Nearly 250 students from 20 ashram schools fall ill after dinner in Palghar district

NEW DELHI: Nearly 250 students from 20 ashram schools in Dahanu taluka of Maharashtra's Palghar district fell ill due to food poisoning and were rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment, a senior official said on Tuesday. These students at ashram schools (residential facilities for tribal pupils) complained of health complications like nausea, vomiting and giddiness within a couple of hours of having dinner sourced from a central kitchen at Kalamgaon on Monday, district collector Govind Bodke told the media.

Nearly 250 students were rushed to nearby hospitals and health centres by their teachers, he said. As many as 150 of them were still undergoing treatment at primary health centres (PHCs) and rural hospitals at Kasa, Talasari, Wangaon, Palghar and Manor, where their condition was stated to be stable, while others were discharged, said the collector. A probe has been ordered, he maintained. Bodke said after being informed about the incident, he, accompanied by senior officials of the district, visited health centres where students were admitted and also inspected the central kitchen from where food items were sourced.

State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and police personnel collected the food samples and sent them to laboratories for testing, the collector informed. He said the relevant sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) will carry out an investigation into the incident, while the FDA and police will conduct their independent probes.

The affected ashram schools were functioning under the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) and located in Dahanu, Palghar, Talasari and Vasai talukas of the district, Resident Deputy Collector Subhash Bhagade said.