Friday, 27 April 2018

Step by Step: Lab results on food samples still awaited


Students of Step by Step school in Sector 132, Noida, had fallen victim to food poisoning after having lunch on the school premises on April 6. The students soon fell sick as they ate the food and suffered from stomach ache and vomiting. But despite the initial brouhaha over the case, investigation into the incident seems to have paced down. Noida News

After that, the food department had collected samples of the ajwain paratha and oil used for breakfast and sent them to Lucknow lab for testing. The reports were expected to be out in two weeks, but it has been more than 20 days now, GB Nagar district administration is still waiting for the results.

Sanjay Sharma, designated officer of Food and Drug Administration, told City Spidey, “We wrote to Lucknow lab to send the reports as soon as possible. The testing of oil takes time and this is the only reason that the reports have not come yet. We are hoping the reports will come by Tuesday.”

In the wake of the shocking incident, which left 190 individuals, including students and school staff sick, the Food and Safety Department had carried out inspection of school canteens and took food samples for testing.

Immediately after the incident, the school’s administration had prevented officials from inspecting the premises and held them at the gate for hours before letting them in.

That led the district administration to lodge an FIR under Sections 328 (Causing hurt by means of poison), 341(Punishment for wrongful restraint) and 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) against the school management.

However, the school authorities later wrote to the district administration offering full cooperation in the investigation. They also extended their apologies for the mishap.