Members of the All Assam Primary and Upper Primary Midday Meal Cook and Helper Association blocked national highways across the state on Sunday despite chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s announcement of an inquiry into “lapses” in distribution of meals by NGOs and restarting the old system of cooking lunch in school.

On Saturday, Sonowal directed principal secretary (food, civil supplies and consumer affairs), Biswaranjan Samal, to conduct an inquiry into the alleged anomalies in cooking and distribution of midday meals by NGOs and submit the report within a month. Accordingly, the cooks and helpers of the primary schools were also asked to resume their tasks during the investigation period.

However, the association members blocked the national highways at Diphu, Jorhat, Golaghat, Majuli, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Udalguri, Titabor and Bongaigaon on Sunday for three hours from 8am and later submitted a memorandum to the respective district magistrates addressed to the chief minister.

In the memorandum, the association demanded permanent reinstatement of the midday meal cooks and helpers already working in the primary schools since 2005.

The association also demanded regularisation of the jobs of cooks and helpers besides raising their salaries from Rs 1,000 per month at present to Rs 9,600 and permanent removal of the NGOs engaged in cooking and distribution of midday meals.

Association adviser Trishna Nath said, “We want a CBI inquiry into the mismanagement of the midday meal services by the education minister.”

Criticising the state government’s temporary suspension of the services of NGOs, Nath said the association will not tolerate such half-hearted steps. “We will stand united and fight against the government’s injustice until our goals are achieved,” Nath said.

To reiterate their demands, the association will stage a sit-in in front of the residence of education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya on Monday. They will also stage a hunger strike in front of Janata Bhawan, the state secretariat, on Tuesday.

Letter to districts: The office of the state nodal officer of the midday meal scheme, Assam, on Sunday shot off a “most urgent” letter to deputy commissioners of 17 districts to put on hold the centralised distribution system from Monday.

“In view of the said inquiry, the functioning of centralised kitchen run by NGOs for providing midday meal in your district shall be put on hold with effect from November 11. It is also decided to provide midday meals to the children through the school kitchen as was done earlier until further order,” said the letter from Shamsher Singh, state nodal officer of the scheme.

Distribution of midday meals through NGOs, which began this month, ran into a controversy because of numerous reports about poor quality.

The letter was sent to South Salmara-Mankachar, Goalpara, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tinsukia, Cachar, Karimganj, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Barpeta, Charaideo, Nagaon, Hojai, Biswanath and Golaghat districts.

A deputy commissioner is also the district nodal officer of the scheme.

Singh also directed the deputy commissioners to “redirect and divert” foodgrain given to the NGOs to the schools immediately so that schools can prepare the midday meal in their kitchens.

Additional reporting by a staff reporter