A large number of medicines, all tablets, were recovered from a pond and jungle bordering Raipur and Baloda Bazar districts during a cleaning up operation.
The tablets manufactured by Mahavar Pharma were reportedly dumped in the pond and jungle following a ban laid by the Government and seizure of banned drugs from medical stores.
“I have come to know about medicines dumped in a pond and have directed the Block Medical Officer to investigate the matter and submit the report,” Director Health Services R Prasanna told The Pioneer.
According to sources, the residents of Saropi village spotted the medicines when they were cleaning the pond and found some fish dead. They took out hundreds of tablets from the pond and informed the Health Department officials and police about this.
The medicines recovered are painkillers and manufactured by Mahavar Pharma, the company which is facing ban in the State after death of women in Bilaspur sterilisation camps. The boxes of the medicines were also found burnt near the spot.
Some medicines were also found in a jungle about 2 kms from the pond and manufactured by Kabra company, sources said. Most of the tablets found in the jungle had expired and need to be returned to the company. A team of officers including Block Medical Officer and Drug Inspector rushed to the spot and collected the medicines taken out from the lake.
With acknowledgement by the Health Minister for presence of poisonous substance in the medicines manufactured by Mahavar Pharma, the villagers feared that it was due to the effect of medicines a few fish have died a couple of days ago.
They feared that the medicines which have resulted in death of women could prove dangerous for people using pond water for different works. However the authorities ruled out such possibilities.
“The tablets are few hundred in numbers and this can hardly make the pond water poisonous enough to result in death of fish. Investigation will clear the situation,” said Prasanna.
It is worth mentioning that that the State Government has sealed Mahavar Pharma unit and sent the owner and his son to jail. As many as 13 women had died while dozens were admitted to hospital due to post-operative complications after sterilisation camps in Bilaspur district earlier this month.