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I will always remember Dr. Priya Ranjan not only as the Chairman of JK Monitor, but as a mentor, guide and elder brother whose kindness shaped my life and work. Write a tribute at SRINAGAR: The Drug Control Department, Jammu and Kashmir, has taken serious note of a news report published in a Jammu-based newspaper under the headline “Drug Seizures Mount, But Where Is Drug Controller J&K?” and rebutted what it termed as misleading inferences, stating that the factual position and enforcement efforts of the Department need to be placed on record for public awareness.
The Department clarified that Since January 2026, seizures of intoxicant drugs valued at ₹56,85,243 have been effected with the active support and coordination of the Police Department as part of ongoing enforcement efforts against drug peddling and the illicit circulation of habit-forming drugs. Significantly, these seizures have been made from drug peddlers and persons involved in the illegal trade, and not from licensed pharmacies or medical sale establishments.
Drug Control Department is mandated to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Rules framed thereunder. In discharge of its statutory responsibilities, the Department has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards the irregular sale, purchase and diversion of habit-forming drugs. Drug Control Officers are actively engaged in regulatory inspections, scrutiny of sale and purchase records, verification of compliance with statutory requirements and initiation of appropriate legal and administrative action wherever violations are detected.
As part of its preventive enforcement strategy, the Department has also ensured 100 percent compliance with the requirements for installation of CCTV cameras and adoption of computerised billing systems by medical sale establishments. These measures are intended to strengthen traceability, improve transparency in pharmaceutical transactions, facilitate scrutiny of suspicious sales and deter diversion of medicines into unauthorised channels.
The department further stated that wherever irregularities or violations relating to the sale and purchase of habit-forming drugs are detected and substantiated, the concerned Drug Control Officers are recommending appropriate action, including cancellation of drug sale licences, in accordance with the applicable legal provisions and prescribed procedure. Pertinent to mention here that since January 2026 to ending September, 2026, 25 drug sale licenses stands already cancelled. The Department does not hesitate to initiate stringent and appropriate action against any licensed establishment found indulging in unlawful practices.
It is also pertinent to appreciate that the seizure of illicit drugs from peddlers is a multi-agency enforcement effort involving the Police and other concerned enforcement agencies. Such seizures demonstrate the importance of coordinated action against the illegal drug trade. It clarified that illicit stocks are recovered from peddlers does not, by itself, establish that the drugs originated from licensed pharmacies or that the regulatory system has failed. The source and supply chain of every such recovery must be established through evidence-based investigation.
The Department remains firmly committed to protecting public health, preventing the diversion of habit-forming medicines and ensuring that no person or establishment is permitted to misuse the drug distribution system with impunity.
