In yet another disturbing reminder of lapses in hygiene, a lizard was discovered in a bowl of sambar served as part of the breakfast at a Panchayat Union Primary School in Pungampatti, near Barur, on Wednesday morning.
The contaminated sambar had been served with pongal to four children under the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme. Although officials from both the school and revenue departments claimed that none of the children had actually eaten the dish, teachers acted swiftly.
The four students were initially taken to the Barur Primary Health Centre for a medical check-up. As a precaution, they were then shifted to the Government Dharmapuri Medical College Hospital for further observation. Hospital sources later confirmed that the children were in stable condition and showed no symptoms.
According to school staff, the lifeless lizard was noticed on one of the student’s plates, prompting immediate action from teachers and authorities. Following the incident, Pochampalli Tahsildar Sathya and District Education Officer (Elementary) Sivaraman arrived at the school to assess the situation.
A fresh meal was promptly prepared and served to the remaining students to ensure safety and restore confidence.
This is not an isolated incident. Just last week, a similar case was reported in Tiruppur district, where a lizard was found in sambar at the Kolinjivadi Municipal Middle School. Additionally, food safety officials recently shut down a private canteen at the Government Thanjavur Medical College Hospital after another dead lizard was discovered in a meal.