Chandigarh, Feb. 3 -- The government-aided drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre in Sector 18 is functioning in violation of rules and contractual obligations, denying patients basic facilities such as subsidised meals, open space and structured rehabilitation, even as the UT administration continues to renew its licence without corrective action.

The 30-bed facility, housed in the Government Press Building in Sector 18 and run by NGO Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) under an MoU with the UT administration, has for years flouted food norms, charged patients far above prescribed rates and operated from premises unsuitable for rehabilitation, inspection reports and official records show.

One of the most glaring viola...