BMC reinstates contractor who served midday meal with worms, glass

Is BMC bowing to political pressure at the risk of jeopardising the health and safety of little children?

A midday meal contractor who was suspended for serving food with worms and shards of glass to students in January was recently reinstated by the civic education department. The contractor, a self-help group called 'Amruti Mahila Mandal', was found to have flouted midday meal norms on several previous occasions. The group supplied food to civic schools in Andheri (East) and Vile Parle. The new comes just two days after dna reported about two dead rats being found in khichdi served by another self-help group at a Chembur school.

Amruti Mahila Mandal supplies food to around 5,000 students in three school buildings that house several municipal schools. In January, worms and glass shards were found in khichdi served in the Dixit Road municipal school in Vile Parle (East). The school's headmaster had complained about the matter and sent food samples to a Dadar laboratory for checking. Parent members of the management committee of Chakala Marathi No.1 School had also visited the mandal's kitchen in Jogeshwari, only to find rice covered with a film of a white fungus-like powder.

While education department insiders claimed that strong political pressure had prompted the civic body to take back the suspended contractor, civil society organisations working closely with the BMC said this is nothing new. A civic official made a shocking revelation, claiming that rivalry between different groups often led to each one deliberately attempting to spoil another group's food.

Dr Richa Singh of the NGO Citizens Association of Child Rights (CACR), said that representatives of the Amruti Mahila Mandal have long been putting pressure on NGO members ever since they highlighted the poor quality of meals supplied by women's self-help groups.

"No contractor has ever been permanently blacklisted in the history of BMC. Most of these suppliers are women's self help groups who prepare food in the most unhygienic conditions. Even repeated offenders are temporarily suspended by the BMC and reinstated within a few months, thanks to the political patronage they enjoy," said Singh.

Dr Singh added that when reinstated, suspended contractors continue to supply food to other schools, but leave out the one where they were caught. Shocked at BMC's brazen decision to reinstate Amruti Mahila Mandal, CACR members have written to deputy mayor Alka Kerkar, requesting her to permanently blacklist the organisation since it was a regular offender.

Civic education committee chairman Vinod Shelar said, "We are permanently blacklisting the Chembur contractor. We will check on the Andheri contractor and won't spare them if they are guilty." The Chembur contractor, Sumangal Mahila Sangathana, was fined Rs 5,000 after two dead rats were found in food they served at the Chembur naka MTS school.

Shelar admitted that the same contractor operates under different names, making it difficult to detect it. "I have asked the authorities to check if they are operating under the same kitchen. We are eagerly awaiting permission from the state government to start a centralised kitchen," he said.

Food in figures- There are over 250 self-help groups providing midday meals (mainly khichdi) 6 days a week to almost 4 lakh children in municipal schools every day. Apart from khichdi, they are also supposed to provide rajgira laddoo/biscuits, etc. once a week. The headmaster is responsible for sending food samples at least once a month to the BMC Food Analysis Lab at Dadar. As per record, the lab receives almost 2,000 samples of khichdi each year. However, there is no means to check the nutrition levels at Dadar. There are also only 4 food inspectors in the administrative section of the Midday Meal Department who are supposed to keep track of records of meals provided to 1,100 schools