Security at Kuntala falls beefed up

Tourists and visitors can no longer get close to the famous Kuntala waterfalls in Neredigonda in Adilabad district as security has been tightened to prevent deaths.  

Eleven security guards have been deployed and given walkie-talkies to control the movements of the enthusiastic tourists and visitors and alert them from going to risky spots at the waterfalls where several tourists have drowned in the past.

Number of visitors increased at Kuntala waterfall. Visitors are not allowed with liquor but are coming to Kuntala after consuming liquor in the nearest town Neredigonda.

Local youth have been employed as guards and guides and fencing has been erected around the waterfall to restrict the movements of the tourists.

However, tourists are not happy with the new restrictions as most of them want to take photographs in the waters and splash around. That has been banned.

A loud speaker system has been put in place sound the alerts if someone is in danger. The staff is unhappy with the paltry salary of Rs 2,000 as some of them are graduates.  

B. Ravinder, guard on duty at Kuntala waterfalls, said they were strictly following the visitors timings of 10 am to 4 pm which was sometimes is violates by the people coming in from faraway places.

Toddy withdrawal symptoms aggravate

Adilabad district of Telangana is facing a big problem due to several incidents of habitual drinkers of toddy and liquor falling sick and nearly 20 persons including women died till now due to alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Even family members of the patients are experiencing this kind of situation for the first time.

Four habitual drinkers died in a single day in Nirmal town on Saturday and it shows the severity of the situation. Some of the habitual drinkers even committed suicide with the alcohol withdrawal symptoms.          

The incidents of habitual drinkers falling sick and behaving differently first reported in Kamole village in Bhainsa where villagers boycotted liquor in any form and its sales and later the incidents reported from Basar village where five persons died and nearly 400 habitual drinkers including women hospitalized.

Subsequently, 13 habitual drinkers died and large number of patients admitted to government and private hospital in Nirmal town and one habitual drinker died in Khanapur in the recent past.

This situation arose with the surprise raids on gudumba and adulterated toddy manufacturing centres and closing them by officials of excise department under the instruction from the state government just after reviewing its decision to introduce cheap liquor in the state.

The state government or district administration drew criticism from the people for not taking up any exercise to tackle the situation arise before going to crackdown adulterated toddy and gudumba. The officials concerned have failed in opening de-addiction centres to deal with the situation.            

Nirmal area hospital has become another Erragadda hospital where many patients are behaving differently and are admitted and tied to beds. According to medical experts, habitual drinkers are behaving differently as their body was not getting sufficient dose of drug though medicines to that of adulterated toddy.

Even, small dose of medicines Diazepam and Clonazepam tables proved to be futile being given to the habitual drinkers undergoing treatment at many government and private hospitals in the district. These tablets will be given to the patients suffering from anxiety, disorders alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

It is said that the toddy manufactures add certain drugs to toddy to ensure kick to the drinkers habituated to the adulated toddy over the years.

More number of adulterated toddy related deaths reported in slums where nearly 10,000 habitual drinkers and majority of them daily wage laborers living in the Nirmal town alone and their number was pegged at 50,000 in the Nirmal division.

Prof. Shantha Sinha: 'Improve health conditions in Adilabad'

  

Former Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Shantha Sinha demanded that state government declare health emergency in the Adilabad following the much prevalent viral fevers, malaria and dengue cases and deaths reported and to take coordinated efforts to improve the health situation in the district.

She stressed upon the need for social audit by the civil society groups and members of grampanchayat on the activities of the Anganwadis and facilities and staff available at government schools and to submit reports to the governments.

Shantha Sinha was addressing at a workshop on ‘Right to Education Act and status of the children in the District’ here jointly organized by ‘DREAM’ NGO and MV foundation in Adilabad.

She said that coordinated efforts should be made to control the seasonal outbreak diseases in the district and this was responsibility of not just health department instead all the allied departments.

Shantha Sinha appealed to the people to oversee the effective implementation of Right to Education Act and Food Security Act which empower the poor and downtrodden and said demanding the government for implementation of these Acts were not at all begging but it was people’ right.

‘Every district should have own ‘district child policy’ and member of the Zilla Parishad should debate and discuss the issues pertaining to children and come out with new measures to empower them and to protect their rights at district level’, she opined.

National convenor of MV Foundation R. Venkat Reddy said governments should take steps to reserve 25 percent seats for the students of SC and ST and economical backward communities and provide them free education as per the Right to Education Act.

Retaining wall at Kuntala

Retaining wall will be constructed before the existing iron fencing at downward at the Kuntala waterfall to prevent deaths and many other security measures also chalked out for the safety of the tourists.

Collector M. Jagan Mohan and Boath MLA Rathod Bapurao inspected the waterfalls and inquired about the reasons for the deaths taking pace frequently at the waterfall and sought suggestions.  

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