The district administration on Saturday set up an anganwadi in one of the temporary shelters installed at Irsalwadi, which was hit by a landslide earlier this month. The formerly bare walls of the tin structure were decorated with colourful charts to turn it into a classroom for 13 children who survived the calamity, all of them between three to six years of age. Parents of these preschool children were seen completing the admission process and were getting their wards registered for the session that will be operational from Monday.

“We have placed orders for uniforms for the children, and from Monday, lessons will start. We have already arranged for teachers and attendants to take care of the children. Also, take-home rations will be provided to the students, other than midday meals and food grains as per the government schemes for them,” said CH Rajput, Assistant Block Development Officer (ABDO), Khalapur Zilla Parishad.

The bare walls of a temporary shelter at Irsalwadi have been redecorated and turned into a classroom

Mangesh Chivate, officer on special duty (OSD) for the Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde, on Saturday visited the temporary shelters, inspected the common kitchen and checked the arrangement made in the preschool within the compound Chivate said that twenty-two minor boys and girls who were orphaned in the tragedy will now be supported by the Dr Shrikant Shinde foundation, a Thane-based trust run by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son.

“The foundation will open Fixed Deposits in the name of these children, over and above the R5 lakh that the government has announced for next of kin of those killed in the landslide. The monthly interest from these Fixed Deposits will be used for meeting the children’s needs. The trust will also take care of their children’s future and look after them as their guardians,” said Chivate. 

When asked if the Trust has experience in taking care of orphans, Chivate replied in the affirmative, stating, “Two minor children who were orphaned in the Mahad building collapse in 2020, were supported by the Trust. Apart from opening Fixed Deposits for them, we are also educating them in a boarding school in Panchgani.”

Located at the foothills of the Irsalgad fort in Khalapur Tehsil, Irsalwadi had 49 houses, with 43 families and a population of 219 people, of which 144 survived. The village also had 110 cows, buffaloes and goats, of which 18 livestock were found alive and others are missing or were found dead. When asked if the government has made any announcement about compensating the owners of the dead livestock, Rajput replied in the negative.

“We have made our submission to the concerned higher authorities and they will put up the same for approval and sanction from the government, which will take some time. The task of identifying the livestock owners is almost complete and we are in the process of constructing a shed for them in the premises of a defunct petrol pump in the Chowk village. It will be ready in a day or two,” said Rajput. 

Meanwhile, final touches are being given to common toilets and a separate bathing area for the women, apart from having a boiler for warm water installed. The internal roads, drainage lines and potable water connection have been sorted out. Apart from providing streetlights, solar panels have also been installed for emergency backup power.

When asked about the cost incurred, Rajput said, “The entire work has been bifurcated to various departments. For instance, the basic utility services like drainage lines, water connection, street and solar lights, and the anganwadi is the responsibility of the Zilla Parishad, while the Public Works Department is in charge of construction.”

Sunil Parde, a resident of Irsalwadi, said he was thankful to the local administration for starting the anganwadi and installing separate bathroom with warm water connection. “I have enrolled my daughter four-year-old Bhavika at the anganwadi. At least she will be able to learn something. And the women in my family will also benefit from separate toilets, as they were earlier uncomfortable completing their daily ablutions in the open,” he said.

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