No Milk, Eggs or Food menu: Raids at Telangana Govt hostels reveal lapses

Hyderabad: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials conducted surprise checks at several government hostels across Telangana and identified that the students were not being given milk and eggs.

The officials have also found that many hostels were also not maintaining a food menu.

The ACB teams also comprised the inspector of legal metrology, sanitary inspectors, food inspectors and auditors. They checked the records in the hostels to assess the quality and quantity of the food being served and the overall sanitary conditions of the hostels with respect to the number of students in each hostel.

The officials inspected SC Hostel for Boys at Jambagh, Hyderabad district; Hostel for BC Boys at Medipally, Medchal-Malkajgiri district; Hostel for BCs Boys, Koilkonda, Mahabubnagar district; Hostel for SC Girls, Thipparthi, Nalgonda district; Hostel for ST Boys, Vemanpalle, Mancherial district; Hostel for SC Boys, Ippalapally, Rajanna Sircilla district; Hostel for SC Girls, Janagaon district; Hostel for ST Boys, Karepalli, Bhadradri-Kothagudem district; Hostel for BC Boys, Siddipet; and Hostel for SC Girls, Kotagally, Nizamabad district.

Irregularities range from ventilation to hygiene issues

Several irregularities were noticed in the hostels during the searches. The student numbers were inflated, and no proper hygiene was being maintained in the kitchens, store rooms, washrooms and toilets.

Proper drinking water was not being supplied and there was no sufficient lighting and ventilation in the rooms. The bathrooms in the girls' hostels were not in a condition to be used. There are 18 types of registers/records to be maintained but none of them were being maintained.

The wardens who are supposed to be available in the hostels are not found on campus and they would only come once a week or month. There was also a huge difference in the weight of the commodities compared to the register’s scales.

Misappropriation of funds in purchases was also noticed. In several places, expired food items were being expired. Ten teams participated in the searches.

“A detailed report will be sent to the government on the erring officers for taking necessary action. Recommendations will also be sent to the government to improve the present status,” the ACB officials said in a press release.

Food safety team raids 387 hostels in Telangana till June

Between January to June, as many as 387 hostels including both the government and private hostels have been inspected by Food Safety Officers in Telangana and "Food Safety on Wheels" vehicles.

In accordance with the seriousness of the infractions found, notices were sent to the hostel management. It was discovered that many hostels were running without the necessary FSSAI license.

Food business operators (FBOs) were advised to apply for licenses as soon as possible after learning about the FSSAI's licensing and food management standards. One establishment in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Zone was promptly closed due to the seriousness of the infractions.

In July, a task force team from the Food Safety Department of Telangana conducted raids at various schools and hostels in Telangana to ensure the quality of the food is not compromised.

The inspections were conducted in various districts of Telangana, including Nalgonda, Jangoan, Yadadri and Mancherial. During the raids, the officials made the cooking staff aware of the protocols and good practices to be followed in the kitchen area.

The teams also asked the schools and hostel staff to take necessary steps to ensure compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations, 2011.