Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 6: Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today directed the Health Department to formulate a comprehensive policy to deal with drug addiction endangering the future of younger generation in the State.
Speaking during Zero Hour and discussions on Private Members’ Resolutions, when several members, cutting across party lines, raised issues related to rising drug abuse, the Chief Minister said that Government is keen to prevent menace of drug abuse, which is spreading like a cancer in society. “We need de-addiction and rehabilitation centres at all district hospitals for our youth who fall easy prey to drugs,” he added.
Mufti said the Health Department has been asked to frame a comprehensive policy on the issue to safeguard future of our children. “Even though Police have established some drug de-addiction centres at a few places, the onus primarily lies on the Health Department to put in place an effective mechanism to counter drug addiction,” he said, while referring to his instructions given to Health Department to start counselling and rehabilitation centres at all district hospitals.
Minister for Health and Medical Education, Choudhary Lal Singh, said strict measures are being taken to curb the drug menace in the State.
Speaking on a resolution on drug menace moved by legislator, Javaid Hassan Beigh in the House today, Singh said unemployment is no cause for the drug menace. He said the magnitude of the problem is so grave that there was dire need to find out the sources of the menace.
“There is a lot of work to be done as far as this menace is concerned. You can’t blame a poor drug addict for the problem. The problem lies somewhere else,” Singh said.
Lal Singh said: “State of affairs is not good in the entire State. I will make drug rehabilitation centres, there is no issue in it. There is no unemployment issue linked to drug addiction. I will take you to few schools where 10th class students of well of families are drug addicts. In Kathua 2 youth were killed while taking the drug in injectable form.”
The Health Minister held Police responsible for it. “They have failed to get to the source of these drugs. No one needs to be arrested, just arrest the source”, he said.
“Some organizations are not doing their work professionally. There is lot of nexus going on between the drug peddlers and the Government organizations,” Singh said.
“When administration is weak, this problem will be there. Children from well of families are taking to drugs. They purchase injections for Rs 2000. They sell household valuable to purchase durgs”, said Health Minister.
Singh said that the department closed down 30-40 shops who were dealing in illegal drugs. He, however, made it clear that the department can’t stop these drugs for being menace as they are vital for some patients as well.
Health Minister said that the drugs needed to be stopped at the Lakhanpur. “Unfortunately rate for posting of SHO and officers is fixed”, he said. “All the drugs have main entry, Lakhanpur and we should be able to plug the problem there,” he said.
Singh said some officers are shielding the source of these drugs. “Whenever, we go to raid these shops they are already informed. We don’t have any force to raid these shops”, he said.
Several legislators participated in the discussion on the resolution and urged the Government to take strict action against the persons responsible for spreading the drug menace in the society.
“I assure the honorable members that Health Department is serious in setting up drug rehabilitation centers in all the districts across the State,” he informed. The Minister said that his department has full support from Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on the issue of curbing drug menace.
“I assure the CM that our department is on the track and have started various initiatives with curbing drug menace as an important issue,” Singh said.
”Responsibility of identifying the main source of the drug menace lies with the Government and police should show their worth in identifying it,” he said. He impressed upon the members of the House to cooperate in the matter and help Government to address the issue in a holistic manner.
The Minister said that there was need for the Government run-departments to work in close tandem. ”Growing drug de-addiction needs cooperation from all the stakeholders,” he said.
Earlier, MLA Rafiabad, Yawar Dilwar Mir, while discussing the issue, appealed Government and especially Health Department to start awareness campaign across all the districts.”We don’t have to shun the drug addicts, albeit we have to embrace them and make them feel connected to the society,” Mir said.
The Assembly later passed the resolution in which it resolved to check the growing menace of the use of Narcotics by the youth of the State.
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