Terming as baseless and unsupported by facts, the secretary of the Chennai-based Indian Medicine Practitioners’ Cooperative Pharmacy and Stores Ltd (Impcops) has refuted the allegations made by a dismissed employee of the Society against the present president and board of directors of the Society in a letter to the union agriculture minister.

Based on a news item appeared in Pharmabiz on November 22, Dr K G Radhakrishnan, secretary in-charge of Impcops has informed Pharmabiz that the complainant, M Evenson, ex-employee of the Society and a group of other employees were dismissed from the services of the Impcops by the executive committee for irregularities committed by them while in services.

Radhakrishnan said that Dr V R Seshadri, former secretary of the Society, Dr K Ponsingh, former assistant secretary and D Swayambu Nainar, former senior manager have been dismissed from the services of the Impcops for the irregularities committed by them in the construction of hospital building for Impcops during the period of previous Board.

“The contract was given to the building contractor violating the terms and conditions of the Tender. They sanctioned nearly Rs.51 lakhs to the contractor out of the total cost of the building of Rs.52 lakhs even without obtaining bills for the same. They released payment without verifying whether the contractor has completed the work in the hospital building proportionate to the amount paid to him. Dr K Ponsingh has been charged for using Impcops money for the personal use of former president of Impcops. D.Swayambu Nainar has deliberately failed in his duty from checking the delayed bank remittance of nearly Rs.2 crore at the Impcops sales depot at Arumbakkam. Therefore the executive committee of the Society has dismissed Dr V R Seshadri, Dr K Ponsingh and D Swayambu Nainar on the basis of the enquiry report submitted by a Retired District Judge and also by another Advocate who conducted domestic enquiry against them”, the secretary stated in his letter to Pharmabiz.

While denying another allegation regarding holding a position by the president of Impcops, Dr A Ramalingam, in Periyar TBI, the secretary says that the Periyar Technology Business Incubator (Periyar TBI) is neither manufacturing Siddha, Ayurveda and Unani medicines nor supplying the medicines to the government institutions, doctor-members and general public as Impcops does. So, holding a position in the Board of Governors of TBI will not disqualify the president as per section 43(1) of MSCS ACT or provision 39 of the By-law of Impcops.

Regarding shifting of sales depot in Trichy, the secretary argues that Impcops sales depot in Trichy was earlier functioning in Chintamani Co-operative Supermarket located at the main road. The previous Board of Impcops purchased a shop located nearly one km away from main town of Trichy and shifted the sales depot to the newly purchased shop in the year 2005. In view of this, the members of Impcops and general public were put into great difficulties to reach Impcops sales depot for purchase of medicines. In view of this and also considering the lot of representations received from the Members of Trichy, the new Board resolved to shift the Impcops sales depot to the central place of Trichy Town.

“We pay a monthly rent of Rs.4,000/- for the sales depot. At the same time Impcops’s own shop has been let out for the monthly rent of Rs.4,463/-. There is no monetary loss to Impcops in this exercise, ” Dr Radhakrishnan said in his letter.

The secretary’s rebuttal goes further that the officer, who had conducted the enquiry on the basis of a complaint to the Central Registrar by a group of dismissed employees, visited Impcops only twice in connection with the work. The officer has in fact submitted their report without verifying the records of the Impcops. “We therefore, have sought the copy of the full enquiry report submitted by the enquiry officer to the Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies, New Delhi to submit our detailed reply to the Report”, Impcops secretary said.

Further the letter says that M.Evanson, and other dismissed employees have resorted to this slander campaign against the president and Board of Impcops with an intention to enter Impcops again and then to continue their illegal and corrupt activities as they did before. If they have got any genuine grievance they can approach the appropriate forum in this regard. They have no right to interfere with statutory functions of the office bearers of Impcops, the secretary clarified.