50 girls at govt school in AP taken ill after eating snacks

Nearly 50 students of a government girls school at a village here fell ill purportedly after consuming snacks served at the shcool, following which Andhra Pradesh Rural Development Minister today directed that a criminal case be filed against the contractor concerned.
The incident took place on Wednesday after students of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) in Merakamuddidam village were taken ill after eating snacks. They started vomiting and showed symptoms of giddiness, district Collector Vivek Yadav said.
All girls were rushed to the local government hospital for immediate treatment.
Out of the 50, two girls were referredto King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, four to district government hospital and eight to a another local hospital, he said, adding they are still undergoing treatment, while the remaining students were discharged.

State Rural Development minister Kimidi Mrunalini today visited the school and inquired about the condition of the girls.
The minister told reporters here that she has asked officials concerned to take immediate action against the contractor who supplied snacks (food items) to the school by filing a criminal case against him.
Yadav, who also visited the school, ordered to issue a memo to the warden of the school and directed officials to place the contractor under blacklist.
Meanwhile, deputy district medical and health officer Dr B Raghava Rao has said all the affected students were out of danger and those undergoingtreatmentwill be discharged soon.