PUDUKKOTTAI: A 10-month-old baby and a three-year-old girl were among three who sustained injuries after the roof of a dilapidated Anganwadi in Aranthangi municipality collapsed on Wednesday. The injured were admitted to the Aranthangi government hospital and discharged the same day.
Municipality Chairman R Anand, speaking to TNIE on Thursday, said the building was ordered to be demolished. An inquiry would be held, he added. Revenue and municipality officials, along with police officers, inspected the centre. "Renovation work on the building was last carried out in 2020, during the AIADMK tenure. I will speak to the municipality commissioner for a detailed investigation," he also said.
On Wednesday, a vaccination drive was underway at the Anganwadi in Aranthangi. Ramela Begum (30) and her 10-month-old baby, who had visited the centre, were left with minor injuries after the cement roof of the building peeled off and fell on the duo and a three-year-old girl visitor.
Meanwhile, parents and residents said the building, built about 23 years ago, is in a dilapidated condition, and added that several complaints were raised with officials. No action was, however, taken, they added. T Bhuvaneshwari, project officer, ICDS, said, "The centre was built in 2000. Repair work was carried out on it in 2020. The roof collapse was unexpected, and we have for now shifted the Anganwadi to another building in the municipality. We have requested a new building."