Health ministry directs state govts and UTs to provide security cover to DC officers during raids and checking
To infuse confidence in the regulatory officers of drugs
control (DC) departments in the country following the murder of a licencing
authority allegedly by a chemist in Punjab, the Union health ministry has
directed all state governments and Union territories to put in place a
mechanism to provide security cover to drug control officers (DCOs) in their
respective states and union territories.
In a letter issued to all state governments and union
territories, Union Health secretary Preeti Sudan has directed them to evolve a
mechanism to provide security to the DC officers in their offices in general
and while they are on field duties in connection with inspection or raids for
enforcement purposes in particular. This decision of the union government
follows a similar decision by the Food & Drugs Administration of Punjab to
introduce police protection to regulators during raids and checking at
premises.
Government of India has decided to take such a decision on
the request of the All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC) who,
in a letter to the government, wanted protection for regulatory officers from
drug mafias and criminals, Ravi Udaybhaskar, Secretary General of the
Confederation apprised the government that many of the DCOs across the country
were working in vulnerable situations like the murdered officer, Neha Shoree.
He also wanted the government to consider the poor situation in work places
which lack enough manpower and machinery to tackle any untoward incident.
But, soon after the incident in Punjab, the Food & Drugs
Administration commissioner in the state urged the state police chief to depute
one police constable to the enforcement staff as police cover while engaging in
the enforcement job of FSSA and D&C Act. The DC officers in the state have
also intensified their demand for security during site inspections. The letter
written by FDA commissioner to the DGP reveals another one incident of murder
attempt on food inspectors by a vendor at Batala in Gurudaspur district on
March 1 this year during seizure of food samples.
Meanwhile, the president of Jharkhand IPA, Dr Roop Nath Gupta
has approached the state government with a request for adequate measures for
police protection for drugs control officers in the state. In his letter to the
state chief minister, Dr Gupta has said that enforcement of Drugs and Cosmetics
Act in Jharkhand is very difficult due to lack of security, infrastructure
facilities at the offices of DCA and also shortage of manpower in the department.
He said, in the wake of the cruel incident happened in Mohali, government of
Jharkhand must immediately take security measures to protect the regulatory
officers of the drugs control department. According to him, the state of
Jharkhand is becoming a hub of drug mafia and criminals.
Dr. Suman Kumar Tiwari, Joint director of FDA in Jharkhand
said it is high time for the union government to introduce a country wide
security cover for the state and central drugs control officers. He said his
association of drugs control officers in the state has welcomed the decision of
the Union government.
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