Chandigarh, May 1
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab president and MP Bhagwant Mann said that while the nation was suffering from the ongoing pandemic, hoarding and black marketing of essential Covid-19 medicines, drugs, vaccines and even oxygen cylinders was rampant with the central and state government failing to crackdown on the same. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, Bhagwant Mann said that there were several reports of black marketing of Covid-19 supplies and most of the illegal activities had happened over the antiviral drug Remdesivir which was given to patients with severe conditions.
Mann said that there was panic among the people due to incompetence of the centre government, who is responsible for controlling the distribution of oxygen and medicines. “While hospitals are facing a shortage of Covid related drugs and people are being harassed; the miscreants on the other hand are able to supply the same for ten times the original price,” he added. Mann further said that the recent cases of black marketing revealed that the drugs were getting smuggled from hospitals and producers and as it was required by critical patients; the victims were asked to pay a preposterous amount of money.
He said that apart from Remdesivir, black marketing of oxygen cylinders had also been reported as well. “The offenders are hoarding oxygen cylinders amid several states in dire need of it and are later supplying it at higher prices,” said Mann. Taking a dig at the Modi-led central government, Mann said that the government had failed to crackdown on those indulging in hoarding and over-pricing of essential Covid-19 medicines like Remdesivir and oxygen cylinders. There were multiple reports from different parts of the country where Remdesivir vials are being sold for over 30,000 rupees while the price fixed by the governments is far lower. Not just with high prices of drugs, people are being looted through the sale of fake medicines at a time when the country is under a national emergency. “It is an emergence of a new ‘mafia’ under the Modi rule. There is no check on the misuse of medicines and vaccines and the pharmacy companies were hoarding large numbers of stock, further selling it at unreasonable prices and indulging in black-marketing,” he added.
Mann further accused Modi government was only doing ‘drama’ in the name of crackdown and it was under the patronage of the centre and state governments, that hoarding and black-marketing was prevalent. Mann said that a similar situation was prevalent across Punjab where several incidents of black-marketing were reported. He said that it was due to the failure of Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government, who works in collusion with the Modi government. Mann said that incidences of black marketing of Remedesivir injection were recently reported in Jalandhar and other cities. He said that injections were being sold in the ranges of 25 to 30 thousand, while its price was quite low.
