the goan I network
VASCO
Land once used as an open defecation site will now be used for an anganwadi to provide education facilities to poor children of Zuarinagar, following an initiative by the Sancoale Sarpanch Girish Pillai.
Sancoale Panchayat members, who supported the initiative, had earlier got an overhead water tank and a 12-seater toilet facility in the land to deter people from using it as an open defecation site.
According to information, the land is densely populated and there was no school or educational facility for children of the poor and labour class residing in the area.
While the initiative taken up by the sarpanch gathered momentum with the panchayat body supporting it, more hands joined and finally, land for the anganwadi was donated by industrialist Sandeep Sood and the cost of constructing the anganwadi was taken up by Zuari Indian oiltanking Pvt Ltd (ZIOTPL) under its CSR activity.
Pillai launched the construction work for the anganwadi on Friday evening in the presence of ZIOTPL CEO Satyanarayan Asokan, Shriprasad Naik, Sachin Naik of ZIOTPL, Industrialist Sandeep Sood, Dy Sarpanch Kavita Kamal, Panch members Govind Lamani, Narayan Naik and others.
On the occasion, ZIOTPL also offered 1,000 waste bins to residents of the area as a part of its CSR activity.
Later speaking to the media, Pillai said the Panchayat had decided to take up the project of having an anganwadi in the area and had approached ZIOTPL, which extended full support to the project.
“This place had no Balwadi or anganwadi and this area only had a lot of houses. This anganwadi was the need of the hour in the area so that the children can study here. The anganwadi will be constructed by ZIOTPL and the land has been donated by an industrialist Sandeep Sood. ZIOTPL has also given us around 1,000 bins to be distributed to people from Zari to Zuarinagar under its CSR funds,”said Pillai.
ZIOTPL CEO Satyanarayan Asokan said it was a matter of pride for ZIOTPL to support the construction of an anganwadi in the area.
“This project was initiated by Sancoale Sarpanch Girish Pillai, who proposed this idea to support the children here and provide them with education facilities. He has rightly identified this need and we are happy to contribute towards fulfilling this need of the region. We are more than happy to see the benefit of this initiative going to children of this area and we will be taking more such activities in the future,” said Asokan.
Industrialist Sandeep Sood said the area was earlier a site for open defecation.
“This place was used to see that this for illegal housing and illegal construction but due to the fantastic initiative of the sarpanch, we will now have an anganwadi here. I only want to say that we wil support this project all the way,” said Sood.
