TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: After being left without mid-day meals for nearly three months, nearly 1,500 of the affected 2000-odd students from various schools in Canacona taluka have finally been given their meals, after authorities were compelled to make a U-turn and resume the services of a suspended mid-day meal supplier.
It may be recalled that the Education Department had earlier suspended ‘Omkar Self Help Group’ (OSHG) from supplying mid-day meals, following the food poisoning incident at Shri Mallikarjun Vidhyalaya at Char-Rasta, Canacona, on June 27.
Following the suspension, OSHG had stopped supplying mid-day meals to over 2000 students spread across eight high schools, three middle schools, 11 upper primary and 23 primary schools in the municipal area, besides villages of Poinguinim and Loliem-Polem for nearly three months.
A case was booked against the OSHG and its president was booked, after tests conducted by the FDA revealed the presence of E.coli in themeals supplied to Shri Mallikarjun Vidyalaya.
The OSHG had argued that the same food cooked in the same utensils was also supplied to other schools students serviced by them, but there had been no complaints from the other students.
According to sources, the OSHG was quietly asked to resume providing mid-day meals, and the self-help group began operations after the Ganesh holidays.
“Authorities had found it difficult to find a new supplier to replace the OSHG and left with no option, officials were forced to fall back on the same supplier they had suspended,” said the source.
When contacted, OSHG President Sandhya alias Sneha Dessai confirmed that the OSHG had resumed the supply of mid-day meals.
“Yes, the Education Department approached me just before the Ganesh festival and we have resumed supply of mid-day meals to all schools previously serviced by us, except for the Shri Mallikarjun Vidyalaya,” said Dessai.
“This has vindicated our group, as we were unnecessarily made a scapegoat in the entire episode, despite serving the children in good faith and the best of intentions. We learnt that only 2-3 students of Shri Mallikarjun Vidyalaya had complained about vomiting, but the issue was blown out of proportion by referring 86 students to the health centre,” Dessai added.
“The FDA did not find anything objectionable in the food samples they tested, except for the E.coli, which is believed to develop if cooked food is kept open for a long time.”
“Initially, we were serving about 2,000 students, but we have now been told not to supply mid-day meals to 350 students of Shri Mallikarjun Vidyala and some other students from a few other schools, as they had opted out of the scheme. As such, we are presently supplying meals to about 1,500 students,” said Dessai.
The OSHG has been asked not to supply meals to students of Shri Mallikarjun Vidyalaya, after the school had reportedly forwarded a PTA resolution to the Education Department indicating its unwillingness to accept mid-day meals in their present form.
