Chandigarh, May 20 -- Chemist shops across Chandigarh and Mohali will remain closed on Wednesday in response to a nationwide bandh call by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists. Pharmacies operating within government hospital premises and Jan Aushadhi centres will, however, remain open. To ensure the availability of essential medicines, the Chandigarh administration has issued a list of 52 chemist shops that will remain functional, including outlets at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Jan Aushadhi stores and selected shops across sectors. In Mohali, Jan Aushadhi shops located in hospitals will continue operations, said Mohali civil surgeon Dr Sangeeta Jain. But the Mohali administration did not officially release a list of shops that will remain open. The bandh will not affect Panchkula, where all chemist shops are expected to remain open, said Sanjeev Goyal, general secretary of the district chemist association, Panchkula. The chemists are protesting against the online sale of medicines without prescriptions, mandatory stamping or proper record-keeping. Chandigarh chemists association president Anup Gupta said the sale of medicines come under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. During COVID-19, the Centre had issued two notifications, allowing online sale of medicines and delivery of medicines to consumers' homes. "The Act mandates chemist shops to have licensed pharmacists to sell medicines and keep records but online platforms are bypassing all these laws," he said. Mohali district chemists association president Amardeep Singh in a press release, reiterated demands to stop online medicine sales and safeguard consumers against spurious and counterfeit drugs....