THANE: A day after 45 students fell ill and were hospitalised after consuming curry and rice for a mid-day meal, the Kalwa police have registered a case against school administration and the supplier of mid-day meals at Sahakar Vidyalaya, Kalwa West, Thane.
The children, aged between 8 and 11 years, complained of nausea, abdomen pain and vomiting after consuming the meal. Around 5pm, an ambulance was dispatched to the school and the kids were quickly admitted to the Kalwa hospital. “While the condition of 37 students is stable, eight are still exhibiting symptoms, such as fever and vomiting and will require observation for at least 12 more hours. Hospital authorities have assured that the remaining stable patients will be discharged soon,” said a police officer.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon, according to TMC officials, the mid-day meals, primarily consisting of khichdi, are distributed through government savings groups. However, students reported a foul smell from the matki curry (Moth Bean Curry) served that day.
Parents expressed outrage over being denied access to their children and criticized the school for food safety negligence, raising serious concerns about the quality of school meal programs. One parent, Satyabhaga Panzade, remarked, “It’s the school’s responsibility to ensure food safety. They should eat the food in advance, not after giving it to children” Another parent, Sudarshan Jadhav, shared, “My daughter called me crying as she was suffering from severe stomach pain. This is the negligence of the school authorities. We rely on the school for meals because they instructed us not to send tiffins.”
{{/usCountry}}Parents expressed outrage over being denied access to their children and criticized the school for food safety negligence, raising serious concerns about the quality of school meal programs. One parent, Satyabhaga Panzade, remarked, “It’s the school’s responsibility to ensure food safety. They should eat the food in advance, not after giving it to children” Another parent, Sudarshan Jadhav, shared, “My daughter called me crying as she was suffering from severe stomach pain. This is the negligence of the school authorities. We rely on the school for meals because they instructed us not to send tiffins.”
{{/usCountry}}This incident has raised significant concerns about food safety standards in school meal programs. The state government had given the contract to Aashirwad Mahila Mandal to provide mid-day meals to aided schools in Thane, including Sahakar Vidyalaya. Following the poisoning incident, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the food preparation site and found several discrepancies, leading to the sealing of the premises. An officer from the FDA has confirmed the action against the Mandal.
The Kalwa police station senior police inspector, Ashok Utekar said, “A case of negligence has been registered against the school administration and the supplier of mid-day meals at Sahakar Vidyalaya. The complaint was lodged by parents. We are investigating what went wrong and who is responsible for the act.”
State education minister Deepak Kesarkar visited the hospital, prompting staff to wake up affected students around 2 am for his inspection. According to TMC officials, the food was served without proper inspection.
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