Govt assures regulation of private rehab centres
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 02 2020:
Taking serious note of the consistent human rights violation in some of the privately run drug rehabilitation centres across the State in general and the recent death of one Yengkhom Dhanabir Meitei at Gateway of Recovery in particular, a drug de-addiction centre located at Nungoi Pourabi, the State Government has reportedly assured the JAC formed against the death of Dhanabir that the Government will regulate all private rehabilitation centres in the State to see that no human rights violation occur in these centres, according to a joint press release issued by the JAC, CoNE and USER Manipur.
This was conveyed by local MLA Ksh Biren during a meeting with the JAC Against the Unnatural Death of Yengkhom Dhanabir (25), Sekta, Imphal East along with officials of Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) and Users Society for Effective Response (USER), Manipur.
With the assurance coming from the side of the local MLA and the Government that the issue of Yengkhom Dhanabir's death would be seriously looked into and that the concerned rehabilitation centre namely Gateway of Recovery will not be allowed to function henceforth, the dead body of Dhanabir which had been lying at the mortuary of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences since April 28 has been claimed by the family members and his last rites have been performed.
During the meeting with representatives of the JAC led by its convener L London and MLA Ksh Biren along with representatives of CoNE led by its president RK Nalinikanta and USER Manipur led by its president Maibam Jogesh, it was agreed upon that the rehabilitation centre Gateway of Recovery will be banned for lifetime along with prohibiting all those involved in the killing of Dhanabir from setting up any rehabilitation centres in future; the Government will monitor all private rehabilitation centres along with laying down protocol/guideline and regulate the rehabilitation centres; and provide compensation to the bereaved family.
It was also agreed among the JAC, CoNE and USER Manipur that if the agreement arrived upon during the meeting, particularly regulation of privately run drug de-addiction centres by the Government, is not put into action within a month's time, intense form of agitation would be launched by the JAC in collaboration with all stake holders and human rights defenders, conveyed the press release.