Cough syrup deaths : Game of greed and negligence must end
The death toll in the toxic cough syrup case has risen to 18, with most of the kids dying in Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring Rajasthan. Two toddlers died in Nagpur on Tuesday after kidney failure.
The state governments in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, MP, UP and Maharashtra have banned sale of the toxic Coldrif cough syrup. Tamil Nadu government has sealed the Coldrif cough syrup manufacturing unit in Kancheepuram.
India TV correspondent T. Raghavan reported that the cough syrup was being made inside a dingy building in filthy conditions, infested with flies, mosquitoes and rats.
It was when toddlers started dying in Chhindwara of Madhya Pradesh that the Tamil Nadu drug authorities woke up and an inspection of the unit was carried out. Lab tests showed that the Coldrif cough syrup contained 48.6 per cent diethylene glycol. It is an industrial chemical, which if taken by human beings, can cause acute renal failure.
Two more cough syrups Re-life and Respi-Fresh TR, made in Gujarat, have been found to contain 136 times more diethylene glycol than is required. Both these syrups are being withdrawn from market.
I spoke to several pharma experts and asked why this adulteration was going on when the required amount was only 0.01 per cent. The experts said, propylene glycol is used as a solvent for cough medicines, but since it is of pharma grade and is costly, some companies buy cheap chemical from market which is contaminated. Diethylene glycol is also used as a solvent but in industries and it is toxic. It is used to make brake fluid, paint and plastic products.
Union health secretary held a meeting with state health secretaries and directed that drug rules be enforced strictly, medicine sampling system be improved and if any medicine is found to fail tests, stringent action be taken against the manufacturers. Drug controllers have been asked to carry out raids in several states to seize such drugs.
Watching the grieving parents of toddlers who died after taking Coldrif cough syrup is unnerving. One parent said, her baby could not drink a single drop of water after taking this cough syrup. To save the ailing kid, its father took Rs 4 lakh loan after mortgaging his land, but his efforts became futile. One parent sold his autorickshaw to save his kid.
There are several such cases which are truly heart rending. It is a fact that the company was making this toxic cough syrup in filthy conditions infested by flies and mosquitoes. Those responsible for this act must be punished stringently. This game of negligence and greed must end.
Sabarimala gold theft : Arrest the culprits
Reports have come about nearly 4.5 kg of gold missing from the world famous Sabarimala Ayappa temple in Kerala. Costly gold plated statues of the temple were sent to Chennai for gold polishing and in the process, gold was stolen and gold was replaced with copper.
The matter came to light when the Kerala High Court directed all details about the Sabarimala temple assets be submitted. Under retired Justice K.T.Sankaran’s supervision, all the valuable were checked and 4.5 kg of gold was found missing from the Dwarapalaka statues.
The Devaswom Board knew about it but no action was taken. The gold polishing work was entrusted to one Unnikrishnan Potti. The High Court reprimanded the LDF government in Kerala and set up a special investigation team.
There were protests in Thiruvananthapuram and the UDF MLAs led by the Congress raised a furore in the assembly. Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan alleged that some ministers and bureaucrats were involved in the gold theft and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government is trying to shield them.
The state government has suspended B. Murari Babu, deputy commissioner, who was the administrative officer of Sabarimala temple in 2019. BJP has demanded that the probe be entrusted to a central agency.
The moot point is: Had the High Court not taken suo motu action, the theft of gold would not have come to light. The most interesting part of this controversy is that the man who is facing the allegation of gold theft, had himelf sent an e-mail to the Devaswom Board several years ago saying that he wanted to use some of the remaining gold for a wedding. This man was entrusted with gold plating of the statues.
The entire controversy is shocking and a former judge has been asked to make an inventory of all valuables inside the temple and also expose all malpractices that have been going on.
One can only hope that those involved in the theft of gold and valuable of the temple will be brought to book soon.
Get connected on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook
Who provoked riots during Champions Trophy celebrations?
The unfortunate communal violence in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh on Sunday night after India won ICC Champions Trophy was avoidable. It is not that there were objections to people celebrating our cricket team’s victory. The Champions Trophy celebration was an excuse. There was tension already simmering in Mhow and the blame cannot be put on one side. Those celebrating the victory were shouting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ while passing near a mosque, where Taraweeh prayers were going on. Some people in the mosque considered this an insult, gathered a mob and attacked the homes, shops and vehicles of Hindus. The local police handled the situation carefully and did not allow matter to go out of control. Police pacified community leaders from both sides. I know the people of Mhow. They want to live in peace but there are a handful of people who want tension. Such people should be identified and isolated. Now that Team India has returned home, let all of us jointly celebrate the win. This victory has also changed the views of those who were earlier criticizing Captain Rohit Sharma and bowler Mohammed Shami. Today, the same people are heaping praises on these players. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammed had described Rohit Sharma as ‘mota’(fat) and unimpressive captain’ on social media. On Sunday, she praised the team, particularly the captain’s knock of 76 runs by Rohit Sharma in the final. All India Muslim Jamaat chief Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi had criticized Mohd. Shami for not observing Ramzan fast during the matches, but on Monday, the Maulana said, Mohd. Shami has earned accolades for India and he could ‘compensate’ the ‘roza’ (fast) that he missed after returning home.
