Over 100 Students Fall Ill After Consuming Chicken Biryani
Maritime News, Bogda, Vasco, Goa, India : In what is becoming an unsettling pattern, a suspected case of food poisoning at the Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS), Bogda, has once again put the spotlight on the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) — India’s apex maritime training regulator. To ensure health vigilance and quality standards at approved training institutes across the country Director General of Shipping has decided to take interim actions.
In India there are 216 DGS approved Training Institutes. one of such pleasant campus meal turned into a health emergency when over 100 students of the Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS), Bogda, were rushed to hospitals in Vasco on Wednesday evening after reportedly consuming contaminated chicken biryani on 10 April 2025,.
Within hours of the meal being served at the institute’s cafeteria, students began complaining of severe stomach pain, vomiting, and nausea. Panic spread quickly across the campus, with ambulances ferrying affected students to nearby private hospitals for emergency treatment.
FDA Samples Collected
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has also launched a parallel probe. Acting on a formal complaint filed by a concerned parent, FDA officials collected food samples from the IMS kitchen for laboratory analysis. “We are awaiting test results to confirm the source and nature of the contamination,” an FDA officer confirmed.
Condition of Students
Hospital authorities have confirmed that most students are stable, with some already discharged. Others continue to be under observation as a precaution. The exact number of hospitalized students has not been disclosed yet.
Investigation Underway
Mormugao Deputy Collector
Mormugao Deputy Collector Bhagwant Karmali has assured that the matter is being treated with urgency. “We have taken this incident very seriously. I have directed the Mormugao Police and the principal of IMS to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the source of the contamination and hold the responsible parties accountable,” he had said on 10 April 2025.
Directorate General of Shipping
When contacted the Director General of Shipping, IAS Shyam Jagannathan, he positively expressed for the welfare of the future Seafarers that, “As an interim I shall take steps for inspection and corrective action immediately”.
Institute of Maritime Studies (IMS)
When tried to contact IMS Officials, no one was available to respond officially, however one of the Administrative Officer on anonymity informed, “This is the first ever incident happen since we started in 1997. We have a clear track record. Our canteen is run by a contractor, and action is initiated against the contractor.”
Not the First Time — Repeated Red Flags Ignored
This is not an isolated incident.
Around a year back in March 2024, students at the BP Marine Academy, Navi Mumbai reported falling sick due to unsanitary food and water, with complaints of vomiting and diarrhea. MaritimeNews.in reported that the students were “at risk of health hazards” and raised serious questions about living conditions and meal quality.
Is DG Shipping Missing the Boat?
The Directorate General of Shipping, functioning under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is mandated to regulate over 216 maritime training institutes in India. However the concern is being raised about few aspects:
- There is no publicly available database on food safety audits at maritime campuses.
- Institutes often lack certified in-house dietitians or food safety officers.
- Student health committees or feedback mechanisms are largely absent or non-functional.
“DGS inspects simulators and curriculum. But who inspects the kitchens?”
— A senior seafarer trainer, requesting anonymity.
Students, Parents Demand Accountability
Following the IMS incident, distressed parents in Goa have called for a transparent third-party audit of food and hostel facilities across all DGS-approved institutes. Alumni groups are demanding that DGS publish real-time data on student complaints and institute-level health inspections.
“If the seafarers of tomorrow are falling sick today, who is accountable?”
— Parent of a student at IMS, Vasco
What Needs Immediate Action?
To restore trust and ensure safety, experts and stakeholders are demanding that DGS:
- Appoint an Independent Health and Food Safety Ombudsman for all maritime campuses.
- Make quarterly food and hostel inspection reports public on the DGS website.
- Link institute rankings to hygiene and health standards, not just placement records.
- Establish a helpline for students to report food quality issues anonymously.
- Initiate criminal liability in case of proven negligence leading to student hospitalization.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’ (MoPSW) apparent inaction and oversight in the matter:
Despite repeated incidents across DGS-approved maritime institutes, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) — under whose administrative jurisdiction the Directorate General of Shipping functions — has shown alarming complacency. While the Ministry has been vocal about cruise infrastructure, port modernization, and digital shipping corridors, it has remained silent on the basic health and welfare of cadets in maritime campuses.
The absence of any policy intervention, grievance redressal framework, or public statements regarding student safety reflects a top-down, infrastructure-first approach that dangerously overlooks the human element of India’s maritime ambitions. For a ministry that champions “Blue Economy” narratives on global platforms, its failure to monitor and mandate health standards at its own training institutions raises serious questions about its priorities and accountability.
“Safety at Sea Begins with Safety on Campus”
As India pushes for global dominance in cruise and merchant shipping, it cannot afford to overlook the basic health rights of its seafarers-in-training.
The Director General of Shipping with his positive attitude, is expected to not just align certificates and simulators, but the dining halls, dormitories, and dignity of its cadets.
