Surat school fined ₹1 lakh after 85 hostel students fall ill after dinner

Surat: The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) has fined PP Savani International School ₹1 lakh after 85 hostel students fell ill following dinner on Saturday.

According to officials, around 2,200 students residing in the hostel had the evening meal. Soon after, 85 students reported abdominal pain and vomiting and were taken to PP Savani Hospital.

Of them, 73 students with mild symptoms were treated as outpatients, while 12 were admitted for observation and treatment. The hospitalised students, nine girls and three boys aged between 15 and 18, have since been discharged, officials said.

The SMC’s mobile medical team coordinated with the hospital, while an outpatient facility was also set up at the hostel to treat students reporting discomfort.

On September 13, SMC health teams inspected the hostel canteen kitchen, checking food quality, raw materials, cleanliness and hygiene practices. A food sample was collected and sent for laboratory testing.

The civic body also issued a notice to the school for allegedly failing to report the incident to the health department. It recovered ₹1 lakh as administrative charges and also penalised the mess operator, RS Corporation.

Following the incident, the health department stepped up food safety inspections across Surat. On September 14 and 15, teams inspected 200 hotels, restaurants and dhabas, issued 11 notices, destroyed 243.3 kg of unsafe food and collected ₹3.23 lakh in fines. DeshGujaat