On drug-free path, Tarn Taran takes fight to the next level

TARN TARAN: After declaring 11 villages drug free, the Tarn Taran administration is all set to proclaim another five dozen villages drug free and 70 as ‘hotspot’ villages requiring maximum attention as part of the state’s drug de-addiction campaign to check rampant drug abuse . However, against the backdrop of these declarations, apprehensions are also being voiced in certain quarters about the sizeable number of relapses among addicts.

Drugs have not only enslaved young boys in the region, but also hooked a small number of girls, with a few even being forced into prostitution to fund their daily fix.

Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal told TOI that the administration had already declared 11 villages as drug free and was in the process of declaring 50-60 villages so.

Elaborating on the process of declaring a village free of drugs, the DC said, “We don’t declare any village drug free on our own or at any given time. A village is declared drug free on the basis of reports of various agencies including CID, police and health department who give in writing that there is no drug addict or drug peddler in a particular village.” While the administration has got a pat on its back for the ‘tremendous’ increase of drug addicts coming to OOATS (Outdoor Opioid Assisted Treatment Clinics) clinics, a sizeable number of relapses have also been seen following a brief clean period.

Unhindered supply of drugs, alleged involvement of some politically-connected policemen in the drug trade, unemployment and inflation have fuelled a growing desperation among youth, eclipsing the government’s drug de-addiction drive, whose results may seem encouraging on paper and during presentations, but are contrary to ground reality.

Additional deputy commissioner (general) Sandeep Rishi said there were only 150 registered drug addicts enrolled at OOAT clinics in the pre-campaign period, but their number has shot up to nearly 20,000 in a short span of time.

At present, there were 10 OOAT clinics at Sur Singh, Patti, There, Sarhali, Khadoor Sahib, Kasel, Khemkaran, Ghariala , Mianwind and Kairon, but the administration has proposed opening of another 8 OOAT centres.

Tarn Taran sub-divisional magistrate Surinder Singh said the administration has identified 70-odd villages out of the total 547 villages in the district as ‘hotspot’ villages, which require maximum attention.

Motivation the key

The DC said that activities like drug awareness, candle-light march and health check-ups are carried out 5 days a week with the help of various departments. Apart from this, regular meetings are held with drug addicts to motivate them to eschew the practice. “We tell them that if they are not selling drugs, then the government is there to help them and get them admitted in drug de-addiction centres,” the SDM added.

Ex-addicts hand out free syringes

Project manager of Patti-based Himalayan Foundation Targeted Intervention Jajbir Singh said they were distributing free syringes among drug addicts as a preventive step. “We have roped in former drug-users or those who are under medication at OOAT clinics. They identify the drug-users in their midst and provide them syringes on an incentive of Rs 3,300 per month," he said. While sources said a few girl addicts had taken to prostitution to arrange money for their daily dose costing Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000, Jajbir said they had not come across any such case. "We did help a few prostitutes who had become hooked on to durgs to get jobs,” he said.

He added that when drug addicts run short of money they opt for prescription drugs, including tramadol, an opioid analgesic, or medicines for anxiety like alprazolam, which are available in abundance despite the administration’s claims of crackdown on chemists.