The Women and Child Department has asked the Cuttack district Collector to ensure that all Anganwadi centres functioning in the district are run at safer places. “If any Anganwadi Centre is running in dilapidated and unsafe buildings, it should be shifted to a safer location,” said a letter issued by the department’s Secretary Arti Ahuja to the Collector.
The letter came only after a voluntary organisation here petitioned the Government alleging that an Anganwadi Centre (AC) has been functioning in Nischintkoili block of the district in a dilapidated building for last several years.
“Even as the High Court had specifically asked the Government to ensure safety of the Anganwadi Centres, this AC is a glaring example as to how the authorities are nonchalant about it,” said an office-bearer of the Centre for legal Aid to Poor (ClAP), which had moved the High Court after the Nayagarh Anganwadi Centre tragedy of 2012 in which at least seven children died.
It may be noted that following the HC’s notice, the State Government in an affidavit had informed the HC that all the 3,221 ACs, out of the total 71,306 in the State, functioning in dilapidated buildings have been shifted to safer locations by August last year. This information was given to the HC on the basis of reports received from all district Collectors.
“In that case, if the Cuttack Collector had informed the Government in a similar way, how come the Nischintkoili Anganwadi Centre was left out,” wondered the ClAP staff.