Shimla, Oct. 7 -- Shimla deputy commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap on Tuesday held a meeting with operators and representatives of various drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centres functioning in the Shimla district. The meeting was aimed at strengthening the Shimla district administration's campaign against drug abuse. During the meeting, operators of de-addiction centres raised various issues and demands before the administration. "De-addiction centres are not businesses but an important means of social service," the DC said, adding that helping people overcome addiction and return to a healthy and dignified life was a challenging task. The DC expressed concern over complaints of drugs being made available to persons undergoing treatment at de-addiction centres. He directed the centre operators to ensure that there was no scope for such practices at institutions whose primary objective was to help people overcome addiction. The DC said the fight against drug abuse could not be confined to action against drug peddlers. Treatment, counselling, rehabilitation and reintegration of affected persons into their families and society were equally important. "Rehabilitation is not the end of treatment - it is the beginning of a new life," he said. He emphasised the need for sustained efforts even after treatment to reconnect recovering persons with their families, education, skill development, employment and society, so that they could avoid relapse and lead a normal life with dignity and self-respect. The availability of trained doctors and, wherever required, psychiatrists at treatment centres is mandatory. In cases of overdose, round-the-clock availability of a doctor must be ensured. For women and minors, on-call services of a gynaecologist and paediatrician, respectively, are required. At least one full-time counsellor must be available for every 30 patients. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gaurav Singh said the fight against drug abuse could succeed only when strict action against drug peddlers was accompanied by equally serious efforts towards treatment and rehabilitation of affected persons....