School stopped from using ‘poor quality' rice

Water used for cooking is not clean: DYFI members

CAUSE OF CONCERN:People checking the rice used for preparing the midday meal at a government school at Amal Mogaru in Mangalore on Friday.

Members of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Friday prevented the Government Model Higher Primary School at Amla Mogaru, near here, from using what they termed “poor quality” rice for the midday meal. They alleged that the water being used to cook the food was also unfit for human consumption.

Muhammad Shareef, head of the Amla Mogaru unit of the DYFI, said that when his team visited the school at 10.20 a.m. on Friday, they noticed some worms in the water being boiled for cooking rice.

The cooking was stopped and fresh water was drawn from a well on the premises of former president of the local gram panchayat Sanjiv Shetty, who is also a member of the school development and monitoring committee.

He and Ibrahim, secretary of the Madak unit of the DYFI, said that children had on Thursday complained of being served food cooked with rice containing “tiny black insects”.

Headmaster of the school A. Shankar said that he had not been informed of the insects in the rice on Thursday. However, he ensured that the rice was not used on Friday. He said that the stock would be replaced. Jagadish Shetty, a teacher, said the school had a stock of eight bags of quality boiled rice, which could last till the new stocks arrived.

Medical Officer of the primary health centre in the village Sudesh Derebail said the water had been found fit for human consumption during previous inspections and laboratory tests. It would be tested again before allowing its use.

Deputy Director of Public Instruction C. Chame Gowda and Education Officer Manjula said this had not come to their notice, but promised to take action in the matter.