Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Jan 22: While the residents of the Suthrashahi Housing Colony in the Karan Nagar area here have complained about the “illegal” operations of pharmaceutical businesses from the residential houses in the area, the Drugs and Food Control Organization, J&K (DFCO), the residents allege, have managed to hush up the matter.
In a letter which has been written to the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department, the residents alleged that they have approached DFCO with a request to look into the matter, but nothing changed on the ground.
“The then Deputy Director DFCO in a letter directed the Assistant Drug Controller, Srinagar to investigate the matter and submit a report within three days, noting that the matter was serious in nature,” the residents state in a letter.
The letter in which the directions have been passed is also lying with the residents who are alleging that the matter was not pursued even after the concerned official visited the spot.
“There has not been any inquiry conducted nor was any report submitted. The complaint has been hushed up for reasons better known to the concerned officials,” the residents wrote to H&ME.
They said that the Housing Colony at Suthrashahi has been developed by the Government purely for residential purposes and no commercial activity is supposed to be carried out in the colony.
“The Srinagar Master Plan forbids any commercial activity in the residential areas. However, few unscrupulous elements are operating their pharmaceutical business from the residential houses previously owned by Kashmiri Pandits.”
They said that carrying out the drug and food business in the residential houses is in contravention of the established rules governing the issuance of drug licences.
“Carrying out business in the residential areas is not only an irritant to the locals, but even jeopardises the lives of people in general as proper quality control and risk-free storage of drugs may not be achieved in residential houses which are not designed for the purpose,” they said.
The residents-who are already aggrieved over the lack of action by the SMC against the operators of the commercial structures within residential areas-have urged the H&ME to look into the matter and ensure that appropriate action is taken against the violators.
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