Telangana food inspectors uncover hygiene lapses in govt

SANGAREDDY: Food inspectors discovered several issues during recent investigations at both private and government hostels.

Many kitchens in government hostels across erstwhile Medak district were found unclean, with staff neglecting cleanliness. Furthermore, officials noted the presence of insects in the government-supplied rice.

The investigation revealed that wardens did not return the poor-quality rice from the Civil Supplies Department as required.

Inspectors visited 34 government hostels in Sangareddy and Medak districts, issuing notices to negligent wardens.

Sangareddy Food Inspector Dharmender emphasised the need for clean kitchens and instructed staff accordingly.

In Sangareddy district, inspections covered 22 government hostels, with some found in good condition while others faced sanitary issues. Food samples from these hostels were sent for quality testing. Dharmender also directed wardens to enhance food quality.

In Medak, Food Inspector Hari Naik reported insects in most rice samples from 12 SC and ST hostels. The food inspector highlighted criticism of negligent wardens regarding vegetable quality and the frequency of chicken servings.

Wardens attributed challenges to delayed government payments, forcing them to purchase substandard vegetables from private traders.

Furthermore, criticism intensified following an incident in Ramayampet where students fell ill after consuming hostel food.

An official from the welfare department stated that incidents like Ramayampet happen only because of the negligence of wardens.