Chemicals seized, youth found addicted: Reports
ADILABAD: Illicit toddy is being manufactured in large quantities in Nirmal district, and both youth and middle-aged individuals are falling prey.
The widespread production of illicit toddy in Nirmal was exposed when excise police seized 425 kg of Chloral Hydrate and one kg of Alprazolam from a manufacturing unit in Chityal village.
The consumption of this spurious toddy is causing serious health issues and even deaths. Some businessmen involved in its production had set up a mini–Chloral Hydrate unit inside a farmhouse in Chityal village.
It is alarming to note that despite the very limited number of toddy trees in the district, toddy is available in abundance. Many people, especially the youth, have become addicted to this illicit variety, which is cheaper than licensed liquor.
Authorities suspect that the chemical raw materials, particularly Chloral Hydrate in liquid form, were illegally transported from Mumbai and processed locally in Nirmal.
On Saturday, officials from the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau, Task Force, and the prohibition and excise department raided the illegal unit in Chityal village. The unit was reportedly being run by Burra Ramesh Goud and Rama Goud.
Excise officials confirmed that the ingredients for Chloral Hydrate were illegally brought from Bhiwandi in Maharashtra. The chemical was then used in the manufacturing of illicit toddy, which was distributed locally.
Many youths and middle-aged individuals addicted to this illicit toddy have developed psychological problems and withdrawal symptoms, leading to their admission in de-addiction centres. Local residents have alleged that the spurious toddy mafia continues to thrive due to the lack of serious action by the excise department. They claimed that benami and bogus licenses were being issued to toddy tappers without proper verification.
The sale of spurious toddy has been reported from several villages, including Lapti, Tharoda, Edibidi, Tanoor, Kuntala, Dounelli, Kallur, Gollamada, Ola, and Nandan in the Mudhole constituency. Similar sales have also been reported in Beerelli, Kalva, Bhagyanagar, Nirmal, Sarangpur, Dilawarpur, and other mandals in the Nirmal constituency.
It is reported that the Chloral Hydrate manufactured in Nirmal is being supplied to illicit toddy manufacturers in the erstwhile Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts. Local toddy tappers are producing illicit toddy using Chloral Hydrate and Alprazolam.
S. Narsaiah, a resident of Nirmal town, said that hundreds of young and middle-aged men have become addicted. “They have stopped working, threaten their families for money, and continue to consume illicit toddy liquor. Even daily wage laborers are consuming it from local toddy depots,” he said.
