Wednesday , March 27 2024

Medicine supply to Khagrachhari suspended for extortion

The pharmaceutical companies have kept the supply of all kinds of medicine to the hill district Khagrachhari suspended since Wednesday protesting the recent surge of extortion. This is the first time after the peace accord that the companies were forced to temporarily stop medicine distribution in the district through transport.

Retail traders, however, fear that people in eight upazilas of the district might face severe shortages of drugs due to the suspension. An official of Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, requesting not to be named, said as a matter of frequently demanding tolls from the medicine-carrying vehicles by a group of local extortionists was informed to the higher authorities of the companies, they decided not to supply medicine temporarily through vehicles.

The suspension will not create any serious impacts, he added. Some local representatives of several pharmaceutical companies said the companies kept their supply of medicine through their own transport stopped since Wednesday. While talking with owners of some local pharmacies, they said if the companies keep their supply stopped for long, they will have to bring medicines from Chittagong, at a higher cost.

Secretary of Medicine Traders’ Association Rupan Kanti Barua said medicine prices will go up if the traders have to bring medicines at their own expenditure and a crisis of medicine will also be created.

Besides, 500 retail drug traders in the district will then suffer losses.

Belayet Hossain, the ex-president of an organization of representatives of pharmaceutical companies, said activists of a regional hill organization often demand tolls from the vehicles carrying drugs.

They often extort money by halting vehicles and in case of refusal to give a toll, they snatch drugs.

Deputy Commissioner of the district Masud Karim said he came to know about the matter but none filed any complaint in this regard.

Mentionable, on July 29, a group of miscreants intercepted a vehicle carrying drugs on the Rangamati-Khagrachhari road in the Atharo Mile area and demanded a toll from it.

They also beat up the driver of the vehicle and snatched a few cartons of drugs.

Later they released the driver on the condition of paying them tolls regularly for medicine supplies in the area. (The Financial Express)

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