File picture of a student who fell sick after eating midday meal at Jagatsinghpur

Paradip/Jajpur, Aug. 28: The school and mass education department today removed a cook and a kitchen assistant after dead caterpillars were found in the curry served to the children of a government-run upper primary school in Jagatsinghpur.

More than a dozen students of Icchapur village within the limits of Balikuda police station fell sick following suspected food poisoning after eating midday meal.

A departmental inquiry has been ordered into the incident. On the findings of the inquiry, the cook and kitchen assistant have been removed from the duty of preparing midday meal. Whether the school headmaster and his subordinates neglected their supervisory duties is also being probed. They have been served showcause notice. Disciplinary action will be taken against the teachers if they are found guilty.

The department has been directed to ensure hygienic storage of food items, apart from the hygienic habits of cooks and students.

It has been made mandatory on part of the teachers and the cook to taste the food before serving it to the children, said Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Kumar Mallick .

Suspended

The headmaster of a government-run primary school in Rasulpur block of Jajpur has been suspended for allegedly not providing midday meals to the students since August 10.

Gagan Behari Satpathy, the headmaster of Gurukul Nodal Primary School at Singhapur, was suspended by the district education officer yesterday after irregularities was found in the midday meal scheme in his school.

The axe fell on him after the district collector, Anil Kumar Samal, found the irregularities in the midday meal scheme in his school during his surprise visit yesterday.

The sub-inspector of schools of Singhapur circle and nodal officer of the midday meal scheme, Bhikari Charan Kabi, was also served a showcause notice.