Student unions protest Telangana govt's inaction on food poisoning cases
Hyderabad: Left-wing student unions organised a bandh of state-run schools on Thursday, to protest the government’s negligence regarding food poisoning incidents and the inadequacy of midday meal funding. The union said its activists were arrested in many placeds but the bandh was a success statewide.
In the city, protesters gathered at Kachiguda Government School to voice their concerns. Addressing the gathering, R.L. Murthy and T. Nagaraju, state president and secretary of SFI, along with AISF’s state secretary Gyar Naresh, condemned the government’s failure to act decisively on over 930 food poisoning cases reported over 11 months, which have also resulted in four student deaths.
“The Congress government has taken no concrete steps to address these recurring incidents of food poisoning, nor has it held officials accountable,” they said. The student unions, including the PDSU, AIDSO, and AIPSU, apart from the SFI and AISF, demanded that the Chief Minister hold a review meeting to address food safety concerns, alongside an increase in funds allocated to midday meals.
They highlighted substandard supplies in tribal welfare hostels and Gurukuls, which are procured through the GCC (Girijan Cooperative Corporation). “We demand an investigation into GCC operations and punitive actions against negligent managers,” they added.
The unions criticised the delay in releasing increased mess and cosmetic allowances and called for immediate repairs to non-functional RO plants. “Daily wage workers are still awaiting their salaries. The government must address these grievances without further delay,” said Damera Kiran and K. Ashok Reddy, SFI state leaders.
