It’s a miracle that Anganwadis in Mormugao function at all
NAVIN JHA
All four Anganwadi Centres located near Mangoor Slums in Mangoor Hill Vasco stands testimony to the official apathy towards the effective implementation of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) in Mormugao Taluka that has total number of 113 Anganwadis.
No parent would wish to send their children to these dilapidated and unhygienic Anganwadis — shelter and day-care homes for small children run by the Women and Child Development Department of the Goa government — as a part of a national initiative.
The Anganwadi Centres near Mangoor Slums picked up by this correspondent revealed the sorry state of affairs. None of the four Anganwadi centres in Mangoor Hill Vasco have its own building and operate in either Municipality owned community hall or at congested rented rooms, which are also being used for multiple purposes.
Godown, kitchen and classroom: All in one congested room
Hygiene and cleanliness is the first casualty with each congested room being used as a kitchen, teaching hall, play area and as well as a godown where the subsidised or free rice, pulses and other items that is supplied under Supplementary Nutrition programmme are kept.
Leakages from mutiple spots including roofs. No toilets or drinking water
The Anganwadi centre number 4 which operates from the Municipal owned community hall and having area of about 40 square metres, leaks from multiple spots from the roof forcing children to be confined to limited spaces in the centre. Basic amenities like drinking water, proper kitchen facilities and toilets are also missing in these centres. Children and even teachers, make a beeline for toilets in the neighbourhood
No wonder, the number of children attending the Centres has gone down.
“My centre has windows, but they are broken, the building is in a dilapidated condition and surroundings are filthy. Also with the temperature soaring to unbearable levels during summer, children are finding it very difficult to learn or play inside the centre as there were no fans. I had to buy a fan from my own pocket for the Anganwadi where I am teaching since last 5 years” said Shweta Bhonsle, Anganwadi teacher.
MMC gives no free cliches, now wants rent from Anganwadis; Is the women and child development department listening?
To top it all Ms Bhonsle recently received a notice to vacate or to pay rent to the MMC and since then her difficulties to run the centre have got added more trouble as Government provides only Rs 750 towards the rent and finding alternate shelter for Anganwadi, and that too at such low cost in city area, is impossible.
