Hyderabad: As many as 158 toddy tappers have died in Telangana since 2011, while 272 suffered permanent disability and 282 suffered partial disability after they fell down from palm trees while collecting toddy and palmyra fruits.
The government has paid Rs 6.74 crore as ex gratia to the families of the deceased. To make toddy profession safe, the government has decided to provide multi-tree climbing devices which are being used in Tamil Nadu and Kerala at subsidised rates to toddy tappers. Excise minister T. Padma Rao Goud said a team of officials have visited Kerala to examine these devices and found them to be satisfactory.
“These devices are available for Rs 10,000 in the open market. The government wants to provide the same for subsidised rate of Rs 4,000 or Rs 5,000 for the safety of toddy tappers,” he told the Assembly on Wednesday.
Mr Goud said that though tens of toddy tappers were dying and sustaining severe injuries every year, the government in undivided AP failed to pay ex gratia to the families of victims since 2011.
“Earlier, the ex-gratia was Rs 50,000 but the Chief Minister has increased to Rs 5 lakh. Even for those who suffered permanent disability, the ex gratia has been hiked from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh. The CM has released Rs 30 crore special grant to help the families of victims,” Mr Goud said.
He added that no person died in the state due to consumption of spurious liquor and all the deaths being reported in the media in this regard were because of withdrawal symptoms after the government’s crackdown on gudumba.
