Raids at pulses traders in Malkangiri

November 24, 2016 12:00 am | Updated December 02, 2016 05:18 pm IST - BERHAMPUR:

Suspecting that poisonous Cassia occidentalis seeds are being mixed with pulses, the Malkangiri district administration has initiated action to check it.

These plants are found abundantly in this tribal-dominated district where more than a hundred children have died due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES).

The expert team constituted by the government in its interim report claimed that consumption of beans of Cassia occidentalis, locally known as ‘bada chakunda’, has caused the deaths apart from JE infection.

Anthraquinone, a toxin found in Cassia occidentalis, was causing encephalopathy and deaths among the children.

Two types of cassia plants are found in the district. Along with Cassia occidentalis, Cassia tora plants, called ‘chakunda’ or ‘sana chakunda’, are also found abundantly. Ignorant tribals collect beans of both these plants and harvest their seeds.

Adulteration

It is alleged that traders collect seeds of ‘sana chakunda’, which are small in size, from the tribals and mix them with moong or toor dal. Seeds of ‘bada chakunda’, which are larger in size, are used to adulterate arhar dal.

The Civil Supplies department officials and administration led by the Malkangiri Sub-Collector have started raiding traders dealing in pulses at different rural haats as well as in the market of Malkangiri town.

Samples have been sent for tests to check adulteration.

Malkangiri District Collector K. Sudarshan Chakravarthy said administration was waiting for the final report to plan action against the consumption of beans.

Meanwhile awareness drive has been started in the district to dissuade tribals from consuming cassia seeds.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.