PNS | DEHRADUN
The Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) department has started gearing up for this year’s Char Dham Yatra. Though the Yatra commences in the month of April every year the department has already appointed nodal officers for the Yatra for better coordination and management. The assistant drugs commissioner (ADC), Sudhir Kumar has been appointed as nodal officer for medicines while the deputy commissioner (DC), Food Safety (Garhwal), RS Rawat will be the nodal officer for food safety on the Char Dham Yatra routes.
The department has also set up special teams under both the nodal officers for inspection and enforcement activities on the Yatra route.
There are more than 2,000 pharmacy shops on the Char Dham Yatra route. The team headed by ADC Kumar will inspect shops on the Yatra route to check their licences, stock of the medicines, the storage condition, their expiry date and confiscate contra brand drugs in the stores.
The food safety team will check the restaurants, food joints, hotels and eateries on the Yatra route for enforcement of food safety norms. The teams will be backed up by the employees of the department and mobile testing vans.
The additional commissioner FDA and State drug controller, Tajber Jaggi said that the department is fully prepared for the upcoming Char Dham Yatra. He said that the pilgrims and people on the Yatra route should ensure that they purchase medicines from the licensed shops only. They should also check the batch number and expiry date of the medicines. He said that the department will soon get services of newly recruited 18 drug inspectors.
