Opposition Slams Telangana Govt Over Repeated Food Contamination in Gurukul Schools

Several students from gurukul schools in Telangana have been hospitalised after reportedly consuming contaminated food, raising serious concerns about food safety in state-run hostels.

Around 90 students from the Bagh Lingampally Minority Gurukul School were admitted to King Koti Government Hospital after falling ill. Medical attention was provided, and doctors confirmed that the children were stable. The incident comes after similar reports from other gurukul and government schools across the state, indicating a recurring issue.

Former minister T. Harish Rao visited the hospital along with BRS MLAs Kaleru Venkatesh and Mutha Gopal . He inquired about the condition of the students and sought details from the attending doctors regarding the treatment being provided.

It was stated by Harish Rao that students from several government schools had been admitted to hospitals in recent weeks due to food-related illnesses . He cited previous incidents at a BC Gurukul School in Shamirpet , where students had complained about worms in their mid-day meals, and at Chandu Nayak Thanda in Madhapur , where 43 students reportedly fell ill after consuming contaminated lunch.

The former minister criticised the Telangana government’s ‘Vision 2047’ campaign , stating that it had become “ Poison 2047 ” for students. While the government promotes “Telangana Rising” through advertisements, the reality, he said, is that many students are being hospitalised due to poor-quality meals.

Concerns were also raised regarding the quality of rice being supplied. Harish Rao said that during the previous government, fine-quality rice was provided, whereas now coarse rice is being used, which often does not cook properly, causing dissatisfaction among students.

The government’s priorities were questioned, particularly regarding expenditures on football events involving international players and the construction of stadiums, while students reportedly lacked access to basic nutritious meals.

It was further stated that the Chief Minister had not visited any of the hospitalised students, despite frequent official trips to other destinations, including Delhi. Harish Rao demanded that safe and adequate food should be provided to all hostel students immediately and that food safety monitoring should be strengthened.

While political leaders have commented on the issue, officials from the Telangana government have not issued an immediate response regarding corrective measures or verification of expenditure claims made by the former minister.