Lahore to be made drug-free city, says Mujtaba

LAHOREPROVINCIAL Minister for Law, Excise & Taxation and Finance Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman Monday said rehabilitation centers for addicts especially for women and children were being set up in Lahore to make it a drug free city.He expressed these views while inaugurating photo exhibition regarding hazards affects of narcotics organized

By our correspondents
May 05, 2015
LAHORE
PROVINCIAL Minister for Law, Excise & Taxation and Finance Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman Monday said rehabilitation centers for addicts especially for women and children were being set up in Lahore to make it a drug free city.
He expressed these views while inaugurating photo exhibition regarding hazards affects of narcotics organized by Excise & Taxation Department Punjab for Lahore Drug Free City at National College of Arts (NCA), according to a hand out.
Principal Prof Dr Murtaza Jaferi, Secretary Excise Ali Tahir, DG Ahmad Aziz Tarar, Director Iqbal Nasir and ETO Latif Anjum were also present.
The minister said the Excise & Taxation Department in collaboration with NGOs would rehabilitate drug addicts who would be found from parks, grounds, footpaths and they would be admitted to city hospitals where each hospital had 10 beds for their treatment and rehabilitation.
He said a drug free city project has been launched with a cost of Rs 38.228 million and under the project public awareness/ prevention, development of intelligence, treatment of drug addicts, rehabilitation of drug addicts and registration of addicts’ treatment clinics were the action plan of the project.
The minister said the government would cooperate with the NGOs and educational institutions for the launching of massive awareness campaign in the province to save young generation from fatal results of drugs.
He said that government is utilizing all available resources for strict implementation of anti-narcotics laws besides building public opinion against this menace, however, it is the collective responsibility of the civil society to curb the menace.
Meanwhile distributing certificates among the participants of administration course organized by Punjab Olympics Association at a local hotel, the Minister said that Punjab government is patronizing sports events at provincial, district and even at union council level. He said the government has constructed playgrounds and stadiums in tehsil and union council level also.