CHENNAI: Lack of a Noon Meal Centre (kitchen) at the Villivakkam Panchayat Primary School in Noombal, located in Ward 18 of the Tiruverkadu Municipality in Tiruvallur, has forced workers to prepare meals at another school 1 km away in Puliyambedu.
Also, workers are paying out of their own pockets to transport the food back to the school.
Notably, the kitchen was demolished a year ago, yet no official action has been taken to rebuild it. According to workers, the Noon Meal Centre at the school was dilapidated and was demolished in March 2025. Since then, no progress has been made. The workers and members of Dr Ambedkar Makkal Padhukappu Sangam, Noombal, are urging the municipality to take immediate action.
A worker of the centre, lamented, “Since our school in Noombal does not have a kitchen, we’re cooking at a primary school in Puliyambedu village. The situation has worsened as we face a lot of challenges in transporting the food. My monthly salary is Rs 11,000. I pay Rs 80 per trip for an auto ride or take buses to bring the food to the school in Noombal.”
Echoing their concerns was K Tyson, a member of sangam, who pointed out, “Without a kitchen on the premises, lunch is served late to students. Providing food on time is an essential duty of the school headmaster.”
Because Ward 18 councillor N Vigneshwaran failed to resolve the issue, workers escalated the matter to Avadi MLA Ramesh Kumar. “After hearing about it, the councillor rebuked the workers,” added Tyson. “Now, workers are afraid to disclose the issue to others and are just enduring it silently.”
Responding to the issue, Tiruverkadu Municipality Commissioner V Ramar told DT Next, “The noon meal centre has to be constructed by the Social Welfare Department. We’ve passed the proposal. It will soon be tendered out, and work will start in the coming months.”