Karnataka Drugs Control Department is now facing an acute shortage of drug inspectors. It has made a representation to the State Government to recruit to fill the shortfall of inspectors. Currently, the department has a total staff of 72 with just 40 drug inspectors. The department has a shortfall of 40 inspectors, according to sources from the State Drugs Control department.

At the workshop on 'Effective Implementation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and Judicial Procedures" organised by the Drugs Control Department Enforcement Officers Association, K Sreedhar Rao, judge of the Karnataka High Court stated in his inaugural address that the drugs inspectors were overburdened and often needed assistance from the other departments such as the police to enforce the law.

"Drug inspectors faced the difficult task of prosecution when they found lapses in the drugs trade and production centres in the state. Investigation of the cases was an enormous activity and there were several technical lapses in the prosecution procedures. Protocols need to be laid out for governing the investigation, confiscation, testing and prosecution procedures to be able to increase the number of punishments under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. There is a need to make the drugs control department more transparent," he pointed out.

In order to aid investigation of spurious and sub standard drugs, it was vital for the drugs inspectors to have multipurpose drug testing equipments, added the Karnataka High Court Judge.

He further insisted that drug inspectors should pin point the difficulties and also make a representation to the Principal secretary department of Health and Family Welfare D Thangaraj, who could in turn bring to the notice of the State Government to introduce the required changes.

In his address D Thangaraj, principal secretary, Karnataka's department of Health and Family Welfare stated that the lack of manpower and inadequate budget hampered the functioning of the Drugs Control department. The State government would be persuaded to remedy this problem.

Jawed Rahim, secretary, Karnataka's department of law said that the powers given to the drug inspectors could be enhanced by an executive order pending new legislation. The laws in this regard were considered social legislation, safeguarding the interests of the consumers. It was up to the enforcement officers to produce indisputable and admissible evidence before the court, he added.

RJ Desai, director, Karnataka's department of Prosecutions, stated that the enforcement officers needed more support especially in districts where they had to cover more number of drug retail and wholesale outlets. The laws related to drugs control had to be enforced with the help of other laws such as Criminal Procedure Code.