Excise dept plans modern de-addiction centre

₹100-crore project to come up at Kinaloor industrial estate

The Excise Department is planning to build a modern de-addiction centre on a 20-acre plot at the Kinaloor industrial estate. The ₹100-crore project, to be implemented with the support of the Union government, will be the first of its kind in South India.

“This will be a very serious undertaking by the department and it will ensure the functional standards of a national institute,” Excise Deputy Commissioner P.K. Suresh told The Hindu here on Wednesday. The project is now in the initial phase and the other particulars of the project will be announced later, he said.

After visiting the site, a team of experts from the PWD and KSIDC expressed the hope that the project could be completed fast.

Though the department has some rehabilitation centres across the State, most of them do not have the support of professionals trained in de-addiction programmes.

The new centre will be completely manned by qualified professionals, Mr. Suresh said.

Women officers

Meanwhile, newly recruited women civil excise officers are all set to join the anti-narcotic drive across the State. The department has distributed 100 scooters to women Civil Excise Inspectors for better patrolling.

“In Kozhikode district, we have given scooters to seven officers to improve their field-level presence and surveillance of drug peddlers and the illegal suppliers,” he said.