Ritika
Mumbai. Licenses of six companies manufacturing cough syrup have been suspended in Maharashtra on charges of flouting rules. The state government gave this information in the assembly. Food and Drug Administration Minister Sanjay Rathod gave this information in the Vidhan Sabha on Friday on a calling attention motion by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashish Selar and others.
Significantly, 18 children died in Uzbekistan last year after drinking cough syrup made by a Noida-based company in Uttar Pradesh. Noida Police said on Friday that they have arrested three employees of the company. Rathod said the Maharashtra government had launched an investigation against 84 of the 108 manufacturers of cough syrups in the state. Of these, four were directed to stop production, while licenses of six companies were suspended.
He said that ‘show cause’ notices were sent to 17 companies for flouting the rules. Selar referred to the death of 66 children in Gambia after allegedly drinking cough syrup imported from India, but added that the company facing flouting charges in that case was based in Haryana and had no presence in Maharashtra. There was no production unit.
