Principal Secretary to File Affidavit on Rehab Centres

Hyderabad: Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar of the Telangana High Court on Monday required the principal secretary of medical and health to file an affidavit on the establishment of de-addiction centres in government hospitals. The judge was adjudicating rival claims on the existence of such centers.

Mamidi Venu Madhav, advocate-entrained social worker, complained of failure on the part of the government in establishing drug de-addiction centres and its failure to educate the masses about the ill-effects of consumption of liquor. He complained that the inaction has been consistent since 2008 when the government accepted the proposal of the Madya Vimochana Prachara Committee for the establishment of de-addiction centres. Consequent upon an order made in February, the director of medical education and commissioner of Vaishya Vidhan parishad filed data of such centres and personnel employed therein.

Venu Madhav pointed out that he had personally visited Gandhi hospital in this regard and the only change he witnessed was that the board ‘psychiatric department’ was removed and replaced by a flexi showing it as the de-addiction centre. The judge accordingly posted the matter to March 18.