HYDERABAD: Soon the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), which is now headed by an IAS officer, and the Prohibition and Excise Department, which is headed by Excise officials, will be headed by IPS officers. The instructions have come from Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently. This is aimed at strengthening both these departments in view of the war on the menace of drug trafficking and abuse.
The DCA ensures that the drugs, that are made available to the public, who use them for prevention, mitigation or treatment of diseases, are of the required standards of quality, purity and strength. It also regulates the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in the State of Telangana.Some of the drugs slated for medicinal use are being diverted to be utilised for non-medicinal purposes, according to reports.
Since such drugs are already notified under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the government has decided to have stricter vigil on their supply and movement.Though the Excise department is headed by senior officials, the Chief Minister stated that an IPS officer heading the department would make its functioning more effective. Earlier, Dr Akun Sabharwal, a 2001 batch IPS officer, had served as the Director of Enforcement and Commissioner of Prohibition and Excise Department.