Children at an anganwadi in Pimpre Khurd, in Purandar taluka of Pune district, narrowly escaped injury after plaster from the building’s slab suddenly fell during the afternoon break on Wednesday. No casualties were reported, but the incident has raised concerns about the safety and maintenance of the childcare centre.
The plaster reportedly collapsed with a loud sound while the anganwadi was operating. The children had moved away from their usual seating area for the meal break, which prevented them from being directly beneath the falling material. The noise frightened the children, several of whom began crying, according to the report.
Anganwadi worker Varsha Kharat and the helper immediately moved all the children to a safer location. Parents rushed to the centre after receiving information about the incident. Kharat said that several children could have been injured if the plaster had fallen over their usual seating area.
The incident was reported to anganwadi supervisor Aruna Khedekar. She said that no one had been injured and that senior officials had been informed. Khedekar added that the building would be inspected and that action would be taken promptly after the assessment.
The collapse has also brought attention to an earlier warning sign. According to parents, a bulge had appeared on the slab several days before the incident. They alleged that the gram panchayat had been informed about the problem, but that repairs had not been carried out before the plaster fell.
Parents have demanded an immediate inspection of the building, repairs to any dangerous sections and an inquiry into the quality of construction. The anganwadi building was constructed only about three years ago, but parents said they had previously complained to the gram panchayat about its construction quality.
Several parents, including Ranjit Thopte, Amol Bhosale and Shankar Thopte, also alleged that the contractor responded aggressively when informed about the concerns. These allegations were reported by the source and have not been independently established in the supplied material. Officials have said the next step is an inspection of the building and further action based on its findings.
