The Ganjam and Phulbani Chemists and Druggists Association (GPCDA) submitted a memorandum to district Collector Vijaya Amrut Kulange recently protesting higher rate of rebate given by a medicine store operating a chain of stores in the two districts, which has hit others in the same business.
According to information available, the memorandum alleged that the medicine store has 12 branches functioning in Brahmapur alone while it has several branches in Phulbani. Because of the higher rate of rebate on the MRP, the store manages to lure the customers in large numbers which has led to unfair competition in the business with the fellow businessmen severely affected. The union alleged that rebate given by the medicine store and its branches is at time as high as 20 per cent making it unviable for the others to compete. As a consequence, hundreds of small medicine stores/retail medicine shops are on the brink of closing down, the memorandum alleged.GPCDA president Bishnu Prasad Panda and secretary Satyanarayana were present while submitting the memorandum. The association demanded an impartial probe into the matter.
