WHERE IS ESMA Act (?) ACUTE SCARCITY OF SANITISERS IN BERHAMPUR CITY
Report; Manoj Kanta Dash, Odishabarta
BERHAMPUR:Hand Sanitizers and Surgical Masks Notified as Essential Commodities to Curb Hoarding keeping in view of Corona Virus today in Odisha which the district administration made this clear.
Odisha government cleared face masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities for the next 100 days as it stepped up efforts to boost supply and prevent hoarding of these items in its fight to check the spread of corona virus.
The Odisha Govt. has also invoked the Disaster Management Act to ensure price regulation and availability of surgical and protective masks, hand sanitisers and gloves.
Both masks (2-ply and 3-ply surgical masks, N95 masks) and hand sanitisers have been brought under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, empowering states to regulate production, distribution and prices of these items and also crack down on hoarding and black-marketing.
The government pointed out that masks and hand sanitisers are either not available in the market or are available with great difficulty at exorbitant prices, in view of the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. It has also issued an advisory under the Legal Metrology Act.
Most interestingly our team visited many Medical store in Berhampur city and asked for Hand Sanitizers and Surgical Masks but no where its available, even it available they are charging heavy demand which a common man cannot effort wise to die (!).Other side the district administration closed all available point shopping malls.
Matter has been drawn to the knowledge of Drug Inspector as well the Ganjam Phulbani Druggist &Chemist Association (GPCDA ).
While discussed to one of the ex-office bearer of GPCDA he said,”If some stockist holding the materials with his ill intention than he may booked under ESMA but if there will be no supply to this district in such case what way the stockist is accountable” (?).
Now this is the high time the administration should made random visits to store to store and to collect the inventory.
Notably, under the EC Act, governments asked to the manufacturers to enhance their production capacity of these items for augmenting supply, while states can ensure sale of both the items under the Legal Metrology Act.An offender under the EC Act can be punished with an imprisonment of up to seven years or fine.
Amid reports of non-availability and black marketing of surgical and protective masks, sanitisers and gloves and as a measure of preparedness to address the challenge of outbreak of COVID-19 as a result many lives can be save.
