Chandigarh, November 4 - Haryana Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao has said that strict action will be taken against those involved in the sale of illegal drugs. She stressed that no chemist or medical store owner who is found selling banned or illegal drugs will be spared at any cost. She has directed the officials to investigate.
Under the Drug-Free India campaign and on the instructions of the Health Minister, Haryana Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration Manoj Kumar has started further action. He said that a large-scale raid operation was launched in Sirsa district to stop the sale of illegal drugs. 35 Senior Drugs Control Officers (SDCOs) and Drugs Control Officers (DCOs) from different zones and districts participated in this operation.
To make the campaign effective, 8 special teams were formed, which were tasked with conducting surprise inspections at chemist shops where misuse of psychotropic/dual-use drugs was suspected.
The raid was directly supervised by State Drugs Controller Lalit Kumar Goel. He was accompanied by three Assistant State Drugs Controllers Parvinder Singh, Karan Singh Godara and Rakesh Dahiya from the Food and Drug Administration Headquarters.
The raid campaign was conducted simultaneously in several areas of Sirsa district like Kalanwali, Badaguda, Dabwali, Rania, Ellenabad and Sirsa city. The inspection started at 11:30 am yesterday and continued till 6:00 pm.
67 medical shops were inspected during this campaign. Similarly, 16 shops were sealed for non-submission of records and other violations. 15 samples were taken during the campaign. Show-cause notices will be issued to all the shops found to be in violation and further action will be taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945.
Health Minister Aarti Singh Rao said that the state government is committed to making Haryana drug-free and such campaigns will continue continuously. She gave a clear message that illegal trade in narcotics will not be tolerated under any circumstances.