The ex-president of Andhra Pradesh Pharmacy Council (APPC) Vijay Annappa Reddy has demanded to the government to include his name in the enquiry panel set up by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to probe into irregularities occurring in the APPC.

Earlier last week, with the complaints from council members, associations and graduates mounting against current registrar Pola Nagaraju, a retired assistant drug control administration officer, Governor of both TS and AP, E S L Narasihman had directed the officials from both the states to enquire into the matter. In view of this, the Telanagna government has appointed Putta Srinivas, Director of Medical Education and Andhra Pradesh government has appointed B L Meena, Director General of APDCA, as enquiry officers from both the states and directed them to submit a report at the earliest.

According to Annappa Reddy, the allegations of corruption and siphoning of Rs.1.10 crore was baseless. “The self interest officers from drugs control administration and a section of members of pharmacy associations have colluded together and have planned to put me away from my office by some or the other means. Even after the high court’s direction to the government to conduct an enquiry against irregularities done by me, they have not found anything against me. Had I done anything wrong in my 9 months tenure as a APPC president, they could have filed FIR against me and put me in jail,” says Reddy.

Reacting to recent direction by the governor to conduct enquiry against the registrar, Reddy says, “Though late, it is good that things are coming to light by their own now. With this enquiry the dirty nexus between registrar, drug officials and trade associations will come out. I have every proof with me to prove their bad deeds. Therefore I request the government to include me as member in the enquiry committee.”

When asked about the registration fee hike without government’s permission during his tenure as president, Reddy said that the council is an autonomous body and it doesn’t get any fund from the government to run its activities. Moreover, it is also important to strengthen the council infrastructure and establish a robust website to facilitate online registrations and renewals for the convenience of the pharmacists. “I agree that I had enhanced the registration fees, from Rs.500 to Rs.5000, but again not a single paisa is gone into anybody’s pocket. Everything is transparent and deposited in the council’s bank account. If we compared to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, APPC has the least deposits in its account. In my opinion it is not a big matter for the students who are spending Rs.35000 to Rs.60000 as annual fees to the colleges, to bear Rs.5000 for getting registered in the council. Allegations against me were only a game plan by the drug controllers and trade mafia to keep me away so that they could do whatever they want and they had even appointed their own person as registrar to run their show,” Reddy says.