Taking cognizance of the complaint of Jammu-based social activist Sukesh C Khajuria regarding the death of infants due to spurious drugs in Ramnagar tehsil of Udhampur district and other parts of north India, Prime Ministers’ Office has instructed the state licensing authorities to take necessary action in the matter.
Khajuria had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and requested him to take action against the guilty besides taking corrective measures at the policy level to stop the recurrence of such incidents in the future and adequate compensation and treatment of victims.
In his letter, he brought to the PM’s notice, the death of several children and severe deformities to others in some parts of northern India due to consumption of spurious drugs since December 2019.
He had highlighted the unfortunate deaths and deformities of infants in J&K, Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and had also even taken up the issue of adequate compensation to the families of the victims and those who are deformed with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and concerned state/ UT governments.
Sukesh Khajuria had charged that in view of inadequate response from these agencies and a larger mafia operating in different states, the issues of the lack of coordination between the central and state governments on regulatory measures to check and punish such unscrupulous elements who are selling spurious drugs in connivance with quacks and corrupt drug authorities and the issue of adequate compensation to the innocent victims needed to be tackled at the highest level in the country.
{{/usCountry}}Sukesh Khajuria had charged that in view of inadequate response from these agencies and a larger mafia operating in different states, the issues of the lack of coordination between the central and state governments on regulatory measures to check and punish such unscrupulous elements who are selling spurious drugs in connivance with quacks and corrupt drug authorities and the issue of adequate compensation to the innocent victims needed to be tackled at the highest level in the country.
{{/usCountry}}The PMO in communication to Khajuria had responded that the matter related to the product quality of drug Coldbest-PC Syrup has been forwarded to the concerned state licensing authorities for taking necessary action in the matter.
Over a dozen children had died in Ramnagar Tehsil due to spurious “Coldbest PC syrup”.