Cuttack, Jan 3: A large stock of medicines worth several lakhs of rupees, meant for free distribution in government hospitals, was allegedly found dumped and set ablaze in a stone quarry in the Tangi area of Odisha’s Cuttack district, locals said on Friday.

According to local residents, a group of youths found the burnt stock while visiting the quarry near Bamburi village. The medicines bore clear markings that they were “for hospital use only” and not for sale. Many of the packets carried expiry dates from 2023, 2024, and 2025. The sight of large quantities of government-supplied drugs being destroyed has triggered outrage among villagers, who allege that while poor patients are often asked to buy medicines from outside, essential supplies are being wasted.

Villagers expressed anger over the negligence, questioning why expired medicines were stored for so long without proper disposal. “We are forced to purchase medicines from private shops, but here medicines worth lakhs of rupees have been burnt,” said Shatrughna Mallik, a local resident. Former Shalgaon Sarpanch Prabir Das added that the incident reflects serious lapses in hospital management.

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When contacted, Tangi Community Health Centre (CHC) in-charge Dr. Madhusmita Nayak clarified that there is no rule permitting medicines to be burnt locally. “Expired medicines must be returned to the main office for proper disposal. How these medicines ended up in the quarry is unclear,” she said.

Following the findings, a medical team from Tangi visited the site and began an inquiry. The matter has been escalated to the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO), Cuttack, for further investigation. Officials assured that strict action will be taken once responsibility is established.