Jalandhar, April 20
For the next one year, more than 100 primary and upper primary schools across the district will have to make do with classrooms crammed with students as the Central authorities have not allocated funds for the construction of additional classrooms in schools running under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan.

In the annual work plan for 2010-11, the district education authorities demanded funds for the construction of 129 additional classrooms in the primary and upper primary schools running under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan across the district. However, the Centre has turned down the demand for classrooms and allocated funds only for the construction of boundary walls (Rs 6.36 crore) around school buildings and for major repairs (Rs 1.36 crore).

As per the record, the district education authorities sought 68 and 61 additional classrooms for primary and upper primary schools, respectively.

With the unit cost of Rs 2.8 lakh per room, a total budget of 
Rs 3.61 crore was sought by the district authorities.

However, the higher authorities allocated funds for the construction of only three additional classrooms in the district.

As per established norms, a maximum of 40 students can be accommodated in one classroom. The school has to provide additional classrooms, if the strength of students exceeds this limit. It is on the basis of this norm that the district authorities have forwarded the request for 129 additional classrooms.

The district education authorities also failed to get Rs 57.8 lakh which was demanded for the construction of headmasters’ rooms in 34 primary and upper primary schools.

On the other hand, prevalent view in the department is that owing to the limitations of budgetary norms, the authorities have failed to provide the required amount for the construction of 129 additional classrooms.

“In the annual work plan for 2010-11, we also demanded funds for major repairs in schools and also for the construction of approximately 24,000 metres of boundary walls. As per the budgetary norms of the SSA, only 33 per cent of total budget can be allocated to civil and building works. It is only up to the authorities to decide to which component they want to give funds. It is totally out of our purview,” said an employee associated with the SSA.

It is sure that construction of 24,000 metres of boundary walls would drain a major portion of the allocated funds. Repair of old rooms will get a meagre share out of the total amount of Rs 1.36 crore approximately which is allocated for major repairs. However, it is still unclear as to how the schools, lacking required additional classrooms, would follow the norms of the SSA in terms of providing adequate space to the students.

Jalandhar, April 20
Two unidentified armed miscreants robbed a businessman of Rs 8 lakh and fired a shot at him at pointblank range, leaving him injured. The motorcycle-borne robbers sped way with his car and later abandoned it at some distance, in a residential colony.

The incident occurred in the Urban Estate Phase-II area last night when Jatinder Pal Singh, owner of a showroom located near Football Chowk, was driving his Ascent car to his home and two youths riding a Pulsar motorcycle indulged in arguments with him.

The duo entered into a scuffle with him and one of them snatched the keys of his car from him and fired a shot at his thigh, leaving him wounded. One of the robbers sped away with his vehicle while the other disappeared on his motorcycle.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Rajpal Sandhu said the robbers might have been chasing the businessman right from his showroom and attacked him just near his residence.

He said Jatinder Pal was carrying the cash in a leather bag. The injured has been hospitalised for treatment.

A case has been registered at police station Division-7.

Hoshiarpur, April 20
Four persons, including a man and his grandson, were killed in three separate road accidents in the district since yesterday.

According to police sources, Jaswinder Singh (22), son of Gulzara Singh of Punj Garain village, a student of the local ITI, was crushed to death by a speeding bus of a private transport company in front of his institute today.

Students of the ITI, led by Vice President of ITI Students Union, Hoshiarpur, Sukhwinder Singh, blocked traffic in front of the ITI for about an hour to express resentment against the bus driver for negligent driving which caused accidents.

They demanded construction of speed breakers in front of the ITI gate on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road.

In another accident, Surinder Kumar of Bilron died on the spot when a speeding tractor hit the car (No CH 04C 3130) in which he, along with his wife Santosh Kumari, was traveling yesterday.

Gulzar Singh (75) and his grandson Udit (11) of local Mohalla Bassi Khawaju were killed in an accident when a speeding truck (No PB 08 Z 2577) hit their Activa scooter (No PB 07V 0511) on which they were returning from Jalandhar to Hoshiarpur near Nasrala last evening. Both were taken to the local Civil Hospital, where the duty doctor declared them brought dead. Police has registered three separate cases. — OC

Pathankot, April 20
Despite the best efforts of the Municipal Council, Improvement Trust and the Town Planning Department, unplanned constructions and slums are on the rise in Pathankot.

Since Pathankot is not only a big market centre but also a gateway to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, it needs to have planned construction of the city.

Unauthorised constructions and encroachments have come up in the vicinity of Dalhousie Road, Dhangu Road, Model Town Road, Railway Road, Main Bazaar, Municipal Bazaar, Sailli Road, Dhaki Road, outside near Air Force Gate and Jalandhar-Kangra Road near AB College Road.

It has also come to light that the building plans, in original, approved by the authorities are different from the constructed buildings and structures in different locations of the city.

Civil engineers appear to have set a target of converting the whole town into a commercial settlement. In every street of the city, like Mohalla Sarian, Mohalla Sant Nagar, Indira Colony and many residential areas have become commercial. Every house in these streets has one or two shops outside it.

How the authorities concerned can give the permission to construct a commercial structure in a residential approved plan, is yet to be known.

The Municipal Council, The Improvement Trust and the Urban Development Department, however, say a number of notices have been issued to violators of the building bylaws so as to curb unwarranted housing clusters.

Despite a ban by the Army authorities regarding the construction of any structure or building within a radius of 1,000 yards from the ammunition depot, construction goes on unabated.

Resorts, guest houses, marriage palaces have come up in the vicinity of the ammunition dumps and people, without even thinking of the fatal consequences, burst firecrackers during ceremonies in these resorts. They not only put their lives in danger but also create circumstances which can cause huge loss to the Army.

SDM Pathankot Sukhmandar Singh said the department concerned was keeping a constant check on those violating provisions of building norms.

Hoshiarpur, April 20
Despite instructions by the Deputy Commissioner and Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Hoshiarpur, some of the employees of the Block Development and Panchayat office, Garhshankar, have not provided information to the office bearers of an NGO HELP of Nawanshahar, under the Right to Information Act 2005.

This was alleged by Parwinder Singh and Charanjit Singh, activists of HELP. They alleged that government money was being spent by some of the gram panchayats of the Garhshankar block illegally for promoting religious places. They further alleged that on account of the involvement of some of the employees of the block, the information sought was not provided under the RTI Act. Some of the panchayats even embezzled grants of Rs 3,600 each, given by the state government for maintaining sanitation in the village. Similarly, other grants were also misused, they alleged.

They would take up the issue with the higher authorities for getting information under the said act so that cases of misuse of grants could be taken up by HELP to get the defaulters punished. — OC