Hand sanitizers manufactured by anonymous companies are being sold at almost all shops at Bhagirath Palace, the biggest medicine market in the national capital, where drug dealers from neighbouring Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan come to buy medicines, masks and sanitizers.
As you enter Bhagirath Palace, 5-litre cans filled with sanitizers are seen kept outside the shops. These are being sold at Rs 400 per 5-litre. Atul Jain, a shopkeeper, said. "The cost of a 5-litre can of hand sanitizer is Rs 400. If someone buys more than five cans, we charge Rs 350 per can."
Most of the cans don't have mandatory information such as the name of the company, company's address, batch number, licence number or formula printed on them.
Instead of keeping the cans inside their shops, a lot of shopkeepers have kept these cans cleverly at the stalls outside their shops.
When asked about the company that manufactured these sanitizers and the quality, Sanjay Sharma, another shopkeeper said, "These have been made in the factories around Delhi. However, the quality and its impact on coronavirus are not known." The shopkeeper even agreed to sell a can at Rs 60 when he was assured of bulk purchase.
Atul Kumar Nasa, a senior officer of the Drug Controller Department of the Delhi government, said, "We were not aware about any such thing till now. We will take immediate action. The officials concerned will be asked to visit the shops and check the products."
Nasa said, "The manufacturer of a sanitizer has to provide the company's name, address and complete information about the product. If it is not being done, we will surely investigate the matter."
( With inputs from IANS )