Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 7 Six days after a young nurse died due to suspected food poisoning in Kerala, a 19-year-old girl passed away on Saturday after battling for her life at a hospital.
Anju Sree Parvathy along with her friends had ordered a special variety of biryani online to celebrate New Year's in Kasargod, the state's northern-most district which borders Mangaluru in Karnataka.
After having the biryani, she and her friends felt uneasy and were taken to a nearby hospital.
Anju was later hospitalised in Mangalure where she died on Saturday morning.
Local legislator C.H. Kunhambhu said while Parvathy was hospitalised, her other friends had recovered.
The nurse working in the Kottayam Medical College died last week after she had food from a hotel which had its license cancelled last month following complaints.
The establishment was allowed to open after paying a fine of Rs 20,000.
After the nurse's death, state Health Minister Veena George had spoken sternly of action against wrongdoers and on Saturday she said that strict action will be taken.
An issue which has come into focus now is that the state has only 140 field staff for monitoring six lakh establishments.
V.R. Vinod, Food Safety Commissioner, has revealed that till date no erring person has been convicted in Kerala after a death had been reported due to food poisoning.
"According to the rules, anyone found to be in violation following a death being reported due to food poisoning is seven years imprisonment. But no one in the state has been convicted for it. At present, there are around 1,800 cases in the courts for various offences related due to food adulteration. There is a delay in the trial due to lack of a special court," the Commissioner added.
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