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Seventeen people have been admitted to Hyderabad’s Gandhi Hospital after consuming adulterated toddy on Thursday, July 10. This includes two new patients from the Kukatpally Housing Board (KPHB) who were suffering from discomfort following the consumption of toddy.
At the time of writing this article, eight people have died and nearly 44 people hospitalised after consuming adulterated toddy sold at toddy shops in KPHB, Shamshiguda and Hydernagar areas of the city. The Telangana Prohibition and Excise Department has booked five cases against toddy shops. The Excise office sealed the toddy shops and arrested five accused – Nagesh Goud, Batti Srinivas Goud, T Srinivas Goud, K. Kumar Goud and Teegala Ramesh.
Speaking to TNM, an official from the Excise Superintendent from the Malkajgiri division said, “Of the 17 at Gandhi hospital, nine are on dialysis while the remaining are seeking general treatment. They are not in danger.” Around 31 patients have been admitted to Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) of which four are undergoing dialysis.
TNM spoke to the two new victims at Gandhi Hospital’s Emergency ward. Laxman and Sailu, both brothers are involved in plywood work at KPHB and said that they regularly consume toddy after a day of gruelling work.
“I purchased toddy for Rs 45 from the same shop I frequent,” Laxman said. “I started noticing discomfort and thought it was just a digestive issue but when the discomfort grew. So I came to the hospital.”
Sailu said that they hadn’t faced this problem before even though they purchased kallu (the colloquial word for toddy) regularly from the same place. “We have never worried about this before,” he added. A CT scan of Sailu’s showed that he suffered from sinus tachycardia (an elevation in the heart rate despite the heart beating rhythmically) which was triggered by consuming toddy.
“People have been walking into the hospital in connection with the toddy case since yesterday. These are non threatening cases so they just ignored the discomfort, ” an excise official who has been coordinating with the victims at Gandhi Hospital told TNM.
According to reports, officials at Gandhi hospital stated that the symptoms suggest the presence of chemical adulterants in the toddy — primarily methanol or chloral hydrate as well as alprazolam.
The toddy crisis has been a pan Telangana problem for a few years now with several activists pointing out how unlike toddy made from the palm tree, belt shops have been selling adulterated toddy.
Civic groups like Samajika Hakkula Sangam (Sahasam) and Forum for Good Governance (FGG) have pointed out how adulterated toddy is a growing crisis. According to reports, the three commissionerates of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda have more than 200 toddy shops and several districts of Telangana have more toddy shops than palm trees. “The toddy shops have licenses for toddy tapping but are not allowed to make or sell toddy,” said the Excise official at Gandhi Hospital.
The Telangana Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the incident and directed the Revenue Department to submit a detailed report by August 20. Telangana Health Minister Damodar Raja Narsimha visited the patients at NIMS and assured the victims that the Congress led government would take strict action to ensure the issue does not recur.