Minister for Social Welfare Ms. Geetha Jeevan on Friday ordered the closure and sealing of Sri Vivekananda Sevalaya, a private children’s home at Thirumuruganpoondi near Tiruppur following the death of three boys due to suspected food poisoning.
Extending his condolences to the bereaved families of the three children, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday announced a solatium of ₹2 lakh each, from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
A total of 30 boys were staying at the home and a few of them had gone to visit their relatives on account of Navratri.
On Wednesday night, the 14 inmates and the warden of the home had dinner and on Thursday, some of them fainted. The home warden Jayaraman (63) and a few other students developed severe diarrhea and fever.
While Babu (10) and Athish (11) died at the centre, the remaining 12 boys and the warden were rushed to government and private hospitals nearby. One other boy, Mathesh (14), died at a private hospital on Thursday, taking the death toll to three. 11 boys and warden are under treatment.
On Friday, Minister for Social Welfare Ms. Geetha Jeevan and Minister for Information and Public Relations M.P. Saminathan inspected the home and said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party would give ₹1 lakh each to the bereaved kin of the three boys and ₹50,000 to the 11 boys. The Minister also ordered the closure and sealing of the home.
Later talking to newspersons, Ms. Geetha Jeevan said stringent action would be initiated against the administrator of the home Senthilnathan. Minister added that despite the presence of a concrete building, the children were staying in a structure that was made of iron sheet. This was because of lack of sustained inspection and due action will be initiated against the District Child Protection Officer.
The Minister further stated that all the 13 homes (for destitute) in Tiruppur district would be subjected to inspection.
The children of the Sri Vivekananda Sevalaya home, on complete recovery, would be shifted to Government run homes and their education would be taken care of till graduation, she shared.
