Cuttack, July 13: The collapse of a wall at an anganwadi centre in Nayagarh district leading to the death of seven children has turned the spotlight on lacunae in the safety of such centres.

Seven children lost their lives while taking their pre-lunch meal after a wall collapsed on them at Suansia Sahi in Nayagarh on July 9.

While the Opposition parties have criticised the government for running anganwadi centres in unsafe buildings across Odisha, a PIL has been filed in Orissa High Court.

A Congress delegation, led by Union chemicals and fertilisers minister of state Srikant Jena and Odisha Pradesh Congress President president Niranjan Patnaik, visited the spot and expressed concern over the dilapidated condition of the primary school building from where the anganwadi centre was running.

“It’s unfortunate that the state government has closed its eyes to the safety of children at anganwadi centres,” said a Congress leader. Jena has promised to release Rs 5 lakh from his MPLAD fund for reconstruction of the primary school building and handed over cheques of Rs 50,000 to each of the seven bereaved families. The money was donated by the public sector Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Limited.

Human rights activist and member of high court bar Prabir Kumar Das, who filed the PIL, sought direction to the state government to constitute a task force immediately to study the buildings across Odisha where anganwadi centres were operating to take preventive measures to avert such tragic incidents.

The Odisha government has directed all the district collectors to immediately send a report on the status of school buildings in their areas, and has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased child and ordered an inquiry into the incident.