AGARTALA, February 14 (TIWN): With the opposition Congress today slaming the state govt. over the controversial de-worming pill issue, the state health department has come under pressure, for allegedly administering poor quality de-worming pills to the school children that has left at least 300 ill. According to the sources a local from Dharmanagar sub division has lodged an FIR with the police station against the poor quality doses to the students, while the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) spokes person Dr. Ashok Sinha today says that people keeps no hope on police investigation now as the Tripura left front govt. works on behest of the corrupt officials here. Sinha today demanded no compromise at least with the health of one children. “Along with the rest even the state-wide campaign of De-worming day has been corrupted”, claimed Sinha today.

Talking at the press conference today at Agartala Congress Bhawan, PCC Spokes Person Dr. Ashok Sinha coming down heavily on the de-worming issue claimed that the state govt. has even corrupted the de-worming day in the name of state-wide campaign here. Sinha alleged that the state health department has administered poor quality de-worming pills to the school children as part of the campaign that has left hundreds of school children hospitalised at Dharmanagar subdivion and other parts. Sinha today urged the department to collect all the samples of the de-worming pills from the village areas especially and conduct a proper invvestigation on it.

Adding to that Sinha today said that there is a doubt on the company – “Ratanmoni” that supplies de-worming pills here in the state. Because earlier one Vardhaman Pharma has been accused for supplying spurious drugs and medicines, mentioned Sinha.

According to the sources one local from Dharmanagar Sub-division recently lodged an FIR with the police station against administering poor quality de-worming doses,, while Sinha today said that the common mass of the state keeps no hope any proper investigation now as the state govt. here wirks on behest of the corrupt officials. “We demand that there shall be no compromise with the health one school children at least”, said Sinha.  He further mentioned that on Thursday Health Minister Badal Chowdhury stated, all the de-worming pills administered is of good quality, but how come the state govt. without conducting investigation on it say this?, claimed Sinha.

However, With the number of students falling ill after consuming deworming tablets in Tripura rising to 300, opposition Congress demanded that the state government order a high-level probe.

It is mentionable here that on February 11, School Children aged between 8 and 19 were reported to have fell ill after consuming the tablets came from South Tripura, North Tripura and Unokoti district. Raising the issue in the assembly recently, Congress legislator Biswabandhu Sen accused the state government of procuring poor-quality drugs locally without floating a tender.
More than eight lakh children, aged between one and 19 years, have been given de-worming pills in the past two days.

As part of a statewide de-worming campaign, the tablets were administered in Chandrapur Girls HS School in Dharmanagar town and Sidang Banapalli S B School in Kumarghat. All 887 students of Chandrapur HS complained of uneasiness after taking the pills. Of them, 167 complained of pain in the stomach and vomiting. They were later taken to the hospital. On the other hand, 140 students of Sidang Banapalli School, all of whom are tribal, were admitted in Kumarghat hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The government has asked for the tablets to be tested.