That Punjab is in the grip of drug epidemic is well known, but how little the state administration cares about the issue becomes evident from the way the drug de-addiction centres are managed here. A survey has revealed that many of these centres have become a place for mental and physical torture in the name of de-addiction.

Families of addicts pledge to fight against the scourge and hope their kin will recover soon. Families of addicts pledge to fight against the scourge and hope their kin will recover soon.

The survey conducted by the Department of Community Medicine of Dayanand Medical College (DMC), Ludhiana, has also found that dozens of new private centres have come up in the state which neither have proper infrastructure nor trained staff. Dr. Vikram Kumar Gupta, assistant professor at DMC, told Mail Today that private de-addiction centres are mostly not managed by professionally trained people. He said a group of people register a society and then convert it into a drug de-addiction centre. "They never employ trained people and specialists like counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists," he said.

Drug addicts, Dr. Gupta said, are left at the mercy of untrained and rude staff who don't know how to handle them. Also, most of such centres do not have separate rooms for male and female addicts, and they are housed in a large room or hall.

Many centres do not have separate rooms for women and the inmates are housed in a large room or halls. Many centres do not have separate rooms for women and the inmates are housed in a large room or halls.

"A number of private drug de-addiction centres are violating norms and pursuing their own policies. There are no nurses and counsellors. These centres are rarely inspected by the authorities which add to the woes of inmates," he said. Some of the violations found during the study, conducted at three private and seven government centres, were confinement of addicts for a period of six months or more, incidents of mental and physical torture, and abuse of human rights.

The drug menace issue in Punjab is so prominent that it was even raised by various political parties during campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

According to official figures, there are 72 registered drug de-addiction centres in the state, of which 62 are private. Sources, however, said the actual number of private, unregistered centres was far higher.

Relatives of those staying in such facilities have often complained about the 'inhuman treatment' meted out to their kin. The survival and success rate of these centres, sources said, is not beyond 20 per cent.

More than often not, a group of people registers a society and then converts it into a drug de-addiction centre. More than often not, a group of people registers a society and then converts it into a drug de-addiction centre.

"I paid about Rs 30,000 to a private de-addiction centre, but there were no counsellors or psychiatrists. The owner of the centre had made false claims about the facilities. Later I was compelled to join a government- run centre," said a youth who did not want to be named.

Some de-addiction centres put up the signboards of 'free drug addiction help' to lure the people, but still charge between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.

There seems no end to the misery of drug addicts as government-run centres are unable to cater to the growing number of addicts. "In a situation like this, the addicts find themselves in absolute despair. They run away from the de-addiction centres and again fall prey to drugs," said Dr. Ambrish Singal, a Chandigarh-based psychiatrist.

However, the state government claims that no complaint of any "serious nature" has been received in the last two years. "These issues had cropped up a couple of years ago, following which we issued guidelines to the drug de-addiction centres. There are sporadic complaints but none of serious nature. Deaddiction centres are being monitored at district level," state's Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Vini Mahajan told Mail Today.

'My uncle went an addict and returned a victim'

My uncle was in his forties when drug addiction drove him away from us. He was addicted to multiple drugs and when the situation got worse, we decided to admit him to a private drug de- addiction centre.

I took my married uncle, who had fallen prey to the drugs such as heroin and opium, to a centre located in Amritsar. The owner of the centre had promised that he will successfully rehabilitate him he will come back to the family sober.

70 per cent of Punjab's youth are addicted to drugs and yet the state is not doing enough to curb the menance. 70 per cent of Punjab's youth are addicted to drugs and yet the state is not doing enough to curb the menance.

When we entered the de-addiction centre a tall and fat man opened the door. I was told that he is one of the bouncers who keep a tab on the addicts. I handed over my uncle's belongings to him and the moment I was about to leave, my uncle held my arm. But before I could respond, the bouncer forcibly took him away.

We were advised by the centre owner not to visit him. Desperate to see him live a normal life, we agreed to his conditions and kept paying the monthly charges. When I visited my uncle after a couple of months, he came running and hugged me tightly. He burst into tears and told me that he was being beaten up and tortured by the staff. Shocked as I was, I talked to my family and got him out of the centre immediately.

My uncle was as addicted as he was when he had left. There was no change in him at all. All the tall claims made by the centre had fallen flat. In fact, he went a drug addict and returned a victimised and tortured addict.

Now, we have no option left but wait till the day he takes his last dose.