40 school girls taken ill after suspected food poisoning

About 40 girl students in a school here were taken ill after they had their dinner in the hostel mess and were admitted to a hospital.

The girls, aged between 10 and 16, are students of 'Sevasadan'. They complained of stomach ache and nausea after having their meal on Saturday night and were taken to hospital yesterday for treatment, school and hospital officials said today.

Out of those treated, 17 girls were discharged and remaining students were stable and out of danger, they added.

The school authorities said they had set up an inquiry to probe suspected food poisoning.

Police have collected samples of the food served to the students from the mess which contained beans and buttermilk curry, for analysis, inspector Hemant Bhat, who is probing the incident, said.
The status report also stated that 35.9 per cent
 

toilets in schools were not useable. Moreover, 23.4 per cent schools in the state are still without a separate toilet for girls while 11 per cent of toilets were found locked. In 19.7 per cent schools, the toilets for girls were not useable.

At a time when state government is focusing on IT education, the report found that there was no computer for students in 97.5 per cent schools in rural areas.

Minister of State for School Education in MP Deepak Joshi, however, said he would look into the report.

"We have made efforts to enroll girls in government schools. We are running the 'School Chalen Abhiyan' to enroll all the children for schools," Joshi told