The Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association (MSCDA) has asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to stop corruption in the office of Food and Drugs Administration Minister Sanjay Rathod. It has named the minister’s personal secretary (PS) and officer on special duty (OSD) among others, and threatened a state-wide agitation if action is not taken. MSCDA general secretary Anil Navander wrote a letter on April 18 to the CM detailing the trouble its members face at Rathod’s office. “The minister’s office is not Mantralaya but bhrashtalaya (house of corruption),” said the letter.

‘Action deliberate’

The complaint stated that the establishments of druggists and chemists are verified/inspected as per the law. But inadvertent mistakes on part of the owners are deliberately used to suspend or terminate their permit/license, it said, further adding that the owners were handed unreasonable punishment for minor lapses. The owners appeal before the minister, but the minister’s office doesn’t act on it. A decision is not given despite correspondence and our members get punished without being heard, the letter said.