Anganwadi centres situated at Dalit villages such as Kappikulam, Melamangalam and Ilavelangal can collapse anytime and so children are shifted to alternative buildings which lack even basic amenities
http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dilapidated-anganwadi-buildings-a-threat/213884.html THOOTHUKUDI: The precarious buildings with protruding steel rods and broken cement slabs found in many anganwadi centres in the district has been a cause of concern since few of these buildings are on the verge of collapse in case of heavy rain. In 2009, a tragedy occurred at an anganwadi centre in O Kuppanapuram in Ottapidaram block when a cement slab crashed down killing a three- year-old and injuring five other children. The sorry state of anganwadi centres and the poor alternative arrangements made for the children is evident on a visit to Ottapidaram. When Express caught up with T Murugesan of OSAI, an NGO based at Ottapidaram, he said that child friendly environment is totally missing in many anganwadi centres. “There are as many as 156 anganwadi centres in Ottapidaram and since 72 buildings are dilapidated they are functioning in alternative buildings”, he said, adding “56 of the 72 are situated in Dalit villages”. It may be noted that anganwadi centres function under the Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS), a World Bank assisted project. These centres mainly nurse children below six years providing them with nutritious food, early childhood care, health services and pre-school education. “Anganwadi centres situated at Dalit villages such as Kappikulam, Melamangalam and Ilavelangal can collapse anytime and so children are shifted to alternative buildings which lack even basic amenities, “ Murugesan said. J Prabakar, Coordinator of SINFPAD, a network of NGOs, told Express that in a few anganwadis in the district children are confined to only a single room as it is dangerous to move around the whole building freely. “The government should pay immediate attention to these anganwadi buildings as the lives of these poor children are in danger”, he stated. Apart from children, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating mothers are also affected as these beneficiaries are unable to avail services, Prabakar said. “Anganwadi centres are poor children’s play school and unless proper arrangements are made many centres would stop functioning for want of buildings”, he added. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
