Bhopal: After Food Poisoning In MANIT, Colleges Take Note

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After food poisoning incident at MANIT, the management of other colleges swung into action on Monday to prevent such incidents and monitor the disposal of leftover food in canteen or mess in hostels. Forty students were hospitalised after food poisoning in MANIT on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, doctors said that cases of diarrhoea increased in summer by about 20 per cent in Bhopal due to contamination in food and water.

Civil surgeon, JP Hospital, Dr Rakesh Shrivastava, said, “This time, cases of diarrhoea and vomiting cases increased by 20 per cent due to consumption of contaminated food and water. Fruits, vegetable, milk products have a short shelf life. So, take care while consuming.”

Maintaining hygiene

Jai Narayan Chouksey, chairman of the Lakshmi Narain College of Technology (LNCT) Group of Colleges, which includes LN Medical College and JK Super Specialty Hospital in Bhopal, said, “I have given clear instruction to authority looking after hostel canteen to maintain hygiene. Leftover is offered to cattle and taken to other places.”

Done scientifically

AIIMS’s Dr Ketan Mehara said, “We have a junior doctors’ team, which monitors the quality of food in mess. We have outsourced system to run the canteen or mess of hostels and hospital. There is also a system to discard leftover food in a scientific way.”

Junior docs monitor

Gandhi Medical College dean Dr Kavita N Singh said, “We have deployed warden, junior doctors for monitoring the quality of food and maintaining hygiene. Therefore, junior doctors keep monitoring the canteen and mess in hostels.”

Devenrda Dubey, food and drug administration department incharge, said, “In professional colleges, food is cooked according to students’ strength. It is no bhandara.

It is directly linked to monetary expenses of students. Canteens do not have much leftover food. Canteen staff consume it if there is leftover food. We had sealed canteen of a professional college because of poor hygiene a few months ago.”

Concern over leftover

The disposal of leftover food is a major concern for canteen management in professional colleges. The leftover food is taken to orphanage, gaushalas, slums etc. However, food and drug administration department said that food is cooked as per hostellers’ strength in colleges.