Harish Rao slams Govt over Narayanpet food poisoning incident

“Under this government, children are fighting for their lives in hospitals instead of studying in classrooms. How many more lives will it take for the Revanth Reddy government to act?” he asked.

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS MLA T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for its negligence in addressing the deteriorating conditions in government schools and residential welfare educational institutions, leading to repeated incidents of food poisoning. He was responding to the hospitalisation of several students from the Zilla Parishad High School in Maganoor of Narayanpet district on Wednesday due to food poisoning. He demanded for shifting the affected students to Hyderabad immediately for better medical care.

In a series of posts on X, Harish Rao condemned the condition of Gurukuls and blamed the Congress government for ruining them. “Under this government, children are fighting for their lives in hospitals instead of studying in classrooms. How many more lives will it take for the Revanth Reddy government to act?” he asked.

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The former Minister pointed out numerous issues plaguing the residential welfare schools, including rising cases of dog, rat and snake bites. He lashed out at Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for neglecting education, SC, ST, and minority welfare departments, stating that the Chief Minister did not hold a single review meeting on these subjects. “His negligence has resulted in the deaths of 42 students in just 11 months,” he added.

Harish Rao also pointed out poor food quality in Hyderabad’s government schools, citing improperly cooked rice, poor quality dal, watery curries and discontinuation of eggs in meals due to unpaid bills. He said contractors were struggling to maintain quality food services, while mid-day meal workers remain unpaid for the last 11 months.

Calling the situation alarming, he urged district collectors in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri to address these issues promptly. He warned that continued inaction would further endanger the health and future of poor students across the State.