Chemists And Petrol Pumps To Go On Strike

If you haven’t stocked up on medicines and other items that you usually buy at drug stores then get cracking. From Tuesday, October 16, around 50,000 chemists across Maharashtra including nearly 7,000 in Mumbai will shut shop as part of a three-day strike. The Maharashtra Chemists and Drugs Association is protesting against “harassment” meted out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which recently began penalising chemists for illegally selling abortion pills. However the FDA has asked private and public hospitals to keep their chemist shops open all 24 hours.

And while you’re at it, make sure you have enough gas in your cars as 246 petrol pumps across the city will be open only for one shift in the day from 9am to 5pm starting Monday, October 15 for an indefinite period. Pumps owners are demanding an increase in dealer commissions and the implementation of the Apurva Chandra committee report, which recommends periodically revising commissions. Thankfully the strike will not affect the supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This means that autos and taxis will be on the roads as usual, not stuck in long queues outside gas stations.

Chemists on strike from tomorrow [The Indian Express]
Petrol pumps to run only 9-5 from today [The Times of India]