Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra has made air conditioning of the premises of all the wholesale and retail drug outlets mandatory in Mumbai and grade A and B Municipal areas. The decision was taken after a joint meeting with the state branch of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD).

The Rule is already in effect from January 1, 2003 and those who have been granted sales license after the notification should have already complied with this requirement. However, the applications came before the notification but cleared after January 2003 have been given the exemption for another two years till December 31, 2004 as it is in the case of existing outlets.

Considering the suggestions from the chemists to reduce high power cost and also initial investments, the FDA has also agreed to permit partial air conditioning of shops where the drug products are to be kept. It would give the flexibility to the shops to reduce its air conditioned area only to the space required to keep the drugs instead of covering the entire shop, said R V Yadav, Joint Commissioner (HQ), FDA, Maharashtra.

“It would save the investment cost to a certain extent as a low tonnage air conditioner can serve the purpose, which would also help to reduce power consumption,” said the AIOCD sources. However, the FDA officials are concerned about the space availability in many of the city shops for such separations in the existing premises.

The officials said that in the areas like Princess Street in Mumbai may even find it difficult to find space for the Air conditioner. However, there are no more flexibility in the norms, the officials said.

It may be recalled that the early this year, State FDA Commissioner Uttam Khobragade has defied chemists associations to move court against the government decision to make air conditioning facility mandatory in all pharmacy shops in the state. The government move in this direction is in the wake of an investigation report, which has revealed that the potency of many life saving drugs get reduced by up to 50 per cent if they are not stored below 25 degree centigrade.

With this Rule, around 7000 drug outlets within the seven zones of Greater Mumbai will have to be air conditioned within the stipulated period and there are around 50 new sales licenses have been issued in the Corporation area in accordance with the new norms.