Lok Ayukta team led by Justice N Venkatachala speaks to R Anand Rajashekar, drugs controller at the Karnataka DC office

The Karnataka Lok Ayukta, in its raid at the Karnataka Drugs Control office today, has found major irregularities and fund misappropriations. The raid conducted at five separate sections of the drugs laboratory attached to the Drugs Control department, revealed that the clearance reports in respect of 259 cases of drugs were 'not of standard quality' and also includes several spurious drugs.

The Lok Ayukta also found that the essential drugs like injections 'Dexamethazone' which were received for testing by the Laboratory and the report was given after 11 months from the date of receipt of the drug and no actions have been initiated to withdraw these drugs from the market. The available records with investigation team also revealed that most of these drugs have already been used by the public.

The raid unearthed violations in drugs price control order which has not been enforced and cases against the firms violating it were not booked. People from Karnataka have spent more than Rs.300 crore for purchase of these drugs.

Similarly, in the case of drugs like Framycetin, an antibiotic substituted by Neomycin which is ten times cheaper, only one Ms. Tejpal was booked and no action has been initiated on the other five companies who were selling the same drug. In another case, in which Knoll Pharmaceuticals imported insulin and sold without MRP mentioned on the vial, the Drug Control Department is found neutral despite the DPCO violation.

Cosmat Forte, which is an anti bacterial drug, was contaminated with Dibenclamide, an anti diabetic drug and this drug was used in an eye camp at Kolar and four patients who consumed this have died and four lost their eyes.

The Lok Ayukta raid led by Justice N Venkatachala, and Dr. H Sudarshan, vigilance Director (health) revealed that when the drug inspectors and assistant drugs controllers proceeded on leave, the drugs controller took charge instead of delegating their work to the subordinate staff.

It has also found that the Drug control Department has not initiated action against many more cases of drug price violation by the companies and other trade and safety irregularities. Interestingly, while R Anand Rajashekar, drugs controller, was interrogated by the Team he said that many cases were withdrawn as per instructions of the Home department.

The raid further exposed the regular system of collecting bribes from the drugs inspectors and assistant drugs controllers every month by the drug controller himself, Earlier the rate was Rs.15,000 and now it has been enhanced to Rs.30,000, said Dr. Sudarshan.

Another fact that was brought to light was that the premises of the drugs control department were not kept clean for several years. In one of the store rooms' all drug samples, which were collected for testing were dumped along with costly equipment and microscopes. Dr. Sudarshan informed that despite an allocation of funds to the tune of Rs. 1 crore for 2002-2003, no efforts were made to undertake the repair of a cold storage, which was under maintenance for the last five years.

In addition, several irregularities, negligence of duty by the officers in issue/renewal of licences of the medical stores and enforcement of strict regulations. "Only a handful of cases have been booked, said Dr. Sudarshan.

All the staff of the drugs control department confessed before Dr. Sudarshan that all of them were corrupt and bribes were been taken at regular intervals, which were handed over to the senior officials in the drugs department. "We have seized all the files relating to the cases," Justice Venkatachala informed. However, none of the officials from the Drugs Control department was available for comments.