Pune: Wholesale chemists and medicine vendors at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have stopped supplying swine flu medicines to the corporation after not receiving payments since July this year.
Around 47 chemists have filed a complaint with the Health Department of PCMC regarding the same.
The vendors mentioned that from July 1, 2017, a majority of the medicines and surgical goods have been placed in the 12 per cent Good and Service Tax (GST) slab, which were earlier in the six per cent VAT slab.
The rate contract is inclusive of all taxes and hence the vendors are suffering a loss of six per cent due to the difference in VAT and GST. Speaking to Sakal Times, Kanan Nambiar of Shashi Enterprise, mentioned that bills worth Rs 22 lakh approximately are pending with the PCMC.
“The bills are pending for medicine supplements and swine flu medicines are one of those. It is a life-saving drug, however, the department does not bother, as they haven’t paid us since July. We are now forced to stop supplying medicines as our payment is pending,” said Nambiar.
Other wholesale medicine vendors who lodged a complaint regarding the non-payment are Sanjay Medical, Neha Enterprise, Laxmi Medical, Mahalaxmi distributors, Paras Surgical, Austic Healthcare and Oswal Enterprise.
Nambiar further added that the vendors have been approved by E-tender for a time plan of two years, which is 2016-2017-2018.
“Only the authentic and verified vendors are approved through this process. Then why is the department not giving us the payments? They are asking our bills, which is not a part of the agreement. However, we have even produced that in order to get the funds soon. But the payments are still stuck,” said Nambiar.
