Telangana: Five Under Graft Lens Over Hand Sanitiser Licence

HYDERABAD, 22 JUNE 2020:

A deputy director (incharge joint director and licensing authority) and four inspectors of Drugs Control Administration (DCA) have been shunted out following corruption charges. These officers were reportedly collecting Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for issuing a licence to manufacture hand sanitisers though the licence fee prescribed by the government is just Rs 7,500.

Director general, DCA, Preeti Meena issued memos to the accused officers and removed them as a licensing authority. Senior scientific officer of quality control Y Naveen Kumar has been made the new joint director and licensing authority.

“We have received complaints from the Bulk Drugs Manufacturing Association (BDMA) against some of the officers. We have acted upon the corruption charges and removed a deputy director (joint director FAC) and four drugs inspectors from their posts,” Preeti told TOI.

Sources said with Covid-19 cases rising rapidly in the last couple of months, the demand for use of sanitisers has quadrupled. This has led to many private players queueing up before the DCA to get manufacturing licence.

Till March, only 40 units in Telangana had the licence to manufacture sanitisers. Following complaints of shortage of sanitisers, the state government directed the DCA to grant licences to manufacturers liberally, within two hours of applying. According to senior DCA officials, about 70 to 80 new licences had been granted in the last two months alone.

These units produce about one lakh litres a day.

“With many manufacturers approaching the DCA for the licences, one officer started demanding huge bribes. While the licence fee is Rs 7,500, some officers allegedly collected Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for issuing a licence. There are corruption charges even in issuing licences to other manufacturing units and blood banks,” official sources said.

Representatives of BDMA and some entrepreneurs brought the matter to the notice of industries minister KT Rama Rao and lodged a complaint against the officer, who was also the incharge licensing authority. Sources said following specific directions from the minister and special chief secretary of health, action was initiated against the corrupt officers. “There will be zero tolerance on corruption,” Preeti said. Apart from corruption, there were also allegations that the DCA was turning a blind eye towards inferior quality sanitisers in the market.

The DCA will crack the whip on manufacturers producing inferior quality sanitisers. The Times Of India