Daily Pioneer: Lucknow: Saturday, 17 October
2015.
The State Information Commissioner (SIC) ordered a
probe into alleged irregularities made in issuing wholesale drug licenses in
Ambedkarnagar. The prove will be coinducted by Commissioner of Food and Drug
Authority (FDA) who has to submit a report within a month. The SIC move came
after the FDA official concealed information on irregularities sought through
Right to Information (RTI) Act.
SIC, Hafiz Usman said that a senior office bearer
of Ambedkarnagar Drug Association alleged irregularities by district officials
in issuing drug licenses to retailers and wholesellers. An appeal was
subsequently filed by the office bearers. In the complaint, the CIC was
apprised as to how information about particular licences given by FDA in
Ambedkarnagar were not provided against a RTI querry.
The SIC summoned the FDA officials of
Ambedkarnagar for thgeir version but no one turned up. A fine of of Rs 25,000 was imposed against the erring officials and notices were served to them
for personal appearance.
Later, two District Drug Inspectors, Prabodh
Chandra Rastogi and Amit Kumar Bansal appeared in the SIC court and pleaded
innocence. They claimed that they had provided initial information to the
complainant but could not answer his queries later on as they were shifted from
the post. While Rastogi said that he was
suspended for gross , Bansal said that he was shifted to Moradabad and hence
the inability.
However finding large scale irregularities were
made in issuing drug licenses and that the the department was not giving
replying to RTI queries, the SIC decided to get the matter probed by the
Commissioner of FDA. He claimed that the Commissioner has been asked to submit
his finding in a month. The next hearing will now be made by the SIC on January
19 next year.
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