The District Magistrate here has ordered a ban on the bandh proposed to be observed on Friday by the Puducherry and Karaikal Druggists and Pharmacists Association following the call given by the All-India Association of Chemists to protest against online sale of medicines.
The Magistrate Abhijit Vijay Chaudhari Thursday said the Drugs Controller General of India under the gamut of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had requested the Department of Drugs Control to ensure availability of drugs on the day of the bandh.
He said that by invoking the provisions of Section 144 (1) of CrPC, he issued the order prohibiting all the medical shops and pharmacy owners from keeping the shops, drug stores or pharmacies closed in the Union Territory.
Failure to comply with the order would attract penal action under section 188 of Indian Penal Code, he said.
Drugs come under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act 1955 and the proposed closure of shops would impact availability of necessary drugs and life- saving medicines to the needy and may also cause risk to human life, he added.
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