Below-par sanitisers
Item
Title
Below-par sanitisers
Description
The government authorities have been proactively addressing various aspects of the pandemic. As the urgency of ramping up production of hand sanitisers to meet the ballooning demand became clear early this year, sensing a business opportunity — and, in some instances, of making a quick buck — many companies queued up for grant of licence, including those in the industrial belt of Baddi in Himachal Pradesh. While their applications were fast-tracked, masks and sanitisers were brought under the purview of the Essential Commodities Act to prevent their hoarding and regulate their prices.But the presence of large-scale substandard or adulterated sanitisers in the market exposes the laxity of the government’s control-and-check mechanisms. Playing with the lives of people during a public health crisis warrants quick and stringent punishment to the culprits. Aghast, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken suo motu notice of the matter. Meanwhile, educating the public on how to pick FDA-approved standard sanitisers is essential to prevent further damage.
Publisher
The Tribune
Date
2020-07-04