Drug Control Administration conducts raids on drug stores

Rajendranagar: Intensifying their crackdown against over the counter (OTC) sale of medicines at Medical Halls, the officials of drug control department made surprise inspections at various localities under Rajendranagar.

A team of officials under the supervision of Anjum Abida, Assistant Director, Drug Control Administration, Rangareddy District on Tuesday made surprise visits to medical shops located at Hassan Nagar, IndiraNagar, Mahmood Nagar, Chintalmet and MM Pahadi. It is learnt that in the wake of repeated complaints of substance abuse and over the counter (OTC) sales of medicine pouring in from different localities, the department has constituted a team comprising of five drug inspectors to carry out surprise inspections.

A team comprising Drug Inspectors Raju Laxmalla (Rajendranagar Zone), Sri Bindu (Vikarabad Zone), A Shailaja Rani (Saroornagar Zone), K Devender Reddy (Serilingampally Zone) and D Saritha (Hayatnagar Zone) carried out the inspections and found several violations varying from sale of drug without pharmacist, prescription and sale bill.

"Today we made surprise inspections at Hassan Nagar, Indra Nagar, Mahmoodnagar, Chintal Met and MM Pahadi areas under Rajendranagar Mandal to check if there was any flouting of rules at the medical shops. During the raids we found several violations of different nature. Some medical shops were found selling medicines without Pharmacist and prescription. Sale bill violations also found during the inspections," said Drug Inspector Raju Laxmalla.

"We will soon issue notices to the errant owners asking explanations for the violation commit on their premises. Action will be taken as per the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act if the errant owners fail to provide proper explanation for the violation committed," he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that only a week ago the authorities have carried out similar inspections at several medical shops in several areas under Rajendranagar after the reports of substance abuse and over the counter sale of medicines appeared in the section of media.

Giving an appalling account of the situation prevailing in these areas due to use of addictive, the reports says that group of people especially the teenagers were seen fighting each other under the influence of addictive.

The areas where the inspections carried out in the first leg of the crackdown are Sulaiman Nagar, Shastripuram, Chintalmet and Mailardevpally to Chandrayangutta where the official observed similar nature of violations as was found in this round of Inspections. Later the errant owners were served with notices seeking explanations.