100 Students Fall Ill After Eating Contaminated Mid-Day Meals in Mahabubnagar
In a troubling incident, around 100 students from Maganoor Zilla Parishad High School in Maktal constituency fell seriously ill on Wednesday. The children had consumed mid-day meals made with rice that was infested with insects. Despite this, authorities reportedly continued to serve low-quality food, putting the students’ health at risk.
Former MLA Chittem Rammohan Reddy visited the school on Thursday to investigate the situation. Upon inspecting the food, he found white worms in the uncooked rice and noticed a foul smell from the stock. Outraged by the negligence, Reddy criticized the officials, questioning, “Would you serve such rice to your own children at home?”
The students shared their experiences with Reddy, many of them in tears. Deeply moved, he decided to act immediately. Using his own money, Reddy bought fresh rice from a grocery store, arranged for it to be cooked, and joined the students in eating the freshly prepared meal.
Following this, the contaminated rice bags were returned to the Civil Supply Godown at Reddy’s insistence. He also urged the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and District Civil Supply Officer to provide good-quality rice by the next day to ensure students’ safety.
This incident has sparked anger among parents and locals. They are demanding accountability and strict action against those responsible for the negligence. The episode highlights ongoing concerns about food safety in mid-day meal programs at government schools, leaving many worried about the well-being of the children.
