PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
After the nationwide Operation RAGEPILL conducted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the Uttarakhand Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has gone on alert mode. After a factory was sealed by NCB in Dehradun officials of FDA stated that no manufacturing licence had been issued to the company under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
On Monday, FDA additional commissioner Tajbar Singh Jaggi said that the department will coordinate with local administration and central agencies whenever required to take action in such cases. The matter gained importance in Uttarakhand after media reports mentioned the name of a unit called Green Herbals located in Sahaspur area of Dehradun district. Following these reports, the FDA issued a clarification and said that the unit was not registered with the department. The department also confirmed that the unit did not have any permission or registration under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The FDA said that Captagon is a banned psychotropic drug and comes under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Therefore, the regulation of such substances does not fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA. Officials added that the illegal supply and trafficking of such drugs are serious criminal offences and are being investigated by central agencies.
Captagon is known internationally as a dangerous stimulant drug. It has reportedly been used in conflict hit regions of West Asia by terror groups and international drug networks. FDA officials said that inspection drives against illegal and unlicensed units are being carried out regularly across the State. The department also warned that strict action will continue against units operating without legal permission.
