Chandigarh July 7 (IANS) The Punjab government Thursday suspended Drug Controller Bhag Singh following the controversy over Indian athletes at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala testing positive for steroids.

"The Punjab health department today (Thursday) suspended Bhag Singh, drug controller, with immediate effect," a spokesman said here.

He has been suspended "for negligence of duties", the spokesman added.

During the period of suspension, Bhag Singh would be attached to the Punjab Health System Corporation at Mohali, 10 km from here, and not leave the headquarters without prior permission.

His suspension follows government raids on chemist shops in the vicinity of the NIS Wednesday in which three shops were found selling banned drugs and steroids that required mandatory prescriptions.

Health Minister Satpal Gosain Wednesday ordered the cancellation of licences of three chemists selling banned drugs over the counter.

The raids were conducted in the aftermath of the doping scandal that has hit Indian athletics and reports of steroids and anabolic drugs being sold near the NIS. The action was taken with the assistance of the state police and many samples of the drugs were also confiscated for laboratory checks.

The state health authorities Thursday served show cause notices to 10 other chemists near the NIS after their records were not found in order.

The health department also started the process of cancelling the licences of chemists for selling banned steroids without prescription to players under training at the NIS.

Gosain said that the Punjab government was determined to act strongly against the miscreants.

Eight Indian athletes have tested positive for banned drugs. Punjab's star quarter-miler Mandeep Kaur was among the two athletes who returned positive in a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) test. The other six returned positive in tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).

NIS officials admitted that banned drugs were easily available in stores near the complex.

In the wake of the athletes failing dope tests, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) suspended R.S. Sidhu and issued a showcause notice to Ramesh Nagapuri, who were with the 400 metres athletics team at the NIS.

The two were assistants to Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogorodnik, who was sacked by the union sports ministry Wednesday earlier following the doping taint on athletes.

SAI Director General Desh Deepak Verma said the steps were taken on the basis of the report submitted by Executive Director P.S. Kashyap.

Verma said that Sunita Bedi, caretaker of the girls' hostel, and Kalpana Debnath, warden of the Silver Jubilee Girls' Hostel, were relieved of their jobs Wednesday. Resident doctor M. Bhattacharya has also been issued a show cause notice.

Weightlifting coach Naveen Kumar and gymnastics coach Praveen Kumar were also removed.

Verma said that the SAI has already prepared a detailed report on the doping scandal as ordered by Sports Minister Ajay Maken.

The ministry has appointed Mukul Mudgal, retired chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as a one-member committee to inquire into the doping scandal.