Director of Medical Services in the Union Territory of Pondicherry has issued a show cause notice to a drug inspector at the General Hospital at Karaikal for not acting on several applications for drug licenses submitted to him by traders.

The action was taken after receiving complaints from Chemists and Druggists of Karaikal in Pondicherry. In the complaint, chemists said that the official was keeping many applications for licenses in his custody for more than two years without recommending them to the Directorate of Drugs Control. The director has asked the drug inspector to explain the cause of this delinquency in ten days.

The DMS has also ordered the medical superintendent of the General Hospital to enquire into the matter and asked him to take steps to clear those pending applications.

According to sources from the Medical Services Department, the drug inspector was allegedly holding the applications received from chemists and druggists for fresh and renewal of licenses. Sources said, scared of the Drug Inspector, the traders came directly to the office of DMS and complained orally.

When contacted, Dr M Kandasamy, the medical superintendent at Karaikal GH, said he has begun inspection and started sending the applications to the concerned authority. According to sources, there was another allegation against the drug inspector that the official was not to be seen in his office during office hours, but was found always in Pondicherry.

A senior officer in the drugs control department said for the last two years the drug inspector was not conducting neither inspection nor doing any investigation including collection of samples. He further said the department has noticed instances of irresponsibility and indiscipline on the official's part.

Sources in the directorate said his negligence and failure of commitment to duty have not only made difficulties for the traders but also to the general public.

The office-bearers of the Pondicherry Chemists and Druggists Association said that many medical shop owners pushed into a financial crisis as they had taken bank loans with high interest rates to start medical shops. Those who have applied for fresh loans have hired rooms for high rent and purchased furniture and other articles including refrigerators to start the pharmacy. But their applications have not reached the drugs directorate. In the case of existing pharmacy stores, to renew their licenses the retailers had to submit their applications to the same drug inspector, they said.

Attempts to contact the drug inspector over telephone got failed as he was unwilling to respond.