In a major crackdown on non-compliance, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in Haryana has recently launched a series of joint raids in Kaithal district.
The operation was executed under the direct orders of Manoj Kumar, Commissioner of the FDA, and Lalit Kumar Goel, state drug controller. The initiative aimed to curb the sale of illegal intoxicants and ensure that local pharmacies are operating within the legal framework of the Drugs Act and Rules.
The high-level operation involved a specialized team of six drug inspectors mobilized from the districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamuna Nagar, Kaithal, Panchkula, and Jhajjar. This inter-district task force worked under the close supervision of the senior drug inspector of the Kurukshetra zone to ensure a thorough and unbiased inspection process across the targeted region.
During the intensive sweep, the team inspected a total of 47 medical stores. While the majority of shops were open for inspection, the task force encountered several establishments that were found closed or abandoned upon their arrival, including Preet Medicose in Kangthali and Gagan Medical Hall in Kheri Gulam Ali. Despite these hurdles, the officers proceeded with a detailed audit of the available pharmacies' inventories and staffing.
The raids led to the significant recovery of intoxicated drugs at one specific location. Officers detected and seized 15 tablets of Zolpidem from Kashmiri Medicose in Kakheri. Zolpidem is a controlled substance, and its unauthorized possession or sale constitutes a serious violation of pharmaceutical regulations, marking a primary success for the FDA’s enforcement mission.
Beyond the recovery of narcotics, the FDA identified widespread contraventions in 38 of the 47 firms inspected. Common violations included the absence of a Registered Pharmacist (RP) on-site and the failure to maintain proper sales and purchase records. These lapses led to the immediate sealing of two shops, Sharma Medicose and Hari Om Medical Hall, after they failed to produce any legal documentation to the visiting officers.
Following the submission of detailed observation reports from the DCOs, the licensing authority of the Kurukshetra zone is set to initiate formal legal action against the defaulting store owners. The FDA has signalled that this is not an isolated event, according to official statements, similar raids will continue in the future based on intelligence inputs from the local administration to ensure public safety and a high level of enforcement precision. |