Wakf Board cancels school’s lease
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 11
The historic Islamia School seems to be in the eye of the storm with the Wakf Board, which owns the property, deciding to cancel the lease to the school. Residents and teachers of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Islamia Road, have resented the reported move of the government to cancel the allotment of the Wakf Board property to the school. The board claimed that the school had defaulted in the payment of rent.

However, the teachers and parents said the board was not accepting the rent which was sent from time to time by way of cheques and drafts.

In an SOS to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister, Punjab, the teachers and the parents said they had learnt that the school building was being vacated illegally and children were being adjusted in different schools.

They said it was a school for girls and was being run for the past 40 years. They said there was no place in the vicinity which could accommodate so many students, most of whom came from poor families. They said the school building was safe and the PWD authorities had recently certified it.

The building had been renovated from time to time and recently about Rs 15 lakh had been spent on repairs. They also said the ADC visited the building on January 16 and confirmed its safety.

The parents and the teachers said the board was keen to take the possession of this building and had not been accepting the rent for the past nine years although the school had been sending the cheques regularly. The board also refused to accept a demand draft for Rs 27,000 which was recently sent to it.

The board had been maintaining that the building belonged to it and was in a dilapidated condition. In a letter to the Principal of the school, the Chief Executive Officer of the board said: “The board has decided not to retain you as tenant of the said Wakf property of the board.

As such your lease is hereby cancelled with immediate effect. You are requested to hand over the vacant possession of the said Wakf property to the board through its Estate Officer, Punjab Wakf Board, Ludhiana”. The board also claimed that the school had defaulted in paying the rent to the board and a huge amount was outstanding on account of arrears.

KVM wins contest
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, February 11
An inter-school declamation contest was organised at SDP Senior Secondary School here today. Fifteen students from eight schools participated. The students were given 11 topics. The three topics in English were “Drug addiction”, “Modernisation in education and moral values” and “India's stand on global terrorism”. Topics in Punjabi were “Sabhyachar da sheesha-lok geet”, “Bharishtachar da zehar pa reha hai kehar” and “Vishwas na karo lakeeran da”. Five topics in Hindi were “Vivah shaadi dhan ki barbadi”, “Bharun pariksha”, “Jeevan nirman mein charitra ki bhoomika-dhan shiksha” “Man ki sundarta tanki sundarta se badhkar” and “Achhe adarsh apnana”.

Preeti of Kundan Vidya Mandir (KVM) won the first prize, Jagriti of the same school was declared second and Deepika of Sanatan Vidya Mandir got the third prize. Shri Ram Lal Bhasin Memorial Trophy was clinched by the KVM team.

Mr Prem Mittal, Senior Deputy Mayor, of the local municipal corporation, gave away prizes to the winners. Mr Balraj Bhasin, president of the school management, Mr Lekh Raj Arora, president of the Parent Teacher Association, and Mr R.C. Kalra, Principal, were present on the occasion.