No major impact on supply of medicines despite ravaging fire: BCDA president

Kolkata: A devastating fire that engulfed Bagree Market on Sunday will have no major impact on the supply of medicines in the state, said Bengal Chemist and Druggist Association (BCDA) president Sankha Roychoudhury.

Around 25 wholesale medicine shops have been completely gutted but the extent of the loss is yet to be confirmed. According to Roychoudhury, it would take some time to ascertain the loss as all the electronic gadgets including the computers which keep a record of the total stock of medicines were completely damaged. Bagree Market has wholesale markets of medicines which supply various important drugs including that of cancer to various places. People get medicines at a much cheaper rate.

Though a huge amount of medicines has been destroyed in the fire, it would have no major impact on the market as most of the wholesale shops are situated in Mehta Building, BCDA president said. The electricity connection of the Mehta Building has been disconnected since the fire incident took place at Bagree Market.

Roychoudhury apprehends that if the electricity connection in Mehta Building is not restored within the next few days, it may have an impact on the supply of medicines. Many of the important drugs need to be refrigerated and if the load-shedding continues, it would certainly affect the supply in medicine, feels the BCDA president. He also assured that their organisation will extend all possible help to the people whose medicine shops have been damaged in the fire.

"As many as 25 shops have been completely destroyed in the Bagree Market

fire. We have already spoken to the distributors to find out a way if compensation could be arranged as many people are facing huge losses. It has become little difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage as all the computers have been gutted," Roychoudhury said.

"There is nothing to worry as of now and it would hardly have any impact on the medicine supply as we have enough stock of medicines in Mehta Building as it houses the maximum number of wholesale medicine shops," Roychoudhury added.