Deaths due to drug consumption, not spurious liquor Odisha Government informs High Court

Deaths due to drug consumption, not spurious liquor Odisha Government informs High Court 05/04/2012

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,BUREAU CHIEF, THESE DAYS, ODISHA

ODISHA NEWS/BHUBANESWAR



The state government on Wednesday informed the Odisha High Court that the death of 40 persons in the bordering villages of Cuttack and Khurda districts in February this year was not due to spurious liquor but due to consumption of spurious medicines.


Dismissing the claims made by certain sections that it was a liquor tragedy which claimed several lives in about five villages of the area, the Khurda collector in a counter affidavit filed in response to a PIL in this connection claimed that the deaths were caused to consumption of certain medicines which contained methyl alcohol (industrial spirit).


While a judicial inquiry headed by a former judge of the High Court is already on the job to ascertain the cause of the deaths, the attempt made by the state government to project that the tragedy was caused by spurious medicines assumes importance.


Moreover, when former excise minister AU Singhdeo promptly resigned owning moral responsibility soon after the incident and while the health minister Prasanna Acharya is unyielding to the demands of his resignation, the government’s affidavit on the day is sending a wrong message, said PIL petitioner advocate Nishikant Mishra.


Mishra also pointed out that soon after the tragedy in February; two excise inspectors were placed under suspension while the then excise commissioner was removed.


Similarly, the government took action against some staffs of the Drugs Controller.

But what baffles most is that if both the departments were responsible for the February tragedy why only the Excise Minister showed his morality and the Health Minister went scot-free, he asked.

At least 40 persons had died over period of a week in the villages under Cuttack Sadar and Balianta police stations of both the districts respectively.

Many also lost their visions partially.
It may be mentioned here that earlier Cuttack district collector Girish SN also had filed a counter affidavit in the High Court making similar observations.

In its affidavit made by the State excise commissioner, the stand taken by the government was also echoed.

The matter is likely to come up soon for next hearing in the Bench of Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice BN Mohaptra, Mishra informed.