Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has expressed deep concern over repeated cases of suspected food poisoning at government-run schools, directing authorities to collect mid-day meal samples from all such institutions for laboratory analysis.
Court’s Directions and Observations
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to food poisoning at a government school in Narayanpet district, the court criticized officials for their negligence. A bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Srinivas Rao questioned whether authorities would act only after children lost their lives.
The court emphasized the need for a humane approach, reminding officials that they too have children. It instructed the government to hold responsible officials accountable and submit a detailed report by the coming Monday.
Recurring Incidents Raise Concerns
The court highlighted that this was the second incident of food poisoning within a week at the same school, Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School, labeling it as a grave administrative failure.
On Tuesday, 21 students fell ill after consuming mid-day meals, complaining of vomiting and diarrhea. They were immediately taken to the Government Hospital in Maganoor.
A week earlier, nearly 50 students had experienced similar symptoms after consuming the mid-day meal on November 20.
Government and Legal Responses
While the Additional Advocate General Imran Khan claimed the latest incident was linked to snacks brought from outside, the High Court dismissed this as a poor defense, demanding stricter oversight of mid-day meal programs.
Following the earlier incident, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had ordered an inquiry, resulting in the suspension of three officials and the cancellation of the meal supply contract with the agency responsible. Despite these actions, the recurrence of food poisoning raised further questions about accountability and the effectiveness of preventive measures.
Escalating Concerns Over Food Safety
The issue gained national attention after the death of a 16-year-old student from a tribal welfare residential school in Wankidi, Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. She succumbed on Monday after battling food poisoning since October 30, when 60 students at the school had fallen critically ill.
Anticipating public unrest, authorities imposed prohibitory orders around the affected schools, restricting gatherings of five or more people.
Opposition Criticism
The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has held the Congress-led state government responsible for the recurring incidents, alleging that since the new administration took charge, 42 students have died due to food poisoning in government schools.
BRS leader K. Kavitha and working president K.T. Rama Rao have demanded accountability, with the latter highlighting that incidents of food poisoning in residential schools have claimed three lives every month.
The BRS also demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation for the family of the deceased Wankidi student.
Way Forward
The Telangana High Court’s intervention has underscored the urgency of addressing food safety in government schools. The state government faces mounting pressure to implement stricter measures to prevent further incidents and restore confidence in the mid-day meal program.
