Most pharmacies stay shut in State

While pharmacies in most parts of the State remained shut on Tuesday in support of the Cauvery issue, following a call by The Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association, many pharmacies in Chennai remained open.

The association had called for a 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shutdown, joining the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu.

About 2,500 retail outlets and 500 wholesale shops were closed in Coimbatore district. However, pharmacies inside hospitals functioned. Business to the tune of ₹10 crore was affected because of the one-day strike in the district, said an office-bearer of the association.

Mixed response

In the central districts, a majority of medical shops and pharmacies remained closed. “Almost all medical shops, totalling around 800 in Tiruchi district, remained closed,” said P. Kirubanandhamoorthy, district organising secretary of the Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association.

But in Madurai, the shutdown call received a mixed response, with around 50% of the shops remaining open. A majority of the pharmacies proximate to hospitals remained open, while those elsewhere largely remained closed. Some shops operated, keeping their shutters half-open.

S. Ramachandran, president of the association, said nearly all districts participated in the shutdown. “We told the pharmacies to open by around 4 p.m. We ensured that any emergencies were taken care of, and hospital-attached pharmacies catered to in-patients,” he said. The association has close to 30,000 members.

In Chennai, T. Natarajan, general secretary of the Association, had said those affiliated to it would not participate since pharmacies were dealing in essential commodities.

On Tuesday, he said 90% of pharmacies stayed open in the city.

The pharmacists wore black badges, and wherever possible, hoisted black flags to demonstrate their support to the issue, he added.