In what could be construed as a big reprieve for Anang Udaya Singh Deo, senior vice-president of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the judicial commission headed by Justice AS Naidu probing the spurious liquor-medicine tragedy of February 2012 that claimed 41 lives has given him a clean chit.
The commission has found fault with the system of the State’s drugs administration and blamed the tragedy on the lack of coordination between the police, excise and drugs administration.
Singh Deo, who was the Minister of Excise and Planning and Coordination, had resigned soon after the tragedy on moral ground.
Now with the Naidu Commission report being made public, there are speculations that Singh Deo may be re-inducted into the Cabinet if Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik decides to go in for a Ministerial reshuffle before the general elections.
letting Singh Deo off the hook, the commission, which submitted its report to the Government recently, has observed that Eastern India Pharmaceutical ltd (EIPl), Bhubaneswar had manufactured Epee Carm or Cinnamon Water on February 4 and 5, both being holidays, using spirit obtained from unauthorised sources, adding that this beverage was sold in the garb of medicine by persons having no drug licences.
“The said beverage in the garb of medicine is sold by the persons having no drug licences and also by illicit vendors,” the commission said, observing that the drugs administration authorities do not keep in mind that drugs are not luxury-based but are need-based.
Pulling up the Drugs Controller for his inefficiency, the commission observed that there was no action to collect the finished product and test it to ascertain whether it conformed to the norms or possessed the medicinal value.
The Drugs Controller ought to have questioned how a bottle of 200 ml was priced at as low as Rs 8 when the approved medicinal ingredients were far more expensive, said the report, adding that the officers of the Excise Department on the other hand were eager to calculate the excise duty on the alcohol used but did not bother about the quality and safety of the product.
Taking a serious note on the lapses, the commission said unscrupulous elements took advantage of the scarcity of country spirit and pushed drugs laced with high dose of methyl alcohol.
Methyl alcohol is obtained overtly and covertly from different sources and often under the cover of different homoeopathic medicines and it is impossible for the Excise Department to prevent and detect all such procurements because of its use in various forms in different industries, noted the commission.
A pharmaceutical unit is granted licence by the Drugs Controller and the manufacturer also obtains licence from the Excise Commissioner for allotment of rectified spirit, said the report, adding that the Excise Officer permits the manufacturer to market the finished goods on receipt of a clean chit from the State Drugs Testing and Research laboratory and on realisation of Excise Duty.
The process calls for a proper coordination between the Excise and Drugs Departments which was missing, noted the commission, recommending strongly that the drugs and excise administration needs to be strengthened and modernised.
The commission had examined 49 witnesses and 507 documents. Its report is in two volumes totalling 512 pages.