NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has directed all district magistrates to constitute a ‘Special Task Force’ to take strict action against those involved in hoarding and black-marketing of life-saving drugs which are used for treating coronavirus patients. Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, in an order, said drugs controllers will also constitute sufficient number of teams on urgent basis for inspecting, checking, raiding and stopping the manufacturing and supply of spurious drugs.Dev, who is also the chairman of DDMA’s state executive committee, directed officers concerned to submit a daily action-taken report.
On Sunday, Delhi recorded 350 Covid deaths and 22,933 cases with a positivity rate of 30.21 per cent. This was the fourth day on the trot that the city had recorded over 300 fatalities due to coronavirus.It had reported 357 fatalities, the highest so far since the pandemic began a year ago, on Saturday, 348 on Friday and 306 on Thursday, according to government data.“All district magistrates shall also constitute a Special Task Force with the help and assistance of their counterpart district DCPs,’ the chief secretary said in the order issued on Sunday.
“This Special Task Force shall be primarily responsible for inspecting, checking, raiding and stopping the manufacturing and supply of spurious life-saving drugs and also to prevent the black marketing and hoarding of all life-saving drugs which are used for treating Covid-19 patients,” he added.All district magistrates and DCPs will issue necessary directives to all field functionaries and ‘Special Task Force’ for taking strictest action against the blackmarketeers, hoarders and manufacturers and suppliers of spurious drugs, Dev said.
Nurse held for black marketing Remdesivir
New Delhi: In yet another crackdown on black marketers, the Delhi Police on Monday arrested a nurse of Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in Rohini on charges of selling Covid-19 essential drug Remdesivir at a high price. Amid heightened demand, the accused allegedly sold the Remdesivir injections at Rs 1.16 lakh to earn profit. DCP Rohini Pranav Tayal said they were set to sell two more injections for Rs 60,000 each. “On preliminary investigation, the role of one nurse of the hospital has also been found and she has been arrested. Her associate Sudhir had purchased these injections from her for Rs 38,000 each and sold them at a higher price. Legal action is being taken against her and her associate,” said DCP.
With PTI inputs