No Plan for New De-addiction Centres in Jammu Kashmir is Worrying: Devyani Rana | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: MLA Nagrota Devyani Rana has raised concern over the Jammu and Kashmir government’s failure to plan new drug de-addiction centres across the Union Territory, citing serious shortcomings in rehabilitation infrastructure.

Responding to an official reply to her question in the Legislative Assembly, Rana said the information highlighted significant gaps in treatment facilities. She noted that Government Medical College Jammu is handling the largest number of drug-dependent patients and has effectively become a referral centre for several areas that lack dedicated de-addiction or rehabilitation units.

While acknowledging the efforts of GMC Jammu in managing a heavy caseload, she also appreciated the contribution of NGOs, voluntary bodies and social organisations engaged in rehabilitating drug addicts despite limited resources.

Referring to official data, Rana said Srinagar has emerged as the worst-affected area and stressed the need for safe and medically supervised facilities for youth across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the capital.

She commended the Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary forces for action against drug trafficking, pointing out that more than 9,200 kilograms of narcotics have been seized over the past five years. However, she underlined that strict enforcement must be matched with adequate treatment and rehabilitation mechanisms.

Rana expressed disappointment over the government’s admission that no new de-addiction centres are being considered despite more than 30,000 registered cases of addiction, calling it a major lapse in addressing the drug problem.

She also criticised the absence of constituency-wise details on existing facilities, raising concerns about unequal distribution of services. Urging immediate intervention, Rana called for the establishment of de-addiction and rehabilitation centres in every Assembly constituency.

Emphasising a health-centred approach, she said drug addicts should be treated as patients requiring medical care, counselling and social reintegration, warning that the absence of a decentralised rehabilitation framework would continue to harm families and communities.