File picture of drugs

Paradip, July 15: Making mockery of drugs de-addiction scheme of state excise department, ‘dead’ have come alive to avail the benefit of free-opium doles in Jagatsinghpur district.

With a view to de-addict the elderly opium addicts, specific dose of contraband is disbursed without cost every month strictly on medical advice in accordance with central government guidelines.

However, allegations continue to fly thick and fast that excise personnel often misuse the scheme and eat up the contraband against ‘dead’ beneficiaries.

Alekh Chandra Das from Pateni village is no more. But Das figures in the list of beneficiaries who are being given 20 gram high-grade opium free every month. Such instances of ghosts being served with opium are too glaring to escape.

“The excise department has come across two cases of disbursal of opium to ineligible beneficiaries. While one of them is dead, the other cardholder is not entitled for free opium as the card is not renewed. A drive has been launched to crosscheck the genuineness of the targeted beneficiaries and whether they are alive or not,” said Jagatsinghpur excise superintendent Pravat Kumar Behera.

Only ten aged addicts are being covered under the said scheme. Each of the beneficiary is getting 20 gram of high-grade opium free against nominal payment of Rs 5 only.

The state excise department has set in motion a scheme for the opium addicted for the above 62 years providing 20 grams of opium free against the card issued to them by the excise personnel.

The contraband acts as some sort medication as elderly addicts abound in rural pockets. The beneficiaries are handpicked purely on the basis of certificate by the chief district medical officer.

“Providing free opium is part of the drugs de-addiction treatment. Those at the advanced age and addicted to opium badly require small doses of opium. Without the opium dose, it would have adverse effect on their health. That’s why, the central government has launched the scheme,” said chief district medical officer of Jagatsinghpur, Rabi Narayan Das.

The intention of the government is noble. On medical advice, the old addicts are given free-opium with the hope that they would give it up gradually.

“But the ground reality tells a different tale as high-grade opium procured for purpose from the central Narcotics Bureau hardly reaches targeted beneficiaries. Instead, it makes its way to drugs traffickers active in neighbouring Paradip Port Township,” said Binayak Swain, a civil society activist.

The beneficiaries being covered under the opium de-addiction scheme, majority of them are long dead.

But the irony is that authorities concerned are generous enough to distribute free opium to those addicts now in their heavenly abode, Swain alleged.

Making mockery of drugs de-addiction scheme of State excise department, ‘dead' have come alive to avail the benefit of free-opium doles in Jagatsinghpur district!

With a view to de-addict the elderly opium addicts, specific dose of contraband is disbursed free every month strictly on medical advice in accordance with Central government guidelines. However, allegations continue to fly thick and fast that excise personnel often misuse the scheme and eat up the contraband against ‘dead’ beneficiaries.

Alekh Chandra Das from Pateni village is no more. But Das figures in the list of beneficiaries who are being given 20 gram high-grade opium free every month. Such instances of ghosts being served with opium are too glaring to escape.

“The excise department has come across two cases of disbursal of opium to ineligible beneficiaries. While one of them is dead, the other cardholder is not entitled for free opium as the card is not renewed. A drive has been launched to crosscheck the genuineness of the targeted beneficiaries and whether they are alive or not.”, said Jagatsinghpur Excise Superintendent, Pravat Kumar Behera.

Only 10 aged addicts are being covered under the said scheme. Each of the beneficiary is getting 20 gram of high-grade opium free against nominal payment of Rs 5/- only.

The State excise department has set in motion a scheme for the opium addicted for the above 62-age-group providing 20 grams of opium free against the card issued to them by the excise personnel. The contraband acts as some sort medication as elderly addicts abound in rural pockets. The beneficiaries are handpicked purely on the basis of certificate by the chief district medical officer.

“Providing free opium is part of the drugs de-addiction treatment. Those at the advanced age and addicted to opium badly require small doses of opium. Without the opium dose, it would have adverse effect on their health. That’s why, the central government has launched the scheme”, said Jagatsinghpur chief district medical officer, Rabi Narayan Das.

The intention of the government is noble. On medical advice, the old addicts are given free-opium with the hope that they would give it up gradually.

“But the ground reality tells a different tale as high-grade opium procured for purpose from the Central Narcotics Bureau hardly reaches targeted beneficiaries. Instead, it makes its way to drugs traffickers active in neighbouring Paradip Port Township”, remarked Binayak Swain, a civil society activist.

Of the beneficiaries being covered under the opium de-addiction scheme, majority of them are long dead. But the irony is that authorities concerned are generous enough to distribute free opium to those addicts now in their heavenly abode, Swain alleged.