Jalandhar, March 4
As pyres of young children burnt in the Talwandi and Mudda villages in Nakodar town today, many families lost their hopes and aspirations which they had nurtured for years. As many as eight families lost their only son and at least two lost their only child.

The picturesque fields and quaint streets of the two villages were unusually silent today and the only voices which met the ears were those of wailing mothers and relatives.

As corpses of children filled courtyards in the Talwandi and Mudda villages, grieving, inconsolable parents fought hard to come to terms with the reality that they had lost their precious young sons.

Jakiran Singh's only son Gurjoban Singh (4) died in the accident and both his little girls - Jashanpreet and Navdeep - lay injured. While Jashanpreet got small injuries, Navdeep got a fracture in one of her legs.

Their uncle Varinder Singh said the children had often complained of the reckless driving by the driver, Vishal (23), but the school authorities had done nothing about it.

At brothers Narinder Singh and Janwinder Singh's home at Mudda village, a double tragedy struck as both the little sons of the family - Jaskaran Singh (6) and Sukhmandeep Singh (5) - were lost in the tragedy. Their bodies lie on a cot in a courtyard as women wept uncontrollably around them.

While both were Jaswinder's sons, Narinder Singh, his brother and a UK resident, was planning to adopt Sukhmandeep and had also applied for his passport to take him along to the UK.

"It was after 12 years of prayers that we got Jaskaran, and Sukhmandeep came a few years later. I have a daughter so I planned to adopt Sukhman. He had been admitted to the school in March last year. We never knew our dreams would be shattered this way."

Manpreet Singh (7) of Mudda village was also the only child of his parents.

In Talwandi, another courtyard with two corpses laid on a cot rung with heartrending wails. Jashanpreet (5) and Manpreet (10), both of whom were cousins from the maternal and paternal sides of the same family were lost in the accident.

Manpreet's mother Majeet Kaur, who lives at her parents' home, lost her husband in an accident four years ago and today's accident took away her only son, leaving two women (Majeet and her daughter) to deal with the loss.

Gurjot Singh of Talwandi village was also the only son of his parents (father Major Singh) and his cousins Chanpreet Singh and Navpreet Kaur were also injured in the accident.

Kanwarpreet Singh, son of Sarabjit Singh, was also the only child of his parents.

Talwandi Bharo (Jalandhar), March 4
Even as the tragic school van accident left many families shattered with their young children either succumbing to injuries or handicapped for life, there were a few families who thanked God over a million times in the day as their children returned home safely.

A resident of Talwandi Bharo village, Sukhdev Singh, father of Jashandeep Singh, said having been at the site at Jaheera village and listening to the eyewitness’ account of how horrible the accident was, the only question coming to his mind was as to what good he had done in life for which God decided to spare his son even when death came so close.

Jashandeep only has suffered a few external bruises in his ear. His cousin Harmanpreet Singh said he was not even aware of the accident when he saw him being brought home in a car with some unknown persons.

There was a mixed feeling at the house of Kuldeep Singh in the same village. While 10-year-old Kiranvir Singh died, his cousin Jobanpreet Kaur (10) suffered injuries on the forehead and was discharged this afternoon. Her brother Jagdeep Singh (6) did not get even a small bruise on his body. The brother and sister were so much traumatised on seeing the body of their cousin Kiranvir that they did not utter a word. Kuldip Singh, however, said the twosome had been sitting just behind the driver’s seat, which perhaps fell back and acted as a cushion for them.

Jalandhar, March 4
None of the parents of the children studying at the Akal Academy, which has been running for the past three years at Boparai Kalan village, ever thought the tragedy will strike them this hard one day.

Many parents said their kids really enjoyed going to the school and came back with a rich experience. The religious curricula of the institute had found many takers among the area residents and hence parents were all praise for it. However, after today’s incident, much of this has changed.

The grandfather of one of the deceased child said, “We were planning to admit my granddaughter in the school this year, but now I don’t think we will do that.” The news of the accident spread by 8:30 am and some parents whose wards had gone to the school went there to bring their wards back.

