Delhi to form special task force to crack down on hoarding, black-marketing of Covid-19 drugs
Amid the acute shortage of Covid-19 essential drugs and widespread reports of their sale in the black market, the Delhi government has ordered to form a special task force (STF) to crack down on hoarders of such medicines.
The government has directed all district magistrates to constitute the STF to take strict action against those involved in hoarding and black-marketing of life-saving drugs which are used for treating coronavirus patients.
As per the order, the STF would be empowered to carry out raids and other actions against the suspects.
Chief secretary Vijay Dev, in the order, said drugs controllers will also constitute a sufficient number of teams on an urgent basis for inspecting, checking, raiding and stopping the manufacturing and supply of spurious drugs.
“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 the strictest action against the black marketeers, hoarders and manufacturers and suppliers of spurious drugs, the order stated.
Dev, who is also the chairman of DDMA’s state executive committee, directed officers concerned to submit a daily action-taken report.