If there are no drugs, why would we be at de-addiction centres?: Rehab inmates

ASAL UTTAR (TARN TARAN): Drugs are available for those who know where to buy them, according to drug addicts who have recently got admitted to a private drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre at Asal Uttar in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
Ranjit SIngh, owner of the centre
In September 1965, the Army had defeated the Pakistan forces at Asal Uttar in one of the largest tank battles in the history. But heroin being pumped into this border district from Pakistan has taken many young lives in the past decade and this narco-war continues with fatalities across Punjab making it a burning issue in each election in the state.
“Bhaji, bas made jaye rate bad gaye ne chitte de. Je tuhanu chahida, main dila sakda han (Brother, there has only been a slight increase in the cost of heroin. If you want, I can arrange it),” says one of the 19 addicts undergoing treatment at ‘Changing Drug Counselling and Rehabilitation Society” in Asal Uttar village near the Indo-Pak international border. Other drug de-addiction patients also contest claims of the Punjab government and enforcement agencies, asserting in unison, “Why would we be in a de-addiction centre, if heroin is not available.”
One gram of heroin, according to these addicts, is available for Rs 3,500-4,500, depending on quality.
Every month many women visit him and urge him with folded hands to take their sons out of the clutches of heroin, reveals Ranjit Singh, the owner of the centre and a reformed drug addict.
In the last six months, Ranjit’s centre has had an average of 15 inmates every month and there are many other such private de-addiction centres in the district apart from state government’s Out Patient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres.
Deputy commissioner Pardeep Kumar Sabharwal says drug de-addiction is being monitored minutely and resultantly more than 20,000 patients are taking medicines in OOAT centres across Tarn Taran district. “We are first in the state to put boards in 11 villages that those villages are drugs-free,” he adds.
Interestingly, a visit to this so-called drug de-addiction centre at Asal Uttar contradicts the state government’s claims of ‘monitoring’ such centres — this facility runs without government licence, psychotherapist and mandatory infrastructure. The TOI team visited this well-known nasha chhudau kendar (de-addiction centre) near the Asal Uttar bus stop and found it is being run from dark rooms without windows on the ground floor of the now closed ‘SAS English Medium School’ for girls.
Ranjit says the school was forced to shut down two years back as its manager also got trapped in drugs.
In the name of registration papers, Ranjit shows a copy of typed application for registration sent to the director, health, Punjab, on January 7 which is framed and hanging on a wall. A matriculate and in his 20s, Ranjit admits he has been running the centre since last year and is yet to get the license. “We admit patients for a 3-month course. For the first month, we charge Rs 15,000 and thereafter Rs 13,000 each in second and third month,” says Ranjit, claiming that he even reduces fee for the poor patients.
About medical facilities, the centre’s owner says a private MBBS doctor from Tarn Taran comes for patients’ counselling and prescribes medicines. He refuses to share this doctor’s name or contact number or any of his written medical prescriptions but says he can make the TOI team talk to the doctor on his mobile. Asked to show medicines being given to the patients, he says doctor only comes with the required medicines. He says inmates are given ‘Cudit medicine’ to cure addiction, Aptiom to treat seizures and Liv 52 for treatment of liver. He claims the inmates are involved in volleyball and spiritual lectures. With torture being a salient feature in many such unrecognized private de-addiction centres, the inmates at Asal Uttar claim they are treated well.
Needs written permission
According to Dr Sukhwinder Kaur, programme officer of the Punjab government’s mental health cell, this centre does not figure in the list of two drug de-addiction or rehabilitation centres permitted by the health department in Tarn Taran. “Even if the centre owner says that he has applied for the licence, he cannot run such centre till permitted in written by the authorities. It is illegal and should be immediately closed. I’ll get it checked,” she assured.