HYDERABAD: It was the second consecutive day of distress for students at the Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS). A day after several children were hospitalised due to food poisoning after having lunch, the school management allegedly once again served worm-infested food for midday meal (MDM) on Thursday.
Adding to their woes, those students undergoing treatment at the Mahbubnagar Government Hospital complained of finding insects in the upma served as breakfast.
Meanwhile, the students who attended school on Thursday said they were shocked to discover worms in their lunch again. When they protested, the school staff asked them to wait, claiming that fresh food would be cooked and served. However, a student said, “We come from other villages and find it tough to wait until fresh food is prepared.”
Several students alleged that the rice served was undercooked and every plate had at least one insect. “We are hungry and have no food to eat. What do we do now?” lamented another student.
Food samples from hospital sent to lab, says official
Director of School Education EV Narasimha Reddy said the district collector has sought an explanation from the district educational officer (DEO) regarding the incident.
Official hints at conspiracy
At the hospital, students receiving treatment also reported worm-infested food for breakfast. After raising complaints, the officials discarded the food and prepared fresh meals, a student claimed.
Mahbubnagar Additional Collector (Local Bodies) Shivendra Pratap told TNIE that samples of the food collected from the hospital was sent to a laboratory for testing. “However, we did not find any insects in the cooked food bowls,” he said.
Another official suggested that the complaints could be part of a deliberate attempt to defame the hospital. “The same food was served to all patients, but only two students complained,” the official stated.