As cook taught, noon-meal centre fed blaze

It is learnt that the school management had thrust on Vijayalakshmi, the organiser who has since been arrested, the task of handling classes for students of Class V in the Tamil medium school. A teacher of the Saraswati English medium nursery and primary unit of the ill-fated school, alleged that the school correspondent had instructed Vijayalakshmi to handle classes after 2 pm when the noon-meal centre was shut. ‘‘Vijayalakshmi merely fell in line and transferred her responsibilities as an organiser to the two ayahs Sivashankari and Vasanthi,’’ the teacher said.

While Vijayalakshmi’s father Janakiraman said he did not know the nature of her job but for the fact that she was appointed as a noon-meal organiser, her brother confirmed that she was directed to take up teaching and hence could not take care of the cooking.

For the record, a senior education department official said: ‘‘The duty of an organiser is not only to procure ration items and vegetables and maintain registers but also monitor cooking. They have to oversee till children are fed.’’

If this was the burden shouldered by the organiser, the ayahs were also not allowed to devote time to their official work. According to students, the school correspondent had routinely engaged them to do chores at his home. A couple of Class IV boys, who are recuperating at the Government Hospital here, said that on the fateful day, ‘‘the ayah went to Miss’ house to cook’’. When she returned, ‘‘our teacher asked her to hurry up with the cooking saying some officials will be visiting the school’’.

According to the children, the ayah spilled kerosene, as she was in a hurry, on firewood kept near the oven. This led to the fire, it is said. A close relative of Sivashankari, an ayah who is absconding, claimed only dried leaves were used as fuel ‘‘with the knowledge of the management’’ for cooking.

This is believed to be the reason for the fire spreading rapidly. ‘‘To avoid similar accidents,’’ District Collector J. Radhakrishnan said, ‘‘reconstruction of 198 noon-meal centres in the district that had thatched roofs is underway with SGRY funds and all aspects of safety mechanism will be developed.’’