Pharmacists protest VAT in UP, medical services come to standstill

Lucknow, Jan 19 (UNI) Pharmacists today closed their shops across Uttar Pradesh to protest the Mayawati government's failure to fulfil their demands, including simplification of Value Added Tax (VAT) enforced on January one this year.

On call of the Chemist and Druggist Federation, the medicine traders decided to go on a two-day strike, when their meeting with Principal Secretary (home) J N Chamber yesterday bore no fruit.

In the UP capital, the strike received a mixed response. However, some shops remained open to cater to emergency services.

Following the strike, patients were posed with problems in the Taj City. Medicine shops across Agra remained closed. Even people could not get life saving drugs.

Agra Pharma Association secretary Mahesh Agarwal said ''since Chief Minister Mayawati is adamant, we had no option but to go on a strike.'' Similarly, in Varanasi, Pilibhit and other districts, medical services came to a standstill, owing to the strike.

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