In district Bathinda so far 1600 drug victims have been treated at the OOAT centers being run at the government hospitals in district. The nodal officer Anti Drug Campaign Mr Amit Kumar, MD Punjab Health System Corporation Bathinda said this while addressing a meeting convened to review work done on anti drug campaign.The IG Special Task Force Mr Balkar Singh Sidhu and Deputy Commissioner Mr Praneet co-presided the meeting. Nodal officer Mr Amit Kumar said that the Chief Minister Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh has started a war against drugs under which not only the drug supply has been rooted out, the government was also working for welfare of addicts by giving them free treatment. The officers present in meeting apprised of the demand of people to open more OOAT centers. They also told about the problems patients were facing in being ferried to the OOAT centers.IG Mr Balkar Singh Sidhu and nodal officer Mr Amit Kumar stated that both the problems will be told to the Honorable Chief Minister Catain Amarinder Singh who fill soon find a solution to the problem. SSP Bathinda Dr Nanak Singh told about the DAPO volunteers with whom district police was working hard to create awareness against drugs by holding seminars and workshops at the educational institutes and villages.
He said that following this aggressive campaign people in villages like Lelewala, Himmatpura etc have already put up boards outside their houses stating that neither drugs are sold nor consumed in their villages.Education department officers told that under the Tu Mera Buddy program, started on Independence Day, groups of five students in each group have been constituted in the schools. Students in these groups will keep an eye on each other to ensure that none of them gets trapped in bad company, drugs or other maladies. If any of the group member falls in bad company or starts doing drugs, the other members will immediately inform the nodal buddy (class teacher) who will act to mitigate the problem. Mr Amit Kumar said that this program is being started in colleges and universities too and will go a long way in ensuring that youngsters stay away from drugs.ADC (G) Mr Sukhpreet Singh Sidhu, SDM Bathinda Mr Balwinder Singh, SDM Talwandi Sabo Mr Varinder Singh, SDM Rampura Mr Khushdil Singh, Deputy DEO Mrs Bhupinder Kaur, SP Mr Gurmeet Singh, SP Mr Surinder Pal Singh, SP Mr Swaran Singh Khanna, district attorney Sukhpal Singh and others were also present.He has also visited the OOAT center at Civil Hospital Bathinda