India is working towards getting the suspension on National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) revoked in two months, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday, expressing confidence after initiating a slew of corrective measures.
Rijiju's comments came soon after he made an extensive visit to the laboratory in the presence of National Anti-Doping Agency Director General Navin Agarwal and NDTL Scientific Director PL Sahu.
"No doubt it is a setback but I just visited the laboratory and had a detailed review and we will take urgent corrective steps which are technical in nature. We will manage," Rijiju told PTI.
"It shouldn't take six months, we will get it revoked in two months. We will make an appeal and we have already started working in our case."
The World Anti-Doping Agency suspended the NDTL's accreditation for six months in a massive blow to the country's anti-doping programme, which had left the sports ministry surprised as it had claimed WADA's concerns were duly addressed.
Stating that the NDTL is one of the best dope testing facilities in Asia, Rijiju said it was disheartening for the WADA to take such a decision after the Indian lab had begun a "course correction" of the issues faced by it "in the past".
"The NDTL has been an issue for sometime. When I assumed responsibility of sports minister I came to know that WADA has raised certain questions and served a notice on the NDTL. So I told my officials to look into the matter," he said.
"But before we could take corrective steps they suspended us. What I have seen is there were issues in the past, but most of them have been resolved and there are certain things which are yet to be done.
"But it is very unfortunate that when we were doing corrective steps and nearing solution of all the issues, this suspension decision has come," he added.
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