Barefoot under hot sun, government school children greet Vasan

Chennai:

Barefoot children from a government school in Ennore greeted Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan at the Ennore Port after being made to stand by school authorities for more than an hour under the hot sun.

Many of the children with flags were standing barefoot on hot tarmac with instructions from the staff to smile and wave the flags when the VIP approaches the port, which hardly has any vegetation.

When Express questioned the principal, he said the port authorities had promised to provide aid to the school so he had asked the children to gather in the port to greet the minister.

Most of the children were sporting a cap and a jacket and were seen struggling to keep their feet on the parched ground under the blazing sun. Interestingly, one of the student collapsed as he could not bear the heat. The children later left the scene after the minister arrived.