Since legal hurdles stall the operations of the Chennai district committee of the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA), the state trade body is now gearing up to activate the Chennai Chemists Welfare Committee (CCWC), a subcommittee of TNCDA to look into the traders’ affairs, in order to counter the activities of the splinter group, Chennai Chemists & Druggists Association (CCDA).

The organisational elections for state office-bearers and new district committees will be held in September this year. Since a case following previous election is still pending with the High Court, TNCDA’s Chennai district committee cannot act till the verdict comes out. In its place, the CCWC is now acting to coordinate with the members of the association, said S Selvakumar, president of the welfare committee.

Countering the claims of CCDA secretary that it has the support of 8,000 members in Chennai alone, Selvakumar said out of the 20 zonal committees of TNCDA, 13 zones are supporting the CCWC and seven zones supporting CCDA. Eighty percent of the wholesalers in Chennai are associating with the welfare committee, and CCDA has only 700 members.

He said TNCDA’s zonal committees are working in Purasawalkam, Perambur, Ambattur, Kilpauk, Arumbakkam, Perungalathur, Egmore, Annanagar, K K Nagar, koyambedu, Triplicane, Medavakkam and Kulathur.

But the zonal committees constituted at Mylapore, Adyar, T Nagar, Tambaram, Pady, Ayanavaram and Parrys are now with CCDA, he said, adding that due to the factional feud in the association Tiruvotriyur and Tambaram zones were split into two factions and one group in each place supports CCDA.

Meanwhile, news about formation of a parallel association under the leadership of T Natarajan, secretary of CCDA, has become viral among the business community across Tamil Nadu. Sources from the industry informed Pharmabiz that the Tamil Nadu branch of the AICDF (TNPDA) and the pharma marketers association, CIPMMA, held secret discussions with CCDA leaders for merger. Both the wholesale organisations are gradually gravitating towards Chennai Chemists & Druggists Association, the first pharma trade body formed in Tamil Nadu.

Responding to current issues in the trade industry, Natarajan said the state level meeting of traders supporting his organisation will be held in June first week, either in Chennai or in Madurai. The office-bearers of TNPDA and CIPMMA will be invited to the meeting. He alleged that TNCDA is not interfering in the problems of the traders, but concentrating only on constructing its 50th anniversary building in Trichy.

“They are not taking care of the burning issues of the chemists’ community. At present the major issues faced by the traders are emergence of online pharmacy, growth of Jan Aushadhi Stores, OTC classification..etc. But, for TNCDA either of these is an issue for them. Their attention is on the 50th anniversary building in Trichy”, said Natarajan.

Whereas, while commenting on addressing grievances of members, CCWC president Selvakumar, said because of his efforts with the state government, the pharma traders in the state have been exempted from e-way bill on drugs and allied pharmaceutical items. Joining with Merchants Association, TNCDA conducted agitation against government's stringent norms over GST compliance.