The school is from nursery to 3rd standard and hence most of the students who became victim of the tragedy were in the age group of 4-11 years old. Class IV students were being admitted from the new session, the principal said. The school will remain closed tomorrow also. Sources said the school had three vans (all white) and as many drivers, one of whom met with the accident today.

Principal Amandeep Kaur said, “The schoolchildren are ferried to schools by three vans, except the staff van, rest are private vehicles arranged by parents. Parents are paying the drivers of the vans.”

The driver, Vishal, a deceased, and conductor (Gurdep Singh) of the school van were brothers. Gurdeep Singh, who was injured, went home to attend the cremation of Vishal (23) at Boparai Kalan.

Parents said a reckless driving was a problem and children often complained about it. Varinder Singh, the uncle of deceased Gurjoban Singh from Mudda, alleged that he (the driver) was an addict. The school authorities washed off their hands of these allegations claiming the buses were privately owned.

All children had been cremated except one till the filing of this news report.

Condolences and compensation

While the government announced Rs 2 lakh for the family of each deceased, the school authorities too announced Rs 1 lakh for the families of the deceased students and Rs 50,000 for the injured students.

School authorities also visited Mudda and Talwandi Bharo villages and offered condolences to the families.

Phagwara, March 4
Residents of various subdivisions are having problems in selling or purchasing old vehicles as the power of SDMs to transfer the registration certificates of old vehicles was withdrawn on January 28 and no alternative step has been be initiated by the Transport Department at the subdivisional level for the purpose.

The recent instructions by the Punjab Transport Department are causing undue harassment to thousands of vehicle owners. They will now have to approach District Transport Officers for the transfer of ownership of the old registered vehicles, which cannot be transferred at the subdivision level.

When contacted, District Transport Officer, Kapurthala, Daljit Kaur said today that the DTO's office had not received any record of the Transport Department from the subdivisions of Kapurthala district and it was not possible to transfer any vehicle in the name of new purchaser without any record. The DTO said SDMs could transfer registration certificate (RC) of any old vehicle till the record was lying with them.

When contacted, Phagwara SDM Pritpaul Singh confirmed the development, but said SDMs could not transfer the RCs of any old vehicle according to the circular sent by the Secretary, Transport, Mandeep Singh, to all Deputy Commissioners, District Transport Officers, SDMs and even to State Transport Commissioner, which was received by the Phagwara office on January 28 last month and which had clarified that neither any SDM could register any new non-commercial vehicle, nor he or she be empowered to transfer any old vehicle.

He said now the SDMs were empowered only to issue driving licences of non-commercial vehicles. He, however, admitted that the record of the Transport Department could not be transferred to the DTO's office Kapurthala till now.

It has been learnt that the transfer of registration certificates of old vehicles are being done in several subdivisions, including Nakodar, Phillaur, Sultanpur and Bholath, but the residents of the Phagwara town are facing much inconvenience and undue harassment due to the confusion regarding the orders.

Jalandhar, March 4
The auction of numbers of the PB-08-CF series, conducted by the Transport Department today fetched it an income of Rs 18.94 lakh. In all 122 numbers were sold.

The biggest revenue-fetching number of the day was 0009, which went for Rs 1.6 lakh. Number 0001 could not be sold today. Number 0002 went for a low price of Rs 14,000, 0003 for Rs 70,000 and 0004 for Rs 50,000.

Phagwara, March 4
Members of the Punjab State District (DC) Offices Employees Association, working in the offices of the DC and SDM, went on a two-day pen-down strike in support of their long-standing demands.

Union Leaders Purshotam Lal and Narinder Kumar told mediapersons here today that a state-level convention of the union, to be held on March 6 in Moga, would be attended by the striking employees, who would go on a mass casual leave on Wednesday. Their major demands included setting up of a legal cell in DCs' offices, upgrading of the posts of ADA and steno-typist, etc. — OC