Idukki: Anto, the father of four-year-old Merina who fell through the balcony railing at an anganwadi in Idukki and sustained head injury, has pledged his autorickshaw for Rs 50,000 to meet her treatment expense.

Shocked and saddened by the accident, Anto doesn't hide his anger over the negligent attitude of the officials. “I have repeatedly told the panchayat and village officials that the anganwadi is working on the second floor without any security. The railings are far apart there was always a risk of a child falling through. That's what happened to my daughter. Even the road leading to the anganwadi is slippery. My child suffered the grievous injury because the anganwadi is in a building without any security,” he said. His wife Anisha works in cardamom plantation.

The incident happened on June 24. Marina slipped on the floor tiles and fell into the stream that was overflowing in heavy showers through the railing. It was the timely act of anganwadi teacher Preetha that saved the child.
But the child sustained injuries to her head and is admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital. To the relief of her parents, she was shifted from the ventilator to ward on Wednesday.
While trying to save the child, the anganwadi teacher also fell down and got injured. She sustained two fractures to her leg.

Preetha is still in a state of shock. “We took the children downstairs and fed them, then the child slipped on the tiles and fell down. I got hold of the child's clothes but she fell through the railing. Immediately I came downstairs and jumped into the stream. When I jumped, I realised that something had happened to my legs. I was trying to pull the child back to safety. She was taken from the stream and handed over to the people on the bank. It was only after reaching the hospital that I found out that my leg was broken,” she said.

The child was brought to anganwadi when she was 2 years old. “We treat every child as our child. At that time, I could not tell her parents what had happened. Later, we called her mother and informed her,” said Preetha.

Protest is raging among the residents over scant regard for safety in the anganwadi. It used to function in the cellar of a three-storied building owned by Adimali block panchayat under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). When the cellar was flooded in 2018, the children were shifted to a room on the third floor of the building. Since then anganwadi has been functioning there and the ground floor is used as the kitchen and children's play area.
The panchayat authorities said there were no safety issues. "The child might have slipped on the tiles because of the rain. ICDS officials have been directed to investigate what happened. We are ready to provide additional security to the building if needed,” said block panchayat president Soman Chellappan.

Pallivasal gram panchayat, however, put the blame on Adimali block panchayat. “Adimali block panchayat owns the building. Anganwadi will be able to carry out necessary activities only if the panchayat gets ownership of the building. Since 2013, letters have been sent to the panchayat asking them to hand over the right of the building,” said president VG Pratheeshkumar.