Assam: Interactive programme with media persons on drug addiction held at Tinsukia Press Club

TINSUKIA: “The social fabric of the community in Tinsukia area has been severely impacted by drug addiction, since parents are unwilling to marry off their daughters to drug users or recovering addicts whom they believe to be unsuitable for marriage because they may be impotent.” This was revealed by Dr Dibyajyoti Saikia, recipient of International Peace Award, national level State Human Rights activist, social worker and motivational speaker in an interaction programme with media persons at Tinsukia Press Club on Tuesday even as drug induced impotency among youths is yet to be established scientifically or clinically. Dipak Patgiri, secretary of Tinsukia Zilla Satra Mahasabha and Mahendra Baruah, founder of Humanity Foundation, an NGO also participated in the programme.

Dr Saikia said he attended 13 workshops in drug prone pockets of Tinsukia district and Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh and visited several rehab camps recently and observed that the social responsibility of elders towards recovering addicts is lacking which led to severe physical and mental health issues, though of late civil societies’ group and the conscious citizens including women realising the grave situation have come forward to mitigate the issues, said Dr Saikia. He maintained that the infrastructure of some of the rehab centres is inadequate. This apart overcrowding, shortage of trained counsellors and most importantly poor number of psychiatrists are the main issues which must be addressed. He pointed out that the society or the community must play a pivotal role in creating a healthy society. He emphasised on 3 points namely the area should be free of drugs and number of rehab centres should dwindle in next couple of years, secondly the society must accept them with caring attitude and changing of behavioural mind set towards addicts, thirdly the government should incorporate topics of drug menace in all level of school curriculum.

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