Amaravati, Feb 23 : The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of four persons who died due to consumption of adulterated milk in Rajahmundry.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly.

He also declared that the government will bear the medical expenses of those undergoing treatment in the hospitals.

Terming the incident as painful, the Chief Minister expressed deep sympathy for the families of the deceased.

He told the Assembly that the affected people were undergoing treatment in hospitals with symptoms like vomiting, stomach pain, and dialysis problems. Doctors found increased levels of urea and serum creatinine in the blood during clinical tests.

The Chief Minister stated that Varalakshmi Milk Dairy of Narasapuram village of Korukonda mandal supplies milk to 106 families in two areas of Rajahmundry daily.

Officials have confirmed that the victims fell ill after drinking milk from this dairy. Four people died in the incident. Ten others are undergoing treatment, and two of them are on a ventilator. Three of the deceased were aged over 70 years, while the fourth one was 58 years old.

The Chief Minister said that blood samples have been taken from the affected and sent to labs in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam for tests.

He revealed that the dairy manager, Addala Ganeswara Rao, has been detained by the police and is being interrogated. A case has been registered based on the complaint filed by the family members of the deceased.

"If anyone indulges in this adulteration out of greed for money, we will take it seriously. We will take action against the culprits after the investigation," the Chief Minister said.

He warned that the government will not remain indifferent to anyone in the state who commits adulteration or acts in a way that causes trouble to the people.

Earlier, after learning about the incident of locals falling ill and several deaths due to consumption of adulterated milk in Chowdeshwari Nagar and Swaroop Nagar areas of Rajahmundry, Chief Minister Naidu held a review with officials.

In a review meeting with the District Collector, the SP, Medical and Health Department and Food Safety officials and enquired about the details of the incident. He also enquired about the medical assistance being provided to the victims.

The Chief Minister ordered that the best medical services be provided to those undergoing treatment. Officials said that samples have been collected from 75 people in the families who consumed the milk, while samples were being taken from the remaining people.

Naidu ordered that senior officials of the Food Safety and Medical and Health Departments should immediately go to Rajahmundry and monitor the situation.

He again reviewed the situation in his chamber in the Assembly with ministers and officials in the afternoon.

/IANS