The excise department confirmed the mismatches as per an RTI reply given to Dhanaraj Subhash Chandran
Daily, the chemical lab checks over 1200-1400 toddy samples. (Picture for representation purpose only)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Frequent mismatches have become common in the results of tests done by the government chemical laboratories and the mobile excise laboratory, according to an RTI query.
Various government chemical laboratories have been unable to find chloral hydrate (Anamayakki) in the same toddy samples that were found positive by the mobile excise chemical laboratory.
The excise department confirmed the mismatches as per an RTI reply given to Dhanaraj Subhash Chandran.
For instance, the mobile laboratory found the drug causing liver and kidney disease in toddy samples from Puthupalli shop of Kayamkulam, Aroormukkom shop of Kuttanad and Pulikeezhu shop of Karthikapally in Alappuzha district.
Similarly in Malappuram, the Nelliparambu shop of Mancheri, Patticaud and Paathakkara shops of Perinathalmanna were found to be spiking toddy with the drug. In Kollam district, Anamayakki was held from the shops at Kuravanpalam and Manalikkada.
The chemical examiners and the excise officials have put toddy consumers in doubt as both parties are not sure what is going wrong.
The excise officials suspect that the devices in their mobile laboratory are too primitive while the chemical examiners say that the excise has “inexperienced staffers.”
The mobile lab was set up at a cost of over Rs 50 lakh and its technicians were drawn from the home department.
It goes around the IMFL, wine and toddy shops across the state for the tests. Joint chemical examiner, Mr Muraleedharan says that the test to find Aanamayakki was too simple.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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