The activities of Utkal Chemists and Druggists Association (UCDA), the Orissa affiliate of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) are in a stalemate as a dispute on postponement of internal election and alleged misappropriation in accounts is currently sub judice.

Hearing a petition from the Cuttack District Chemists and Druggists Association (CDCDA) - an UCDA affiliate - and parties, the Civil Judge (senior division), Cuttack, has directed the state drugs controller to appoint a receiver for the day to day administration of association refraining the office bearers from the activities based on various charges in the end of February.

Though state drugs controller notified H K Mahapatra, deputy drug controller as the receiver of the UCDA and the official took charge in the first week of March, the UCDA office bearers refused to hand over the office to the receiver, according to official sources. However, the UCDA office bearers attained an interim order from the Orissa High Court constraining the receiver from handling the day to day operations and management of association's accounts. The court will hear the issue of holding internal election in the association on March 17.

"After we received the order from Cuttack civil judge, the officer was assigned to take charge of the association office. But the office was already locked by the office bearers and the receiver couldn't take charge. We are waiting for the High Court hearing on 17th about the election," J P Mishra, drugs controller, Orissa, told Pharmabiz.

The litigation mainly alleges dilatory attitude of the current office bearers to conduct elections for state body. According to the petition filed by CDCDA, the election was to be held at November 2007. However, the UCDA delayed the election procedure in various stages to behold power, alleged the petition.

The CDCDA also alleges that the UDCDA is indulged in mismanagement, mal administration and misappropriation in day to day administration of latter. The allegations are mainly on the office bearers of the association, pointing especially on the general secretary, Ch Prabir Kumar Das, according to sources. P K Das is also currently holding charge organizing secretary in AIOCD.

The association is also involved in boycotting products of various pharmaceutical companies and putting restrictions against distributors causing shortage of medicine in market, alleges a group of chemists. As per available documents, the drugs control office has earlier admonished the association against its boycott of stocks from various pharmaceutical companies, resulting in the non-availability or shortage of essential life saving drugs in the market.

"The UDCDA leaders were boycotting pharma companies and distributors to make them dance to the tune of association. This, in effect has caused free access of medicine to the common man," said Pragati Ranjan Mohanty, Orissa Campus Chemists Association (OCCA). Earlier, the political group Orissa Lok Dal and lately various other groups has called for probe against the office bearer and the association on its alleged link with fake drugs racket issue.

However, the UCDA officials denied all the allegations from the opponents. "The issue has started with the election of CDCDA, which was impeded by the existing president and secretary of the district association. The original time limit for state election is January 31, 2008 and it is because of litigations that we couldn't hold the elections within the time," said P K Jennah, secretary for administration, UCDA. He added that the allegations against P K Das are contrived by his opponents in drug distribution business and some large C&F agents.