In a development that will bring much-needed relief to citizens, the national and state chemists and druggists organisations have come to an understanding to keep the supply of medicines up and running. Major depots in Bhiwandi, Pune and Nagpur that have carrying and forwarding units have started sending stock to retailers across the state.

J S Shinde, president of the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists, and Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association, told mid-day on Thursday that the producers, distributors, retailers and the administration decided to keep the supply going amid the Coronavirus lockdown. Shinde explained that the promulgation of Section 144 created the misunderstanding that nobody could venture outside. “The police were ignorant of the fact that employees working in vast sectors, the smallest to the senior-most, need to work at the depots, loaders need to be allowed to reach their workplaces and the transportation of medicine in public or private vehicles needs be allowed. I have received complaints that police beat up employees and raided warehouses from where medicines were despatched to retailers. The fear of the police was so serious that people didn’t go to work even though they were allowed to,” Shinde claimed.