Netas all for reinstating suspended midday meal contractors, show letters to BMC

It's evident now. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities are subjected to strong political pressure that prompts them to reinstate contractors suspended for supplying unhygienic, poor quality meals to civic schools, preventing officials from blacklisting them.

dna has accessed two letters written to the civic education department by two municipal councillors, requesting the department not to terminate the contractors', mostly women self-help groups in this case, contracts of providing midday meals to civic schools.

One of the letters, written last year by Goregaon Shiv Sena corporator Lochana Chavan to the education department, stated the services of Tejashree Household Women's Cooperative Organisation, which supplied midday meals to civic schools in her ward, should not be terminated. "There were a few complaints on the midday meals supplied by the group, but they have been resolved now. Request you not to discontinue meal distribution by this group," Chavan's letter read.

Another Shiv Sena corporator, Sanjana Mungekar from Chembur, had also written to the education department late last year, requesting it only to penalise a midday meal contractor in that area, despite worms being found in the khichdi served to Thakkar Bappa Hindi School. "The organisation has been serving meals to the civic school since 2009. On August 6, 2014, worms were found in the meal. This is a big mistake committed by them. But as this is the first such mistake they have made during their tenure, I request you (only) to penalise them," the letter stated.

When dna called up Mungekar, she said, "I had raised a point of order against the organisation in the women and child committee. I had even asked the organisation to be blacklisted. It does not serve food at the Thakkar Bappa school anymore, but serves in other schools."

Chavan, on the other hand, said, "The representatives of the organisation came to me and pleaded that they won't do it again. I had personally visited their kitchen and checked the quality of food. I will follow up on them."

These letters are just two examples. Education department insiders said several corporators cutting across party lines call up civic officials, asking them to reinstate contractors who are repeat offenders.

dna had recently reported about rodents being found in a midday meal served to students of a Chembur municipal school and how the BMC bowed down to political pressure and reinstated a suspended contractor in whose meals worms and glass pieces had been found.