Substandard sanitiser products mushroom in Nellore

Nellore: With the aim to make use Covid-19 crisis, several fake sanitiser producers are coming up in the city due to huge demand in the market. Use of sanitisers has become an inevitable for protecting people from the virus infection for the last three months and there has been no check on the quality.

Interestingly, some branded companies in bakery and confectionary products are also preparing face masks and sanitisers in the guise of 'safety of the public'. Online commercial websites like Amazon, Flipkart and others displayed exorbitant prices of sanitisers ranging from Rs. 500 to 1,000 per litre. They are also selling a set of masks for Rs. 200-300 and some popular clothing brands also preparing face masks and were selling at huge prices.

Now, local traders also started importing huge quantity of sanitisers from the chemical or drug manufacturing companies and were making their own brand names deciding the prices.

Some others are simply preparing the material according to their own formula and were selling in the market.

Majority of them are not following the rule book. Officials are also busy with other activities due to the lockdown.

Local drug control authorities conducted raids on Santhapet area a few days ago and found stocks of more than 500 sanitiser bottles ready for sale. Some were labelled in the name of ruling YSRC party trying to divert attention of the officials. Officials unearthed the fake activities and booked the cases against the manufacturers. They are sending the bottles to the laboratory for quality checks.

There are many such instances in the city as some small chemical companies also started making sanitisers, sodium hypo chloride solution, and others printing huge MRP on the products.

"Makers of all products have started preparing sanitisers for timely profits. Any sanitiser consists of alcohol and no one can boost immunity,'' said DR VRK Reddy, a retired medical officer.