Unsafe anganwadi centres put kids at risk
BARIPADA:Cracks in walls and leaking roofs are a common sight in many of the anganwadi centres across Mayurbhanj district. With the district administration turning a blind eye to infrastructure in these centres, enrolment of students has come down. The anganwadi centres in Purnachandrapur are a case in point.
At Janardanpur anganwadi centre at Purnachandrapur, a girl had a miraculous escape when a part of the roof caved in recently following heavy rains. There are 26 children in this centre. Two more anganwadi centres are located close by with enrolment of 22 children each and their condition is no different. Apparently, all the three anganwadi centres are just a km away from the collectorate and District Social Welfare Office (DSWO).
Workers in these three centres said there is little space for storing food grains and looking after children besides, pregnant and lactating mothers. The structures have not been renovated for a long time and often face water-logging during monsoon.
At another anganwadi centre in Kakrisol under Kuliona block, walls have cracked at several places. Apparently, Kakrisol village was adopted by former sports minister Sudam Marandi but no attention has been paid so far towards rebuilding the anganwadi centre. Such is the plight of the structure that children of the village are forced to go to the anganwadi centre at Ghudapal village nearby.
District Social Welfare Officer Kusumala Mishra said there are a total of 4,880 anganwadi centres in 26 blocks of the district and 3,795 centres have their own permanent structures while the rest operate from schools and community buildings.
She said the State Government has been approached to repair all the dilapidated anganwadi structures.