While a petition seeking removal of the unqualified official holding charge of Director of Drugs Control Administration is with Madras High Court, the Tamil Nadu government has appointed N Selvaraju, deputy director of the Drugs Control Administration, as the Drugs Controller (in-charge) of the state.
The new DC, Selvaraju, who was holding charge as the assistant drugs controller at Salem district, has been promoted as deputy controller with effect from June 2006, and he has assumed charge of Drug Controller (in-charge) by the beginning of this month. Being an official with 35 years of experience in the department, Selvaraju has launched several prosecutions against malpractices in the industry, a informed sources said.
The new state government has taken a forward step by promoting officials from the post of assistant drugs controller to the post of deputy drugs controller to overcome the current non availability qualified and efficient officials, the sources said. The post of Drugs Controller and three deputy drugs controllers where vacant for some time. Officials without pharmacy graduation including civil service officials were handling the post of drugs controller for the past several months.
The state government has acted upon the issue while a petition praying removal of the official without pharmacy graduation from the post of Director of Drugs Control (additional charge), was lying with Madras High Court. It is learnt that the government has yet to report the change of official to the Court. The Court is to consider the petition soon after the holidays which ended on June 12, 2006.
As Pharmabiz reported earlier, the petition filed by T K Ramalingasamy, retired joint director of Drugs Control pointed out that since July 2005, the post of director has been filled up with the officers outside the purview of the Drugs Cosmetics Act & Rules, hence, failing to adhere the qualifications prescribed under Rule 49 (A) and 50 (A).
It is to be noted that the apathy of the Tamil Nadu Government for the past two years to appoint a full-fledged drugs controller was seriously affecting the day-to-day functions of the drugs control administration in the state and causing various problems to the industry. Though the issue has not completely sorted out, the promotion measures taken by the government at present is a positive sign to overcome the situation, an industry source said.