POLLACHI: As many as 16 children of an ‘Anganvadi’ center near Pollachi had a lucky escape while one side wall of its building collapsed on Monday.
Even as tension prevailed there all through Tuesday, providentially, 16 of the 20 children at the ‘Anganvadi’ at Angalakurichi had left the premises to get drinking water just minutes before part of the building wall collapsed, thus averting a major tragedy.
Police said a ‘Poclain’ machinery was used to demolish the nearby damaged town panchayat school building on Monday. Unfortunately, part of the debris and a big wall of the pulled-down structure fell on the ‘Anganvadi’ causing its wall to crash.
On receiving information, parents in panic rushed to the ‘Anganvadi’, picked up their kids, besieged the 'Poclain' operator and staged a demonstration there.
As the word spread, Vanitha, Anamalai block development officer, rushed to the spot and pacified the parents after which they withdrew their protest on the official's assurance that a new building will be constructed for the ‘Anganvadi’. Till then, the children's center will temporarily function in another new nearby building constructed by Food Corporation of India, said the official.
The contractor, one Mr. Mani who undertook the demolishing work was made to undergo an investigation as he had promised to do the work only during weekends
