(File Photo)Last year, the Maharashtra government banned toddy shops in Mumbai after it emerged that the liquor was being adulterated with dangerous chemicals like chloral hydrate. Forensic officials confirm this trend, stating that the number of spurious toddy samples and the amount of adulteration has gone up since October last year. Following this, toddy shops in Mumbai were shut and only those areas that have toddy trees were allowed to serve the drink. However, since then, the number of samples received by the prohibition department of the Mumbai Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), which receives samples from Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad, has seen a rise in cases of spurious toddy. Apart from the rise in the toddy samples they receive, the number of toddy cases that test positive for presence of the dangerous chloral hydrate has gone up too, said the official.

Source: Indian Express August 06, 2017 19:56 UTC