Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi has instructed police beat officers to keep a check on alcoholism-related domestic violence in their respective jurisdictions.
Ms. Bedi, whose regular weekend visits focused on the facilities at the Bharatha Matha Drug De-addiction Centre at Manaveli in Ariyankuppam on Sunday, also wanted beat officers to make a survey of alcoholics in their jurisdiction and facilitate for their de-addiction and follow-up.
“They should also check for domestic violence in those families and if any, ensure the safety of women and children in particular, who are vulnerable in such situations,” the Lt. Governor said.
Ms. Bedi was briefed by the centre in-charge on the de-addiction process which included yoga, meditation and counselling. She was informed that the centre has been functioning since 2009 and with a capacity to manage 25 patients at a time, had de-addicted nearly 2,500 people.
Later, Ms. Bedi interacted with the people undergoing de-addiction at the centre and advised them to refrain from addiction, once they are discharged from the centre and return home. They should concentrate on earning and taking care of the family.
She appreciated the centre’s system of closely following up through home visits of the status of patients even after they were discharged.
The Lt. Governor has invited Gopal Pillai, chairman of the Trust to the Raj Nivas to share with him, her 16 years experience in successfully running de-addiction care in Delhi through the NGOs Navjyoti and India Vision Foundation — their work had received the prestigious Sotiroff Memorial Award from the United Nations.
