Tirupati: Health condition of Renigunta BC hostel students improves

Tirupati: The health of 21 students who fell ill at the Renigunta BC Hostel has fully improved, according to State BC Welfare, Handloom and Textiles Minister S Savitha.

The incident took place on Monday morning at the hostel following which the students were shifted to Ruia hospital. As their condition has improved, they have been discharged and have since returned to school, she said.

Minister Savitha announced that she has ordered Tirupati District BC Welfare officials to take disciplinary action against the hostel staff who displayed negligence during the incident.

The Minister expressed her dissatisfaction with the way the situation was handled, especially the delay in informing higher authorities despite the students showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea.

“The students’ condition deteriorated due to consuming food outside and it is unacceptable that the hostel staff did not act promptly”, she said. Such negligence is an ‘unforgivable crime’ and warned that any future incidents of this nature would result in severe consequences.

In response to the Minister’s orders, BC Welfare Director Mallikarjuna issued show-cause notices to two officials Chandrasekhar and D Jyotsna demanding explanations for their roles in the incident. These officials have been given three days to respond to the notices.