Licences for sale: Drug Control Officer of Jalandhar-2 suspended for graft

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, June 22

Amid a viral video and charges of seeking bribe against him, Drug Control Officer, Jalandhar-2, Ravi Gupta has been placed under suspension by the state Department of Health and Family Welfare. The Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, has also been directed to transfer the case investigation to the Vigilance Bureau and supply all the requisite documents to the VB.

What the officer is heard saying in the video that went viral…

Vaise tan allowed nahi haige licence. 3-3, 4-4 lakh da rate chal reha etthe par apan tan tuhanu fresh devange. Tuhada takriban 2-3 (lakh) ho jouga kharch. Baki je tusi kahonge apaan ghat vi kar dange thore bahut…Actually, 4-5 lakh ka bikta hai licence. Ye chal raha hai rate. Kyonki fresh to band hai. Hum kisi tarike se banva ke denge apko. Vaise totally band hai.

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The case has been marked to the Vigilance Bureau for a probe. Prime facie, the officer seems to be asking for money for a licence, which calls for action which has been duly ordered. Subsequent action will follow as per the findings of the probe. —Ajoy Sharma, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab

Deputed in Jalandhar, Ravi Gupta has been suspended at least two months after the video appeared in the public domain. In the video, he was seen demanding lakh of rupees in bribe in return for issuing a licence.

Notably, while the video had been circulating on social media since April, the orders for Gupta’s suspension were issued by the Secretary, Punjab Government, Health and Family Welfare Department, on June 20. Copies of the order have also been marked to the Secretaries to the CM, Punjab, the Finance and Health Secretaries, the Civil Surgeon, Jalandhar, and the Zonal Licensing Authority, Jalandhar.

Sources in the department said the video and the subsequent orders are proof of discrepancies in the issuance of licences to chemists in the drug department.

Plaint remained pending for a month

While the video first became public in April, the case had previously been forwarded by the previous Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, for a probe, following which the file went to previous health minister Vijay Inder Singla. But following the probe into his own corruption charges, sources said this matter remained uninvestigated for nearly a month. It is when the file reached the current health minister that formal cognizance was eventually taken. Until then, the Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, also changed. The suspension of the officer was thus ordered on June 20.

The orders state that “As per the video received from a mobile number (which is mentioned in the order), Ravi Gupta, Drug Control Officer, Jalandhar-2, is being suspended with immediate effect as per rule 4 (1) of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, for seeking money in exchange of a certain work.”

The Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, has been directed to transfer the case to the Vigilance Bureau for investigation. During his suspension, the head office, the Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Kharar, has been designated as the headquarters of suspended Drug Control Officer Ravi Gupta.

In the video, the officer is seen speaking to another person not visible on the screen. He says, “Vaise tan allowed nahi haige license. 3-3, 4-4 lakh da rate chal reha etthe par apan tan tuhanu fresh devange. Tuhada takriban 2-3 (lakh) ho jouga kharch. Baki je tusi kahonge apaan ghat vi kar dange thore bahut. (Licences are not allowed. The rate is Rs 3-4 lakh per licence, but we will get you a fresh one (licence). But you will have to shell out Rs 2-3 lakh for it. If you ask, we will even reduce the rate.)

The officer, in the video, further adds, “Actually, 4-5 lakh ka bikta hai licence. Ye chal raha hai rate. Kyonki fresh to band hai. Hum kisi tarike se banva ke denge apko. Vaise totally band hai. (Actually, the licence can be procured by paying Rs 4-5 lakh. This is the rate. The issuance of fresh licences is closed. We will get it made for you somehow).”

The Drug Control Officer is also seen promising the same while making references to the Zonal Authority and controllers.

Ajoy Sharma, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, said, “The case has been marked to the Vigilance Bureau for a probe. Prime facie, the officer seems to be asking for money for a licence, which calls for action which has been duly ordered. Subsequent action will follow as per the findings of the probe.”