HC queries Delhi govt, MCDs on mid-day meal parameters

New Delhi: Amidst incidents of unhygienic mid-day meal being given to school children here, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the city government and municipal bodies to file detailed affidavit explaining the parameters they follow in the welfare scheme.

"Where is the mid-day meal prepared? How is that supplied and what is the mechanism ? Who does the quality checking?," a bench of Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru asked the counsel for the Delhi government and three MCDs and sought affidavits within three weeks on the issue. The bench passed the order after petitioner counsel Ashok Agarwal drew the court`s attention about a media report which said that the principal and two other teachers of a MCD primary school fell sick after tasting the mid day meal on Monday. Appearing for MCD, the counsel submitted that there are 13 NGOs supplying food for all MCD run schools here and they have centralised kitchens and foods are supplied in shield containers. The counsel said the principal of a school tastes the meal half an hour before it is served to the children. The counsel for petitioner, however, argued that the food is not served to the children in a dignified manner by the schools. He also said the plates are not clean and schools should maintain cleanliness while serving meals to children. Meanwhile in a separate matter related to MCD schools, the court was informed by the civic agency that so far as corporal punishment is concerned, the parents or students can send complaints to senior officers of MCDs against the teacher. Earlier, the court had converted a batch of letters, written by MCD school children to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, into PIL and sough status report. The children had complained that they were meted out with ill treatment and abusive language was used against them by teachers and the school principal. PTI