Sangareddy: 35 KGBV students fall sick after food poisoning; principal, 5 mess staff fired

Hyderabad: Thirty-five students of classes 6 to 10 of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Pulkal in Sangareddy district fell sick after consuming the morning breakfast provided by the school. The students fell ill after eating poha served for breakfast in the school on the morning of 5 November.

The students complained of stomach pain and vomiting following which they were taken to Narayankhed hospital. All the students recovered and were discharged from the hospital on Friday evening.

According to sources, the food grains used in the preparation of the poha had expired. "There was a shortage of grains while cooking yesterday. So, the mess staff used 1-2 kgs of expired stock," said Ashok, the president of TSUTF Sangareddy who also works at Narayankhed.

Following the incident, the district educational officer, Sangareddy conducted a detailed inquiry after talking to the staff and the students of the school. As a result of the inquiry, the principal of the school has been fired and the cook and four helpers of the mess have also been removed.

Complaints went unnoticed

According to sources, it is the negligence of the mess staff that led to the food poisoning incident. "It is the negligence of the cooks. This practice has been continuing for the past 3-4 months. Some students also complained and requested the cook not to use expired items. But they did not listen," said Ashok who also spoke with the students and their parents following the incident.

Never-ending food poisoning cases in TS schools

According to Hakku Initiative's data from January to September 2022, over 1,150 students suffered from food poisoning in schools in Telangana in 2022. Their study says that the food poisoning incidents were reported mainly in tribal welfare, minority welfare, social welfare, backward class welfare, and women welfare schools across 18 districts in the state.