Even as the union health ministry is still groping in the dark over the issue of moving Supreme Court against the Madras High Court's recent stay order on the extension given to the DCGI Dr Surinder Singh, the industry is concerned over the continuing 'administrative vacuum' in the DCGI office created by the order.
Though it is almost a week since the Madras High Court stayed the 9-month extension given to the DCGI, the health ministry is yet to take any concrete steps to officiate somebody from the CDSCO to the DCGI's post till a new DCGI is appointed. The ministry's dilly-dallying on the issue has virtually made the DCGI office without a functioning head, as DCGI Dr Surinder Singh is not attending the office ever since the court order on July 20.
The post of the DCGI is not something that the government should keep vacant for a long time as nothing will move in the industry without DCGI's regulatory approval. The government by now should have given the charge of DCGI to somebody in the department in the wake of the High Court order, an industry leader said.
If the government is serious in removing the 'administrative vacuum' in the DCGI office, it should give the charge of DCGI to some senior officials in the CDSCO itself till a regular DCGI is appointed by the ministry for which it has already given advertisements in the media, industry leaders said.
Stressing on the need to appoint somebody from the CDSCO as the in-charge DCGI, industry leaders argued that if somebody from outside is given charge of DCGI, by the time he settles in his post, new DCGI will be appointed. The industry will badly suffer if the ministry does not make someone in-charge of the DCGI immediately, that too from within the CDSCO, industry leaders said.
Meanwhile, sources said that the Union health ministry has sought the union law ministry's advise on the issue of moving Supreme Court on the issue.