Uttarakhand’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its statewide crackdown on the sale of illegal, unsafe, and substandard cough syrups, especially those used for children. Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the department has collected 170 samples of cough syrups from across the state for laboratory testing. In Dehradun district alone, the licenses of seven medical stores have been revoked following irregularities.
On Wednesday, an FDA team led by Drug Inspector Manendra Singh Rana conducted surprise inspections at medical stores across Dehradun, including Chakarata Road, Kishan Nagar Chowk, Ballupur, Kanwali Road, Balliwala, and Premnagar. The team immediately stopped the sale of restricted cough and cold syrups for children and sealed medical stores found selling such drugs. Eleven syrup samples were collected on-site for further examination.
Health Secretary Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar and Additional Commissioner Tajbar Singh Jaggi said the FDA’s campaign will continue until all suspect medicines are screened. Over the past four days, 170 syrup samples have been sent for testing from various districts, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital.
Licenses of these medical stores cancelled:
Allmed Life Sciences (Balliwala), Ajanta Pharmacy (GMS Road), Aarambh Enterprises (Niranjanpur), BSC Cure (Durga Enclave, Kargi Grant), Beachem Biotech (Rampur Kalān, Vikasnagar), Shaan Medical Store (Selaqui), and Smile Medical Store (Herbertpur).
Meanwhile, the license of Panwar Medicos (Veerbhadra Road, Rishikesh) has been suspended.
In Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts, FDA officials sent 55 additional syrup samples for testing. Ten were collected in Udham Singh Nagar, while in Haridwar, samples were taken from Airen Hospital (Roorkee), Vinay Vishal Hospital, and Metro Hospital. In Haldwani, three syrup samples were collected from the drug store at Soban Singh Jeena Base Hospital.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reaffirmed the government’s zero-tolerance policy, saying, “The safety of children is non-negotiable. Anyone found endangering their health will face strict action. There will be no compromise on drug quality and safety.”
Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat also appealed to the public not to administer any cough syrup or medicine to children without a doctor’s advice. “The FDA’s action sends a clear message that children’s health is the government’s top priority. Only certified and safe medicines will reach the public,” he said.
