Health Dept raids medicine stores, seizes contraband

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 21

In an attempt to tighten the noose around the illegal sale of drugs, as promised by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh in the first cabinet meeting, as many as 16 medicine stores across the city were raided late this evening.

Deputy Commissioner Diprava Lakra had directed the District Health Department to conduct surprise checks at unauthorised stores selling medicnes without prescription and also selling contraband drugs.

“Following the directions, the Health Department had constituted three teams comprising of officials from the department and the district administration. Raids were conducted at medicine stores located in the rear of the bus stand, Haji Ratan Chowk, Mall Road, Hospital Bazaar, areas located across railway lines, Bhatti Road and Powerhouse Road,” said Civil Surgeon RS Randhawa.

As per information, the teams confiscated proscribed drugs from some of the stores.

A team headed by tehsildar Lakhwinder Singh, drug inspector Amandeep Verma and policemen Kulwinder Singh and Rajwinder Singh raided stores in Hospital Bazaar. At one of the stores, Alprex and Tramedol tablets were found.

Strips of Illegal medicines were also found from the pockets of the  workers at these shops. Anticipating raids at their stores, owners of some of the stores closed their shops earlier than their scheduled timings and left. 

Shopowners stage protest

Irked over the raids, almost 100 drug store owners and workers of these shops staged a late night protest outside Jawahar Medical Store. They lifted the dharna after they decided to convene a meeting tomorrow in this regard. 

They argued that the state government had resorted to troubling the small-time medicine sellers rather than getting hold of the big drug peddlers.