Ranchi: BJP state presidentBabulal Marandi has written to the Principal Secretary of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Jharkhand, highlighting a serious public health issue involving the illegal sale of banned and narcotic cough syrups in the state and alleged departmental negligence. He noted that last year, following intelligence from Gujarat police, a large cache of Phensedyl was seized from the Barwa Adda area of Dhanbad by Jharkhand Police. Despite the known abuse of this syrup as a narcotic, its open sale continued, and after the case was taken over by CID, no arrests have been made even after 14 months, pointing to administrative laxity.
Marandi referred to a pending public interest litigation in Jharkhand High Court (Arun Kumar Dubey vs State of Jharkhand), which alleges that spurious, narcotic, and harmful drugs have been supplied with the collusion of government officials. The February 11, 2022 report of a three-member inquiry committee is attached to the petition, which details that large quantities of narcotic drugs were sold openly and that officials, including the then Joint Director Surendra Prasad, Drug Controller Ritu Sahay, and Special Secretary Chandra Kishore Uraon, deliberately suppressed the matter. The report also mentions that during a raid on M/s Vishwanath Pharmaceuticals, obstructions were created, delaying action and allowing nearly ₹1 crore worth of codeine-based syrups to be sold in markets in Lucknow and Varanasi.
Marandi expressed concern that one of the officials implicated in the report has recently been promoted, raising questions about accountability. He emphasized that the drug control system in Jharkhand shows serious irregularities, with banned syrups and psychoactive substances affecting youth and even being trafficked across the Bangladesh border, indicating an interstate and international network.
He urged the government to publicly release the February 11, 2022 report and implement its recommendations immediately, involve central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Narcotics Control Bureau to probe the financial and supply chain aspects, audit the functioning of the Drug Controller’s office, temporarily relieve officials under investigation of administrative responsibilities, and disclose why no arrests have been made in the Barwa Adda seizure case.
Marandi stressed that this issue concerns public health, youth welfare, and government transparency, and called for a thorough and impartial investigation with strict action against the guilty.