On June 26, some students of the Minority Residential Girls’ School in Siddipet fell ill after complaining of stomach pain and vomiting.
The school management thought of controlling the situation but the matter went out of their hands when as many as 18 students had to be admitted to hospital while around 60 were treated in the school.
Health Minister Harish Rao immediately intervened and directed the officials to extend all possible assistance.
According to sources, the cooks mixed the ‘stale’ chicken soup prepared the day before with the freshly-made brinjal curry, which led to food poisoning. The government terminated the services of the four cooks and one warden and the principal was suspended.
“Facilities are being thoroughly monitored in all residential schools and hostels after this incident. There are no major incidents reported from any hostel or school. However, some minor incidents might have surfaced, as we are dealing with 300 to 400 students in each school or hostel,” said Rural Development Officer Gopal Rao.
“Even we came to know of the incident later. By the time we went there, all the utensils were cleaned and therefore, we could not send any sample to a lab. However, we had sent the water samples for testing, which was found safe for drinking,” said a health officer on condition of anonymity.
“We are taking all kinds of precautionary steps. Officials are frequently visiting the schools and hostels to monitor the conditions, and even tasting the food. We are ensuring quality food for students,” said District Medical and Health Officer Kashinath.
