SHEIKHUPURA, Dec 21: Sale of illegal drugs has become a permanent feature in the city and its adjoining areas.

All the varieties of drugs like heroin, hashish, opium, single sher, double sher herbicol and syrups are being sold without check.

A survey conducted by this correspondent revealed the administration and drug inspectors had closed their eyes to the growing menace.

The inspectors deployed to check the district medical stores had never bothered to take any action against the owners of medical stores involved in selling the syrups injurious to health. They had allegedly been receiving illegal gratifications to abet them.

The stores including, Faisal Bilal medical store and Pakistan medical store, are the main centres of sale of such syrups.

It was learnt that Faisal store’s owners Ashraf and his brother Asghar had set up a manufacturing factory of such syrups. The brothers were involved in distributing these brands of addicted syrups in the province.

Some parents of the addicted children told this correspondent that manufacturers and sellers of these drugs had made their lives miserable. They said dozens of complaints had been lodged with the local drug inspectors but without success.

The affected parents maintained the authorities concerned had expressed their inability to nab the culprits. They quoted them as saying that it was the duty of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to take action against the peddlers.

However, drug inspectors said these syrups had been exempted under the drug act as these fall under the category of unani, herbal and iovadic products. — Correspondent