Latest News | Lt Governor Bats for Increasing Number of Rehab Centres for Those Addicted to Drugs

Puducherry, Mar 9 (PTI) Puducherry Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday urged police officials and the government machinery here to ensure that more centres for rehabilitation of those addicted to drugs be opened in Puducherry and that they function round-the-clock.

A release from office of the Lt Governor said Soundararajan had made the appeal at a meeting she convened with senior police officials and also officials of several other departments including Revenue and Disaster Management at her office to review the situation in Puducherry particularly in the context of the recent alleged murder of a nine- year-old girl and steps taken to control the drug menace.

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Home Minister A Namassivayam, Director General of Police B Srinivasan, Chief Secretary Sarath Chauhan, Health Secretary Muthamma, Revenue and Excise department Secretary E Vallavan and Director of Health G Sriramulu among others participated in the meeting.

The Lt Governor, who chaired the meeting urged the officials to enhance the number of rehabilitation centres to protect the people from falling prey to drug addiction.

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Counselling should also be intensified in all Primary Health Centres and hospitals, the Lt Governor said and asked officials to constitute monitoring committees in all schools and colleges.

Home Minister Namassivayam told reporters after the meeting that stern action would be taken against drug peddlers and inter-state borders would be particularly monitored.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Rangasamy issued an order granting Rs 7.12 lakh to the parents of the girl at his office here Saturday.

A release from the office of the Chief Minister said that the solatium was sanctioned under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Earlier, the government had announced a solatium of Rs 20 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the girl's family.

A team of officials of National Commission for Scheduled Castes led by its Director S Ravivarman is in the union territory in connection with the probe into the death of the girl.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)