: Students attending anganwadis in Maradu municipality would be spared the sweltering heat and humidity of summer from next year onwards.
In what is claimed to be the first of its kind initiative in the State, the municipality has decided to install air conditioners in selected anganwadis. Out of the 42 anganwadis within the limits of the civic body, 27 with their own buildings will benefit from the scheme.
The selected anganwadis have 350 students and 54 staffers, including a helper and a worker in each of them. “The district planning committee has approved the proposal along with our other annual plan proposals for 2015-16 financial year. We are hopeful of completing the project within a couple of months,” said municipal chairman T.K. Devarajan.
The project would be executed at a cost of Rs. 13.50 lakh to be met from the municipal body’s own fund and plan fund.
With anganwadis set to get the luxury of air conditioners, the municipality hopes that more families would send their children in the care of anganwadis.
Children had been found to be in extreme distress during the peak summer months of March, April and May prompting the municipality to evolve such a project. The situation turned worse during power outages.
Mr. Devarajan claimed that Maradu tops the list of municipalities in the State in terms of setting up new anganwadis during the last five years.
“Out of the 27 anganwadis to be air conditioned, 11 were set up during our tenure,” he said.
The municipality also plans to execute a slew of other projects during the ongoing fiscal.
A floating bridge would be constructed at Valanthakkad at a cost of Rs. 15 lakh while Rs. 5.50 lakh would be invested to set up smart classrooms. A market complex at an investment of Rs. 1.50 crore and improving infrastructure of the sole government high school within the municipal limits at a cost of Rs. 30 lakh have also been proposed.
