Expired drugs thrown along Abohar road

Abohar, April 3

Days after raids were conducted on a number of medical shops and an unlicensed medical practitioner was arrested, hundreds of expired medicines were found by the roadside near a private college on the Abohar-Hanumangarh road.

According to locals, drugs disposed of in the open not only pollute the environment, the expired medicines can also prove fatal for animals, or even passers-by who might pick them up and use them.

A few months ago, volunteers of ‘Apna Abohar, Apni Abha’ led by MLA Sandeep Jakhar had also spotted expired medicines in large quantities dumped on the banks of a canal.

Nar Sewa Narayan Sewa Samiti chief Raju Charaya said the government had set some norms to dispose of medical waste and destroy expired medicines, but some “irresponsible persons” were putting the lives of human beings and animals at serious risk by dumping medicines by the roadside or near waterbodies. Strict vigil must be kept on offenders to ensure that the violations are curbed on priority, he added.