Hyderabad: The state government on Thursday informed the Telangana High Court that it has constituted statewide task force committees, which will ensure that food poisoning issues won’t crop up again.Additional advocate general Imran Khan submitted that state-level and district-level panels would inspect implementation of the mid-day meals scheme in all government schools and keep a check on incidents of food poisoning.Institution-level food safety committees are also examining the scheme. There were directions to headmasters and other officials to check the quality of food that was served.The additional AG requested the court to close the matter as the government has taken all steps and the Chief Minister had himself perceived the issue and had directed the chief secretary to get regular reports from the committees.Imran Khan also informed the court that action has been initiated against the headmaster of the Maganoor ZP high school in Narayanpet district by suspending him and the contractor, who was responsible for supplying food, was stripped of the contract.This submission was made before the division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J. Sreenivas Rao, which was hearing a PIL filed by Guru Teja regarding non-compliance of provisions in serving midday meals and the unhygienic conditions in schools.His counsel Chikkudu Prabhakar had on the last occasion of hearing brought to the notice of the court about food poisoning incidents at ZPHS Maganur on November 20, 21, and 26 and in Gurukul school at Burgupalli village of Gangadhara mandal in Karimnagar district on November 22.More than 70 students reportedly fell ill after consuming the midday meal in those schools. On Thursday, Chikkudu Prabhakar, who represented the petitioner, argued that in 2015 itself, state, district, and mandal-level committees were formed, with the school education commissioner and director acting as the nodal agency to oversee the implementation of the midday meal scheme under the PM Poshan Abhiyan. He contended that the rules of the scheme framed in 2015 were not being implemented.Considering the contentions, Chief Justice Aradhe directed the state government to file a detailed status report on the issue and furnish details pertaining to the task force committees and its members to the court. He adjourned the case to six weeks.
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