Expired medicines found in forest near Solan

A dump of expired life saving medicines was found dumped in the forest area of Basal panchayat near Solan this afternoon.

Officials of the Drugs Department initiated a probe after receiving a complaint from local villagers. The officials visited the area to take stock of the situation. “Since some bills were also confiscated from the dump, the officials were ascertaining the origin of the stack comprising a sizable quantity of drugs,” said Assistant Licensing Authority Garima Sharma. She added that it was also a violation of the pollution control norms as chemical waste had been dumped in an open area.

An investigation revealed that the stack of expired medicines belonged to a wholesaler. Meanwhile, residents of Basal panchayat demanded strict action against the persons responsible for dumping the expired medicines. According to reports, life-saving medicines were dumped in the forest near the Basal helipad. Large quantities of these medicines were scattered by animals, raising concerns that they might have ingested them, as the stack was found in the area where the animals usually graze.

They had limited options to proceed against the guilty persons but action like directing the wholesaler to collect the dump and dispose it of scientifically could be exercised, officials said.