Uttarakhand cracks down on unsafe cough syrups, 170 samples sent for testing

Dehradun,UPDATED: Oct 8, 2025 23:00 IST

The Uttarakhand government has launched a sweeping crackdown across the state to curb the sale of allegedly unsafe and substandard cough syrups, sending 170 samples for laboratory testing. The large-scale action, officials said, comes amid growing concern over children’s safety and medicine quality.

According to officials, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) teams have been conducting surprise inspections across all districts, under the supervision of Health Secretary and Commissioner Dr R Rajesh Kumar and Drug Controller Tajbar Singh Jaggi.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health Minister Dr. Dhan Singh Rawat are said to be closely monitoring what officials called “one of the state’s most extensive drug safety drives.”

The largest operation so far took place in Dehradun. Acting on the commissioner’s directions, teams led by Drug Inspector Manendra Singh Rana carried out inspections in areas such as Chakrata Road, Kishannagar Chowk, and Premnagar.

Officials said the sale of certain pediatric cough and cold syrups was immediately stopped, and medical stores found stocking these products were sealed on the spot. Eleven syrup samples were collected for testing, while some brands such as Coldrif, Respifresh-TR, and Relife were reportedly not found in the market during the inspection.

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