The ongoing struggle by the scholars, teachers and students of the Government Siddha Medical College at Playamkottai in Tirunelveli against the move of CCRAS (Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha) to shift the Survey of Medicinal Plants Unit (SMPU) functioning in the college premises to a private Siddha Medical College at Salem, took a new turn with the Tirunelveli MP, S Ramasubbu's support to the strikers.

Siddha students of the college have already started an indefinite strike in the college campus on last Monday against the proposed shifting. They wanted the clinical research unit should be upgraded into a Regional Research Institute-Siddha.

While expressing solidarity with all those who wage an intense protest to save the unit from being shifted, Ramasubbu told Pharmabiz that if the Ayush Department wanted a medicinal plant unit at Salem, they could start a separate unit there. The unit in Tirunelveli is of 40 years old and it is a repository with over 2300 species of therapeutic flora including over 1000 species from the Western Ghats.

Regarding the shifting of Clinical Research Unit-Siddha from the same college campus to a private University in Thanjavur, he said that move also be thwarted at any rate. He said the research centre in Tirunelveli stands as the number one among the 13 research centres in India. The Parliament Member further said that he had sought the intervention of Union ministers from the state, into the matter besides giving a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, the staffers of the research centre have been given transfer orders to join immediately at the Shivraj Siddha Medical College at Salem, a private institution, by CCRAS, in the same capacity. The Centre at Tirunelveli has only three staff members including one research officer.

According to exporters of medicinal plants in the nearby district of Tuticorin, the SMPU was very much useful to them for study of medicinal plant availability, sources, usage, processing etc for export purpose. P.S.S. Ramachandran, Partner, Abirami Botanical Corporation said currently in world market the need for new herbal products for development of medicines is very high. Most of the exporters in Tami Nadu are depending on the SMPU for clearing every doubt.

The Siddha Medical College in Tirunelveli is the oldest medical college in the ISM sector in the state. The clinical research unit was established in 1980. Dr. Joseph Thas, former Principal of the college said for the research unit to function, requires a full-fledged Siddha hospital. In Thanjavur there is no such facility.