Medicine traders ask for special tariff for ACs

BERHAMPUR: Wholesale medicine traders in Orissa's Ganjam and Gajapati districts today urged the state government for a special tariff package for installation of air conditioners in medicine shops and godowns to keep the the drugs in cool conditions.

"In order to keep the medicines in cool conditions. as prescribed by the manufactures, we have to fix air conditioners in the shops as well as in the godowns. But that would be an extra burden on us and we have to pay more tariffs towards electricity", said P K Jena of Ganjam Pharma Wholesalers' Association here.

"We want the state government to take some measures and formulate a special electricity tariff for medicine shops and godowns," he said.

The medicine traders raised the issue in their annual meeting which was inaugurated by the state's revenue minister S N Patra.

Patra, however, asked the association to move Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) with the proposal, which could fix the traffic after considering all aspects.

"We have no authority to fix the tariff," the minister said.