The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), arguably the most decentralised drug department in the country as far as the licensing system is concerned, is gearing up itself to oppose the creation of CDA tooth and nail when the Amar Singh led Parliamentary Committee visits Mumbai next month.

"We will ask the Committee to compare the hardships of the ayurvedic drug makers to that of allopathic drug manufacturers in the state to get a fair idea of decentralisation of power in the state", a senior FDA official said. "We will give examples of working of state ayurvedic department and the allopathic department to the Amar Singh committee. While the ayurvedic department has a centralised authority, the allopathic department (FDA) has decentralised the entire system", he added.

The FDA official said that the FDA will strongly oppose the creation of CDA as it is intended to centralise the entire system.

Due to centralisation of authority, the ayurvedic drug manufacturers from different parts of the state have to come to Mumbai for fresh licensing, renewal, plant approval, additional product approval, complaint investigation and follow up action, etc, while the allopathic manufacturers can approach the divisional headquarters for all these works.

According to sources, though there is stiff opposition from the industry and drug departments alike to the formation of CDA, the opposition from Maharashtra drug department cannot be lost in the crowd as Maharashtra is the most decentralised state in the country as far as drug licensing system is concerned. In the state, the power to issue drug licensing has been delegated to all the divisional joint commissioners. There are seven divisions in the state.

Due to the decentralisation of power to divisional joint commissioner level, the disposal of drug licensing has been fast in the state. The decentralisation was done after the Justice Lentin Commission report in the mid-80s, sources said.

As part of its efforts to get first-hand information on the formation of CDA, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health & Family Welfare led by Amar Singh MP is scheduled to have its sitting in Mumbai in the middle of next month to meet the stakeholders for the creation of the Central Drug Authority (CDA). The committee which had already toured the four southern states early in January is to undertake a study visit to Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Goa from February 12.