The latest reports said 56 students of the Upper Primary School near the Aska College at Aska fell ill after consuming mid-day meal on Saturday afternoon. Six of these students, whose conditions were serious, were shifted to the MKCG Medical College Hospital here for better treatment.
Significantly, before the curry for the meal was cooked, both the cooks of the school Kumari Muni and Geetanjali Nayak had reportedly cautioned the members of the SHG Maa Bapangi not to use the soyabin, the quality of which was not good. But the SHG members asked the cooks to use it. School Headmaster Bibhutibhusan Patra said he tested the food before being served to the kids.
Out of the 143 students present in the school on the day, 80 took the meal. Twenty minutes later, 56 students complained of stomach pain and a few minutes later they vomited and their heads reeled.
According to reports, the concerned SHG had never bothered to accept the directives of the Headmaster and the School Managing Committee, said president of the committee Sujit Kumar Nayak. He alleged further that the SHG had brought eggs one month back to serve the school kids though the eggs were found totally rotten and hence were destroyed.
Being informed about the ill health of the students, Aska BDO Balaram Mallik, MD of Aska Cooperative Sugar Factory Trilochan Majhi and Bhanjanagar Sub-Collector Sudhansu Mohan Samal reached the hospital.
Meanwhile, Ganjam district Collector Krishan Kumar has asked Bhanjanagar Sub-Collector Sudhansu Mohan Samal to investigate the incident and submit his report for action. Sub-Collector of Brahmapur Bijay Kuamar Das also visited the MKCG Medical College Hospital and inquired about the conditions of the victims. The entire treatment expenses of the kids would be met from the District Red Cross Fund, he added.