Mid-day meals cooked near bathroom

Ludhiana: Ludhiana Central MLA Ashok Pappi Prashar on Wednesday paid a surprise visit to a government school at Basti Jodhewal after parents had complained about unhygienic conditions inside the institution premises.
The complaint was raised by a father whose children are studying in the school. In a complaint, the father said, “My children carry their tiffins from home as the meal cooked in the school is prepared adjacent to washrooms in unhygienic conditions. The mid-day meal is served in a space which emits a foul smell.” In a surprise visit, MLA Ashok Prashar pulled up the teachers and school in-charge and said, “ We would not be able to tolerate if the same situation arises in the place where we live, so how can you expect a school to do the same.” He found that the kitchen was suitable to cook meals as it was being operated right next to the washroom. According to sources, the MLA also noticed several students sitting in the floor, after which he asked the school administration to provide them chairs. Talking to TOI, school in-charge Shashi Prabha said, “The school is running in a double shift where 248 children are studying in middle school in the morning shift and primary school in the evening shift. We have 10 rooms only. For the kitchen, we have built a wall between the washroom and kitchen. Due to the paucity of space, we had no other solution. Now, we would close down the washroom which is adjacent to the kitchen or we will look forward to a separate room to prepare mid-day meals. As summer vacation is approaching, we can construct a new washroom or kitchen and find a solution to it.”
On the chairs, she said, “There are chairs kept in the classroom. However, children were seated on carpets. We have converted that room into a smart room.”