Amritsar, April 15
In a gross violation of transport norms, auto-rickshaws are carrying tourists from the city to the Attari Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP). The JCP is nearly 36 km from the holy city. It is located on the GT Road, which once connected Amritsar to Lahore.

The highway regularly experiences traffic of heavy vehicles, especially carrying import and export products like vegetables, meat and dry fruit to and fro from Pakistan.

Keeping in view the movement of heavy vehicles and anticipating it to increase in future with the normalization of ties between India and Pakistan, the Indian Government widened the road to four lanes.

Yet auto-rickshaws putting their and tourists’ lives in danger do not mind driving on the highway. The tourists easily fall prey to the offer of lower fares.

On the other hand, the district administration and Transport Department are oblivious of the trouble in waiting, which could prove disastrous.

Auto-rickshaw drivers approach pilgrims and tourists coming out of the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh to take them in auto-rickshaws to the JCP for viewing the Retreat Ceremony.

The Retreat Ceremony is very famous among the tourists in which smartly dressed border guards of the two nations ceremonially lower their national flags every evening.

The drivers of auto-rickshaws charge Rs 50 to Rs 70 per head for the travel. The auto-rickshaw drivers prefer stuffing their auto-rickshaws with as much as eight to 10 persons.

A taxi-owner and driver, Amar Singh, said Rs 700 were charged for a four-seater car for to-and-fro journey for the JCP from the city, while Rs 1,200 were charged for the 8-seater vehicle. Besides, the occupants have to shell out Rs 40 more at two toll plazas, which fall between Naraingarh and Attari.

As per the transport norms, auto-rickshaws could only be operated within the limits of the Municipal Corporation of the district where they are registered. An auto-rickshaw registered at a district cannot be driven in another district. The department can levy a fine of Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 for the violation of permit norm.

Ferrying eight to 10 persons in an auto-rickshaw blatantly makes it overloaded. Overloading is another punishable crime. It has been noticed that many avoidable accidents take place owing to the overloading. The transport law limits the number of passengers in an auto to three. The Transport Department can impose a fine of Rs 2,500 for this violation.

The DTO, Dhyan Singh, said his department imposed fines on auto-rickshaw drivers for flouting the norms from time to time. He said 38 auto-rickshaws were challaned for violation on various counts from April 1, 2010, to February 28, 2011 and the department earned nearly Rs 2 lakh in fines. Many of these fines were imposed for driving out of the MC limits and overloading.

He added that similarly, the department had challaned 43 auto-rickshaws during 2009- 2010 fiscal and recovered fines worth Rs 2 lakh. He said this was a constant process, but the desired result was yet to be realised. He appealed to the travellers to avoid auto-rickshaws on highway as it could endanger their lives and anticipated that the public response could bring positive result.

Amritsar, April 15
The temporary dividers, installed by the police to solve the problem of traffic snarls on the busy Lawrence Road here, have become a cause of accidents.

Many cemented slabs put up to support the dividers have been lying damaged for almost a week.

Due to lack of maintenance, the broken slabs of these pillars spilled over in the middle of road led to accidents especially during nights.

The number of damaged pillars is increasing day by day.

Several shopkeepers of the area were against the setting up of the dividers as they claimed that would hamper their business.

When contacted, the police authorities alleged that it was the general public besides unscrupulous persons who destroyed the dividers during the celebrations after India’s win against Pakistan during the Cricket World Cup semifinal and subsequent win in the final.

But the people say it is the duty of the police to get them repaired.

The authorities should permanently install iron grills so that nobody could damage the structures, said Madan Lal, a resident of nearby area. “For time being, they should immediately remove these broken bases of the pillars,” he added. SP Joshi, ADCP traffic, said the police administration is planning to construct permanent divider on the road.

He said since the installing of divider pillar the traffic has smoothened, which otherwise used to remain chaotic on the busy road. He said the police have no other option but to construct permanent dividers.

Amritsar, April 15
The district administration in collaboration with the Punjab tourism wing, today introduced the first batch of a city-made eco-rickshaw, which was more economical, technically advanced and provided safer ride. In yet another significant move, the administration has also introduced accidental insurance schemes for the eco-rickshaw drivers, wherein they would have to pay an annual premium of just Rs 50 to be the beneficiary of an assured amount of Rs 1 lakh, to be claimed by his kin, just in case of accidental death of the bearer.

Deputy Commissioner KS Pannu told that the move of manufacturing the eco-rickshaws here has made it not only cost effective but also technically more advanced. It is to note that the earlier batch of about 100 eco-rickshaws already plying, was brought in from a Delhi-based manufacturer which made it bit costly (Rs 11,250) comparative to the present model, which costs (Rs 10,900) and also demanded some need-based improvement. “We would engage technical expertise from the mechanical engineering colleges to make it more advanced”, told Pannu.

“As many as six local cycle rickshaw manufacturers have offered to make more improved version of eco-rickshaw. Definitely, the market competition would force its rate to fall down further,” he added.

Balwinder Singh Nagi of Nagi Rickshaw Company, who designed and manufactured the first batch of this rickshaw told that the earlier identically designed rickshaws needed more exertion comparative to the present model. “The earlier eco-rickshaw had the pulling mechanism attached to the left hand side, I experimented it to fit on the right hand side with the rear wheel. This worked because ultimately it need less pulling pressure, besides increasing its seating capacity,” told Naagi.

It is to note that it would offer the same facilities which the earlier eco-rickshaws were offering like FM stereo, first-aid box, city guidebook etc. To boost this modified rickshaw in the holy city, the Amritsar administration has tied up with private firms to carry advertisement at rate of Rs 500 per month for three ads, two on each side of its canopy and one on its back, Besides this, special loan pattern and accidental insurance schemes for the rickshaw pullers is also on cards.

Deputy Commissioner Kahn Singh Pannu said the income generated through advertisements would go to the rickshaw puller’s loan pay-back account of Rs 450 per month. The administration has tied up with Punjab National Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce for providing them loan, after paying down money of Rs 500, at the rate of 4 per cent DRI (differential rate of interest).

Nevertheless, Jagtaar Singh Tarsem Singh and Dilbagh Singhand Baljinder Singh, who had been plying old conventional rickshaws in the city for decades on rent, wasted no time to grasp this offer of the administration. Seemingly excited, Dilbagh said:

“Now my dream to own a rickshaw, that too a designer one is fulfilled. Earlier, I used to shell out between Rs 35 to Rs 45 per day as rent, but now I would have to pay back an instalment of Rs 500 per month. Now, after allowing pocketing extra money through advertisement panel, I may be able to earn some extra money,” he said, who has a family of four to support.

Amritsar, April 15
Sukhjinder Raj Singh (Lali) Majithia, president of the District Congress Committee, Amritsar (rural), leveled allegations against SAD MLA Bikram Singh.

While giving reference about Monestory Khalsa Academy, Arjan Manga, run by his family, Lali Majithia claimed that Bikram Singh with his influence got the affiliation of the academy terminated and he had no option but to knock at the doors of the court.

“This academy was affiliated to Punjab School Education Board, Mohali. But all of a sudden its affiliation was terminated. When I enquired from the officials of the board, I was conveyed that the affiliation would be granted only if I agree to join the SAD government,” he said.

Bikram Singh said, “I am totally ignorant about any such issue and all these allegations are baseless.” — TNS