Bihar Govt.'s threat to chemists

PATNA, MAY 6. The Bihar Government has threatened to take punitive measures including cancelling the licences of chemists even as indefinite strike by the Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association (BCDA) entered tenth day today defying invocation of Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

In the State capital here, the district administration cracked down on the medicines dealers and forced them to open their outlets.

The State Health Minister, Mr. Shakuni Choudhury, said the State Government would cancel the licences if the medicines dealers fail to comply with ESMA provisions and call off their stir within three days.

The licences have been issued to the drug dealers to serve the public and if they fail to discharge their duty, the government is well within its right to cancel them, Mr. Choudhury said.

Ruling out the possibility of withdrawal of turn-over tax (TOT), the minister said the druggists demand was absolutely baseless as the TOT did not affect the medicine dealers.

He declared the strike as illegal.

A delegation of All India Organisation of Druggists and Chemists and Bihar Chemists and Druggists Association called on Mr. Choudhury and Health Commissioner to press for the demand for withdrawal of TOT on medicines.

Meanwhile, people got a little respite today as the BCDA opened some of their outlets all over the state.

In view of the positive attitude of the ministers and officials concerned during negotiations with the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, the association decided to open the outlets from where all essential medicines were sold in the state, the BCDA office secretary, Mr. Onkarnath Jha, told UNI here.

He said negotiations with the state Chief Minister, Mr. Rabri Devi, was expected to take place tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the BCDA moved the civil court for bail of its arrested top office-bearers of the association. The bail application would be heard on Tuesday.

- PTI and UNI

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