Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly and senior Congress leader VD Satheesan on Saturday said the LDF Government has completely failed to provide food security to the people of the state.

Speaking to media persons here, Satheesan said that Kerala, which was ranked first in the national food security index, has been pushed down to the sixth position in 2022 ever since the time of the UDF Government. This, he said, shows the failure of the incumbent government.

Satheesan blamed the state government for the second death due to food poisoning reported in the state within the past five days.

Anjushree Parvathi, a 19-year-old girl who consumed Kuzhimanthi, a spicy dish prepared with rice and meat, died in Kasaragod on Saturday. Earlier on January 3, Resmi, a 33-year-old nurse, had died after consuming Kuzhimanthi and al-faham in Kottayam.

Satheesan alleged that the mismanagement and inefficiency of the government and the Health Department has brought the state to a state where it is not even possible to eat outside the house. He said the government should work to ensure food security in the state.

He said the State Food Safety Department, which is supposed to ensure food safety, and the Health Department, which is supposed to coordinate their activities, have now become scarecrows. The food safety department goes for inspection only when there is news of food poisoning, he said.

Satheesan alleged that inspection of inter-district squads and the operation of the Rapid Action Force were sabotaged by the bureaucratic lobby with the tacit approval of the top brass in the government.

Anju Sree Parvathi’s family at Thalaklayi in Kasaragod had consumed Kuzhimanthi which was delivered online from Al Romanzia Hotel in Kasaragod on 31 December.

Though all the four who ate the food felt uneasy, the condition of Anjusree deteriorated and she was rushed to a hospital at Kasaragod. She was shifted to a private hospital in Mangaluru on Friday morning as her health condition worsened. She breathed her last at a hospital in Mangaluru at 5 am on Saturday.

The police have registered a case of unnatural death following the complaint of the relatives of the deceased girl and took three persons, including the hotel owner into custody in connection with the death of the girl

The statement of the doctors has been recorded by the police .The police also clarified that further action can be taken only after receiving the post-mortem report.

Meanwhile, Dr Ramdas, District Medical Officer, Kasargod said that the preliminary assumption from the hospital report in Mangalore is that Anjushree’s death was due to food poisoning.

 The 33-year-old nurse Reshmi Raj ordered an Arabian chicken dish “al faham” on December 29. She was later hospitalised in serious condition and died on 3 January

A 16-year-old girl died due to food poisoning in May last year after she ate ‘shawarma’ from an eatery in Kasaragod. Shawarma is thinly sliced pieces of marinated meat, like a lamb, chicken or beef rolled into a flatbread.

On 29 December, around 100 people had suffered food poisoning after consuming food served at a baptism feast in Pathanamthitta district

The food safety department has initiated action against 36 hotels in Kochi city for not adhering to safety norms. The department has ordered the closure of 6 hotels and imposed fines on 19 hotels.

Meanwhile, Centipede was found in biryani served at Kayayes hotel at  Mattanchery in Kochi The  food safety department officials, who  reached the hotel, issued orders to close the hotel.