Some 8.5 lakh chemists across the nation under the aegis of the All-India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists on Wednesday downed their shutters demanding action from the government against "illegal" online sale of medicines.
"Our 8.5 lakh members across the nation have observed 100 per cent bandh on Wednesday to protest against illegal online sale of medicines," AIOCD president J S Shinde told PTI in Mumbai, which has over 8,000 druggists and over 55,000 in Maharashtra.
"Our members have arranged protest march across the country, which include 4,000 members who gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and 1,500 in Azad Maidan in Mumbai," Shinde added.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met the protesters in Mumbai and assured them of taking up the matter with the Centre to resolve the issue, Shinde claimed.
Meanwhile, reports from the national capital said over 12,000 pharmacies in the city joined the nation-wide strike called by AIOCD opposing online sale of drugs, Delhi Retailers and Distributors Chemists Association said.
"All chemist shops in Delhi are closed on Wednesday except for some shops outside hospitals that we have allowed for providing emergency services to the general public," Delhi Retailers and Distributors Chemists Association President Sandeep Nangia told PTI.
Reports from Chennai said the agitators from Tamil Nadu will take further course of action in New Delhi later next month.
Terming the strike as a "success", Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association Secretary R Nataraj said the next course of action will be decided at a meeting scheduled for next month.
"The strike was a success in Tamil Nadu. Almost all the pharmacies in the state were shut today," he told PTI.
However, he said those pharmacies present on the premises of hospitals functioned normally.
Chemists are strongly opposing the move of the government to regularise online sale of medicines i.e. e-pharmacy in the "larger public interest".
It is illegal to sell medicines on the Internet under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.
"We feel that to protect the interest of a handful players, introduction of e-pharmacy will hamper the interest of 8 lakh chemists and 80 lakh workers and their families, Shinde said.
Image: The chemists during the protest. Photograph: PTI