Why is RJD afraid of Bageshwar Dham Baba ?
The massive gathering of several lakh devotees at the five-day ‘katha’ (sermons) of Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Shastri in Bihar’s Gopalganj district has irked opposition parties like RJD, Left parties and Congress. On the last two days, the crowd ran into lakhs, and Dhirendra Shastri had to issue a video appeal asking people to watch his sermons at home. Shastri said, “the day is not far off when Bharat will become a Hindu Rashtra and Bihar may become the first Hindu state”. He promised to visit Bihar again soon. On Monday, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad’s daughter Rohini Acharya wrote on social media that this was part of BJP’s design to use Babas before assembly polls, but it will not succeed. Purnea MP Pappu Yadav described Dhirendra Shastri as ‘Natwarlal, a fraud who should be sent to jail’. At a time when leaders spend millions of rupees to gather people at rallies, it is surprising that millions are reaching out on their own to watch Bageshwar Dham baba speak. It is also surprising that the Baba is appealing to devotees not to come to his ‘katha’ because of huge crowds. This is nothing short of a miracle. One does not need rocket science to understand why RJD leaders are opposing Bageshwar Dham chief. Muslims constitute a big vote bank of RJD in BIhar, and when Bageshwar Baba speaks of Hindu Rashtra, it suits RJD’s politics to oppose him. Assembly elections are due in October this year, and no party is going to take the Baba lightly. As the election date approaches nearer, the voices may become more strident.
Why Raj Thackeray described Ganga water as filthy?
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray had alleged that the Ganga water is neither clean nor safe to drink. He described as ‘andha shraddha’ (superstition) people drinking Ganga water after taking a holy dip at Maha Kumbh. Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane described this as an insult to Hindu faith and challenged Raj Thackeray to say similar things about other religions. Congress and NCP(Sharad) leaders supported Raj Thackeray, while Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said she did not find the Ganga water unfit. Later MNS spokesperson Bala Nandgaonkar clarified that Raj Thackeray had no intention to insult anybody’s faith , but since he was always against superstition, he had only cautioned people. Let me point out here, Central Pollution Control Board has taken a U-turn and in its latest report, the Board has said that Ganga water is fit for bathing. The new report says, key water quality indicators are within permissible limits for bathing. It seems Raj Thackeray, in a hurry, described Ganga water as polluted but he later realized his mistake. The water of Maa Ganga is revered by Hindus all over the world. Both Uddhav Thackeray’s party MP Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar have said, they had taken a holy dip at Maha Kumbh and did not find the water quality poor. It was only afterwards that Raj Thackeray realized his mistake and his spokesperson issued a clarification. By then, it was too late. Raj Thackeray’s remark can cost the party heavily.
Beggary : Law is no solution, give skill training to beggars
In an interesting piece of news, Madhya Pradesh Police has filed two FIRs, one against a female beggar and another against an unidentified person for giving alms to the beggar in the city of Indore.
The case was registered under Section 223 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, which provides for punishment upto one year in jail and/or fine upto Rs 5,000 against persons disobeying the order issued by a public servant.
The district collector had issued orders to file criminal cases against those involved in begging and also against those giving alms to beggars. The FIRs were filed on the basis of a complaint filed by Indore’s Beggary Eradication Team.
This follows a pilot project of Union Social Justice Ministry being implemented to make 10 cities of India, including Indore, “beggar-free”. Indore has earned laurels as India’s cleanest city in surveys conducted during the last several years.
Authorities in Indore had conducted awareness campaign asking beggars not to beg in public, and advising people not to give alms to beggars. The city authorities have even offered to give Rs 1,000 reward to anyone giving tip-off about beggars taking alms in the city.
It is a fact that nobody likes to watch beggars begging in public, but over the decades, beggary has become a profession. In some cities, some big gangs employ beggars to beg for alms at main traffic intersections and other popular hangouts.
The government’s aim is to eliminate such nefarious gangs, but one must remember: It is easier to make laws but difficult to enforce them. Identifying beggars, and collecting evidences of beggars is a tough task for police. Moreover, it is difficult to prepare a case against persons on charge of begging.
Secondly, there is an emotional aspect involved. Normally, citizens have sympathy for those seeking alms, and offering Rs 1,000 reward for giving tip-off about beggars is nothing but a mockery. None will complain if police takes action against gangs involved in beggary and throwing them into prison, but people at large will not be happy if poor and helpless old people begging for alms are thrown into prison.
The solution is not in making law or throwing people into jail. Social organizations should be brought in to provide training in small trade skills to beggars so that they can at least earn their livelihood. That would be a better option.
