The Times of India            27.11.2013

BMC to move HC over midday meal contracts

MUMBAI: In the wake of Monday's midday meal food poisoning case, the BMC education committee plans to move the Bombay high court, which had last year stayed termination of contracts of self-help groups that supplied food to city civic schools. The committee said it will apply to have the stay vacated.

State education minister Rajendra Darda told TOI the government has started the concept of centralized kitchens in other divisions of Maharashtra, by cancelling such contracts. "We have similar plans for Mumbai but the final decision will be taken only if the high court stay is lifted," said Darda.

Last year, certain self-help groups challenged the state government's decision to create central kitchens in urban areas in the high court.

"With the government decision to organize a centralized kitchen, it became evident that the contract with self-help groups that provided food to schools for midday meals had to be terminated. Various self-help groups approached the high court, which stayed the termination," a senior education official said. The BMC had planned to hand over the contract to feed over 4.5 lakh students across 1,174 civic primary schools to ISKCON Food Relief Foundation and Akshaya Patra, after "a series of complaints over the quality of food" supplied under the scheme.

Ravindra Bhise, BMC education officer, said, "School inspectors are asked to check the quality of food in schools."