Kanpur, October 2
At least 42 students were admitted to
the district hospital after falling unconscious due to excessive heat
during a programme to mark the 136th birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi at the Green Park Stadium here today.
ADM Abrar Ahmed said the
students were part of Ek Sur Ek Tal, a cultural rally, to mark the
day. The students became unconscious owing to excessive heat at the
venue and the delayed arrival of the chief guest, Mr Amar Singh, Uttar
Pradesh Development Council Chairman. The students were rushed to the
hospital, where their condition was stated to be out of danger, he
added.
One of the school principals, however, said more than 150
students had fainted due to long wait for the chief guest amidst the
excessive heat.
A representative of the organisers, Kanti Shah,
blamed the district administration for failing to provide basic
amenities to the schoolchildren.
The programme, jointly organised by
the Bharat Yuvak Biradari, a Mumbai-based NGO, and the Education
Department of the Uttar Pradesh Government, evoked the participation
of 10,000 students from 74 schools of the city.
The children, hailing
from Class VIII to Class XII, sported Gandhi caps and sang
compositions of Rabindranath Tagore, Bhupen Hazarika, Uma Shankar
Joshi and Vilayat Vilas Jagtapar, besides national songs. — UNI
