Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 09 2009:
Decrying monetary demands served to pharmacies doing business around JN Hospital, members of the JN Hospital Pharmacists' Association staged a protest demonstration at the gate of the hospital today.
It is reported that around 70 pharmacies doing business around JN Hospital were served monetary demands by both PREPAK and KYKL.
The demand letters stipulated that each pharmacy should pay Rs 300 per month and the payment should be made collectively thrice in a year instead of paying every month.
The protesters put up placards which read as "Don't harass civilians by exerting psychological pressure or making monetary demands", "Don't forfeit the right to live of those struggling for livelihood with petty trades/business", "We worry for your future", "We condemn monetary demand" etc.
One pharmacist who took part in the protest demonstration disclosed that they paid Rs 100 to both KYKL and PREPAK every month last year.
The pharmacists were also paying many other UG outfits in addition to KYKL and PREPAK.
As such, the pharmacists have been facing harsh difficulties to meet the monetary demands of several UG groups.
One representative of the JN Hospital Pharmacists' Association lamented that they were told to close down their shops if they could not fulfil the monetary demands.
This was reportedly stated by the concerned groups when the pharmacists approached them requesting to lower the monetary demand.
However, when the shops were kept shut, they (UG groups) questioned about it, he conveyed.
In case, such attitude and treatment continues, pharmacists may be constrained to shut down their shops indefinitely, he said.