Mumbai: Midday meal causes 26 schoolkids to be hospitalised for food poisoning

And the midday meal scheme has once again caused much pain literally Twentysix students of Jogeshwaris Balvikas Vidya Mandir were rushed to the nearby Kokan Hospital yesterday after they took ill on consuming the khichadi served to them under the scheme Some were discharged in the evening after doctors said their condition was stableStudents of Balvikas Vidya Mandir were rushed to Kokan hospital after they took illTried and testedThe 50yearold school in Sarvodaya Nagar is a governmentaided and trustrun institution which holds classes from Stds I to X Midday meals are served to students from Stds I to VIII During the recess at 10 am students were served the food Shortly after some students from Stds V and VII complained of stomachache and dizziness and a few vomited School authorities then took the children to hospitalWe have been serving midday meals here right from the start of the scheme Womens selfhelp group Chaafai Mahila Seva Sanstha which served the khichadi today has been providing food here since two years As per regulation the food was even tasted by a teacher before being served to students We are all shocked with the incident said Sahadeo Sawant a member of the trust Ratnagiri Maratha Dyani Samaj which runs the Marathi medium schoolMany parents alleged that initially the school authorities didnt allow them to see their kids and asked them to communicate with them via videoconferencing Supriya Salvi a resident of Durga Nagar whose son studies in Std VII said Around noon we received the call We rushed to the school but authorities said they would let us see our children via a video call There was a teacher at the hospital to facilitate this It was only after some of us protested against this bizarreness that they let us go to the hospitalParents have been told to keep a close watch on their kids and revisit the hospital if they vomit or feel dizzy again Another parent Pooja Dalvi whose daughter studies in Std V said My daughter has been in this school since Std I and nothing like this has happened before While the incident was shocking the whole video call plan was just crazyAuthority speakMahesh Palkar education officer at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation which looks after the midday meal scheme said We have sent a team to visit the school and take a review The school will have to submit a report on the entire incident Food samples have been collected for testing to identify the cause or to understand if the food was already spoilt After a thorough inquiry appropriate action will be taken DCP zone X Navinchandra Reddy said The Meghwadi police are conducting an investigation in the matter after which an offence will be registered and appropriate action will be takenDirector of the hospital Dilshad Lashkaria said Initial complaints were of food poisoning after eating the khichadi the students were vomiting had stomachache and burning sensation By late evening we discharged 21 the rest are stable and undergoing treatment Following the regular practice samples of the food have been collected After it goes through testing a decision will be taken on what action is needed said state FDA Commissioner Pallavi DaradeCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go