MUMBAI, March 18 -- Energy bars or nutribars meant to support the mid-day meal programme in Mumbai's municipal schools triggered a stormy discussion among corporators on Tuesday. Mayor Ritu Tawde directed the civic administration to conduct an inquiry and submit a report into the quality of food served to municipal students within a fortnight. Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi presiding over the general body meeting directed the civic administration to conduct an inquiry and submit a report into the quality of food served to civic students in two weeks. Manufactured in Bhiwandi and Jalgaon, these energy bars contained glass pieces, plastic fragments and even stones, he claimed. These allegations triggered outrage among corporators, who complained about the poor quality of mid-day meals, including watery dal and poorly cooked rice. Former mayor and Sena (UBT) member Kishori Pednekar said the food served in civic schools was inedible during her visit, while Congress leader Ashraf Azmi demanded strict action against suppliers providing substandard food. He said they should to forfeit their deposits if the food fails quality tests. Sena corporator Yamini Jadhav asked how such poor-quality food passed the civic body's testing systems, while Vishakha Raut (Sena) called for sourcing nutribars from reputed companies or through CSR initiatives. Education committee chairperson Rajeshree Shirwadkar took serious note of the matter and ordered a separate inquiry during the committee meeting. She directed education deputy commissioner Prachi Jambhekar to investigate the allegations and take action against contractors. Instructions were also given to fix accountability among officials if negligence is found and to initiate criminal action, including filing FIRs against distributors, and a complaint with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The education committee also demanded a broader review of food quality, including meals like khichdi served daily to students. There was a strong push for setting up a centralised kitchen to ensure better quality control and hygiene. Shirwadkar said a central kitchen could solve multiple operational issues and improve consistency in food quality. Some members also suggested replacing nutribars with healthier alternatives such as milk or traditional food items. The issue saw a rare consensus across political parties, with members expressing concern over the health and safety of students. Nutribars or protein bars were recently introduced under the PM Poshan Shakti Yojana and are aimed at providing supplementary nutrition to nearly 3.1 lakh students in municipal schools. The Rs.165 crore initiative, launched earlier this year, was meant to strengthen the existing mid-day meal programme. In a separate development, the education committee approved financial aid for 22 private primary schools. This will support schools running in regional languages. The proposal, pending for years, was cleared following repeated demands from teachers' unions and school managements....