Telangana School Food Poisoning Crisis: 16 Students Affected

Hyderabad: On Monday, August 5, 16 female students from Kasturbha Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Pentlavelli Mandal, Nagarkurnool District, fell ill due to alleged food poisoning. This incident marks the second case of food poisoning in the district within a week, raising serious concerns about food safety standards in government residential schools.

The affected students were immediately rushed to the Kollapur government hospital after consuming a meal at the hostel. Telangana Tourism Minister Jupalli Krishna Rao visited the hospital to check on the students’ condition and offer support.

In response to the incident, Nagarkurnool Collector Badavath Santhosh, along with other officials, inspected the KGBV Pentlavelli facility and even had lunch with the students to assess the quality of the food being served. Addressing the media, he assured that all the affected girls had recovered and that a medical team would continue to monitor their health.

As a proactive measure, the Collector announced that a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant would be installed at the residential school as per the students’ request. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of maintaining hygiene in food handling and ensuring the quality of raw ingredients, including vegetables supplied to the school.

This incident comes on the heels of another food poisoning case that occurred on Saturday at the Government Model School in Veldanda, also in the Nagarkurnool district. Several female students fell ill after consuming spoiled food and were taken to a nearby government hospital. Some students, who were in relatively better condition, were taken home by their parents.

Jeysa, an intermediate first-year MPC student at the model residential school, reported that her classmates had developed stomach-related ailments multiple times after consuming contaminated food at the school. She highlighted the lack of adequate transportation to a government hospital, which is situated far from the school. Consequently, students have been pooling their money to seek treatment at private hospitals closer to the school. This situation is financially burdensome for both the students and their parents.

“We don’t even have a vehicle to take us to a government hospital, which is quite far away. Because of that, we have been sharing money between ourselves and paying private hospitals located close to the school. Our parents can’t afford that kind of money, and we don’t have the money. We need a vehicle, medicines, and a nurse to respond to our emergencies,” Jeysa explained to the media.

Another student shared that despite numerous complaints to the warden and other officials, their concerns were largely ignored, with only assurances that the food quality would improve. Unfortunately, these promises have not been fulfilled, leaving the students in distress.

The recurring incidents of food poisoning in Nagarkurnool district’s government residential schools underscore the urgent need for stringent food safety measures and better health infrastructure. The authorities must address these issues promptly to ensure the well-being of the students and restore confidence in the school system’s ability to provide a safe and healthy environment for learning.

Students complained that half-cooked food was being served to them and there were worms in the rice and curries since the last few days. On Sunday, about 22 students of KGBV at Pentlavelli in Kollapur were hospitalized due to food poisoning. After lunch, the girls had complained of stomach ache and many began vomiting.

Indian Actors in Rs 1000 Crore Club