Parents of hundreds of students of state-aided schools in the city came from far and near to collect midday meal ration on Monday, the first day of distribution.

Some walked and some cycled to school to collect 3kg of rice and 3kg of potatoes allotted for each student of Classes I to VIII.

The state government decided to provide ration to students as midday meals cannot be served during the lockdown. The distribution will continue till April 30. Each student has been given a collection date.

At Udaypur Haradayal Nag Adarsh Vidyalaya in Nimta on the northern fringes of the city, 176 out of 207 guardians who were to collect ration on Monday turned up. “Many guardians walked more than 10km to collect the ration,” headmaster Soumen Pal said.

Twenty-two of 41 students collected ration at Bethune Collegiate School, 23 of 40 students at Ballygunge Government High School and 75 out of 180 at Jadavpur Vidyapith.

Metro spotted teachers trying to stop trucks, vans, police vehicles or even private cars to reach school on Monday.

Nafisa Mahmood, a teacher of Kalikapur Free Primary School who lives in Palm Avenue, waited for half an hour in front of Ice Skating Rink before requesting a cop to help her reach Gariahat. She then took a taxi till the Ruby crossing and finally a rickshaw to school. “The distribution was to start at 10.50am but I could reach school only at noon. By then, about 15 to 20 parents had arrived. I was desperate to reach because I know how much they need the ration,” she said.

Headmistress Ila Sinha, who came from Thakurpukur, had to walk a few kilometres before she got a transport.