Amidst rising complaints of masks and sanitisers being sold at inflated prices, the Maharashtra Government on Monday decided to pop the bubble. Minister of Public Health Rajesh Tope said the prices would be capped in consultation with the Department of Food and Drug Administration. There would be a zero-tolerance policy for the practice of selling these essentials at exorbitant prices, in excess of the maximum retail price (MRP) and the government would shortly issue a notification, informed Tope.
Tope told The Free Press Journal, "The departments of public health and FDA will cap the prices of masks and sanitisers in the larger public interest. I have personally conveyed this decision to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The government will issue a notification within a week.’’ The government had recently capped the rates charged by private hospitals and ambulance operators, taking serious note of the slew of complaints in this regard, he informed.
Department officials admitted that there have been complaints of masks being sold at Rs 200 each when the price range is Rs 17.50-Rs 30 apiece; in case of sanitisers, a 50 ml bottle is being sold for Rs 100 instead of Rs 40 and a 1,000ml container is priced at Rs 500-Rs1,000, instead of Rs 200 per bottle. "Such instances are being reported especially in those parts of Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra where lockdown restrictions have been tightened from July 2. The departments of public health and FDA have together decided to cap the prices of masks and sanitisers,’’ an official said.
According to Dr Parthiv Sanghvi, surgeon, "We appreciate the steps taken by the health minister in curbing the prices of commodities related to the hygiene of individuals at large. Though the rates have been reduced after a long time, nevertheless, it has come at an opportune moment.’’
Further, Tope said, the government has already reduced the rates charged by laboratories for Covid-19 tests. The public health department has issued a notification for conducting antigen and antibody tests. "The government has authorised district collectors and municipal commissioners to conduct antigen tests and the price of the kit has been fixed at Rs 450. The antibody test kit will be priced at Rs 750. They can conduct such tests in containment zones, as antigen test results are possible in half-an-hour. If the test is positive, doctors can immediately begin treating Covid-19 positive patients,’’ he said.
