A shocking case of suspected milk adulteration has claimed four lives and hospitalised 12 others in Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari district, sparking widespread outrage and prompting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to announce ₹10 lakh ex-gratia for each deceased family while ordering a high-level probe.

The victims, mostly elderly residents of Chowdeswari Nagar, succumbed to acute renal failure and anuria (complete urinary blockage) after consuming milk supplied by an unauthorised local vendor, Addala Ganeshwara Rao, whose dairy unit in Narasapuram village has been sealed and the operator taken into custody.

The Deadly Milk Trail Unravels

The tragedy unfolded over 48 hours, with two victims succumbing on Sunday and two more on Monday, as families in Chowdeswari Nagar and Swaroop Nagar reported clusters of illness tracing back to the same milk supplier servicing over 100 households. Health officials identified anuria and skyrocketing urea/creatinine levels as hallmarks of the outbreak, linking it preliminarily to contaminated dairy from the vendor’s operation involving milk from 40 local cattle.

Door-to-door surveys covered 73 families by Monday evening, with rapid response teams collecting blood, urine, milk and water samples rushed to labs in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada for toxicology analysis. Animal husbandry teams inspected 46 cattle, suspecting chemical adulterants or bacterial contamination as possible culprits behind the renal catastrophe.

Victims: Elderly Most Vulnerable

The elderly bore the brunt, with vulnerable kidneys succumbing fastest to the toxin’s assault, though reports mention children and infants among the hospitalised, heightening parental anxiety across the district.

CM Naidu’s Swift Intervention

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu convened an emergency review, directing round-the-clock medical care, lab prioritisation and raids on dairy units statewide to preempt copycat risks. He assured full expense coverage for treatment and ₹10 lakh compensation per bereaved family, vowing “strictest punishment” if adulteration confirms.

Raids And Response: Statewide Vigilance

Food safety officials launched inspections across NTR and East Godavari districts, seizing samples from 75 families and multiple dairies, while Vijayawada teams reinforced local efforts with advanced testing kits. Medical camps screened 957 households, administering dialysis to critical cases amid symptoms like vomiting, pain and swelling – classic adulterant red flags.

• Samples Collected: Milk, curd, blood from 73+ families.
• Cattle Checked: 46 animals, veterinary tests underway.
• Hospitals: GGH Rajamahendravaram leading response
• Police Case: Vendor charged, FIR on complaints.

Adulteration Under Scrutiny: What Went Wrong?

Suspicions centre on urea, detergents or melamine – cheap fillers boosting volume but devastating kidneys – common in India’s unregulated dairy shadows despite FSSAI crackdowns. The vendor’s unauthorised status raises supply chain red flags, with locals alleging lax oversight enabled daily doorstep delivery of peril.

Experts warn adulteration evades taxes and standards, hitting the poor hardest through trusted neighbourhood suppliers bypassing pasteurisation safeguards.

Public Fury And Calls For Accountability

Chowdeswari Nagar reels under grief, with families decrying “poison in breakfast” and demanding vendor exemplary punishment plus compensation hikes. Opposition leaders slammed regulatory lapses, urging assembly debate on food safety amid recurring scandals from laddus to spices.

Preventive Measures And Path Forward

Authorities rolled out awareness drives, free testing camps and vendor verification mandates, while labs race against time for toxin confirmation to guide prosecutions. This heartbreak underscores the lethal stakes of adulteration in everyday staples, spurring calls for blockchain traceability and harsher penalties to protect the vulnerable.

As Rajamahendravaram heals, the milk tragedy spotlights systemic gaps in dairy oversight – a wake-up call for stricter vigilance ensuring breakfast nourishes, not endangers.