongly urged the Government to urgently revisit its position and initiate the establishment of drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres at the constituency level to ensure timely access to treatment, early intervention and effective rehabilitation.
She reiterated that addressing drug addiction requires decentralised infrastructure, strong political will and sustained grassroots-level support, failing which the burden will continue to fall unfairly on a handful of institutions while the crisis deepens elsewhere.
Rana emphasised that while strict enforcement against drug traffickers is essential, rehabilitating drug victims must also be the foremost priority. Drug-dependent individuals are patients in need of care, counselling and social reintegration, not merely statistics or offenders. Without a strong rehabilitation framework focused on dignity, recovery and long-term support, the cycle of addiction will continue unabated, undermining families and communities alike, she added.
... |
| |
|
|
Share this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|