SHILLONG, JULY 25: Assembly’s Committee on Women Empowerment on Monday asked the government to immediately set up a rehabilitation centre for treating female drug users in the state.
After chairing a meeting, chairperson of the committee Ampareen Lyngdoh said that Meghalaya is yet to have a dedicated rehabilitation centre for women despite the issue being raised and debated in the floor of the Assembly.
“We will now ensure that we have a subsequent meeting on this issue to remind the government once again of the urgent need for putting in place a dedicated rehabilitation centre for women,” the East Shillong MLA told reporters.
She said women are finding it very difficult to access rehabilitation facilities and this is a very alarming situation. “We feel that we will have to rally hard and ensure this is achieved by our committee,” Lyngdoh stated.
Earlier, member of the committee and Mawsynram legislator Himalaya Shangpliang said that the panel directed the social welfare department in coordination with the state commission for protection of child’s rights (SCPCR) to take necessary steps to address the drug menace among the age group of 12 to 18 in the state.
“Though we know that the police are doing their job of nabbing and catching a lot of drug peddlers and drug kingpins, I think we need to deal with it at the level of the society where people should be made aware and such addicts should be taken care of,” he asserted.
