ready in principle

* Deputy CM would head the Metropolitan Council of Amritsar that would oversee and monitor the time-bound execution and implementation of all projects.

* The Department of Tourism to finalise arrangements to hold a laser show on the pattern of Singapore and New York so that tourists could stay back after the retreat ceremony.

* The Department of Tourism asked to complete the execution of Gobindgarh Fort project in one year.

* The facade of the Town Hall to be preserved.

* Guru Teg Bahadur hospital building to be preserved.

* A heritage village to be built on GNDU campus.

* Route to the Golden Temple to be developed again.

* PM to be urged to seek new train between Amritsar and Delhi or to extend Delhi-Chandigarh train to city. 

Amritsar, August 2
It takes a tragedy like death of four students in an accident at an unmanned railway crossing at Baba Bakala on Monday to remind us of the dangers children are exposed to everyday as they travel through the maddening city traffic through various modes of transport. Even more alarming is the fact that even school bus drivers can be seen flouting safety norms.

The Amritsar Tribune team observed various school buses flouting the rules in the city. While many buses were overcrowded, several others had the students standing at the doorstep. Several buses were found without a cleaner or a conductor with the bus drivers substituting for both. Strict steps need to be taken to stop rash driving by school bus drivers.

Nirmal Kaur, mother of two school going children, said the driver of the school bus her children travel in told her that he had to drive fast to reach the school in time but she never took up the matter with the school administration.

A social activist Naresh Johar said the District Magistrate could invoke Section 144 of Cr PC to enforce transport norms for schools buses in the district. As per these norms, in case of any violation, the owner of the bus will be booked under Section 188 of the IPC. The school management/owner and principal can be held responsible while the driver will be held responsible only for his driving related offence. He said even private vehicles like vans, cabs, auto rickshaws and rickshaws ferrying school children were bound to follow the safety norms.

He said many buses and vans ferrying school students were worn out and openly flouted the rules laid down by the transport department.

According to the guidelines, drivers operating school buses or vans should have heavy vehicle licences with a minimum of 10 years’ driving experience, a rule not followed by many schools.

Failure of the authorities to rein in erring drivers, bus owners and vans, worn out vehicles driven by inexperienced drivers are the root causes of these accidents, civic activists point out.

School buses and vans should not ferry children more than the seating capacity but to no avail, said a resident Swaran Singh.

According to the Motor Vehicle Act, a three-seater auto-rickshaw can ferry up to five schoolchildren, but these can be seen carrying more than 10 to 12 schoolchildren at a time.

While granting affiliation, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) seeks affidavits containing 16 rules from the principals of these schools. Sources said officials do not keep a tab on these norms and are satisfied only with an affidavit submitted by the schools once a year.

As per the norms laid down by the PSEB, schools which have any means of transport, including van, auto-rickshaws, bus, then they are to indicate their numbers and registration numbers. School authorities need to submit a fitness certificate certifying that the vehicles are in drivable condition as well as valid permits.

Besides, these vehicles must have conductors (cleaners). The school bus drivers must wear uniforms, have valid licences, five years of driving experience, they should not have been challaned more than three times, the names of school and routes besides availability of first aid box must be displayed on these buses, these buses should not be overloaded, they must possess pollution certificate, follow the speed limit, halt at designated bus stops, schools must have parking space on their premises and the students must be allowed to alight at these stops only, one-way traffic for these vehicles, school officials must keep the traffic on their premises under control, drivers and conductors of these buses need to undergo refresher courses.

Sources say that most schools hire contractors to ferry the students. Denying such allegations, school authorities say the parents arrange theses vehicles on their own. District Transport Officer, Vimal Setia, said school vehicles have to obtain a permit from the transport office. They have to follow conditions like drivers and conductors must wear uniforms, they should ensure that the students are safely dropped at the school and the schools must deploy senior teachers to oversee the entire procedure. He said school buses must be painted in yellow colour. It is mandatory to keep the first-aid boxes. The school buses must have names of the school, contact number, the driver’s contact number written on them.

The driver must have cleared Class VIII, while the conductor should be educated at least up to Class X and must possess certificate of training in first-aid. The eyesight of the drivers must be checked annually. He said the school authorities, in collaboration with the health department, must conduct medical camps to carry out checks.

He said these drivers have to submit certificates of the refresher courses conducted at the transport department approved driving training schools once in five years. He said the transport office and the traffic police have penalty approach while reformatory steps need to be taken by the school authorities and parents of the students. He said parents have to check the antecedents of the bus drivers and owners of these buses.

the check list

* The drivers and conductors must wear uniforms.

* They must ensure that the students are safely dropped at the school and at the designated bus stops.

* Schools must deploy senior teachers to oversee the entire procedure.

* School buses must be painted in yellow colour.

* It is mandatory to keep the first-aid boxes in the buses.

* The school buses must bear the names of the school, contact number, the driver’s contact number.

* The driver must have passed Class VIII, while the conductor should be educated at least up to Class X.

* The conductor must have training in first-aid.

* The eyesight of the drivers must be checked annually.

* The drivers must have 5 years of driving experience.

* The drivers should not have been challaned more than three times.

Amritsar, August 2
Members of Guru Nanak Dev University Teachers Association today wrote to the Chief Minister, demanding payment of their arrears due to them under the Sixth Pay commission. In a communiqué to the CM, the GNDUTA members rued that as per the recommendations of the Sixth Pay commission and vide the Government of Punjab notification dated 2-9-2009, the pay scales of the university teachers were revised from January 1, 2006, but the salaries in the new scales were paid from September 1, 2009. The pay arrears of the period between January 1, 2006, and August 31, 2009, were not paid.

Balwinder Singh, president of GNDUTA said, “As per the recommendations, the financial provision for the payment of arrears has to be made jointly by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, and the Punjab Government in the ratio of 80:20. Thus, the state government has to bear just one fifth of the total expenditure,” he said.

The Centre has taken another lead in this matter by de-linking the issue of enhancement of the retirement age as a pre-condition for the release of its share of the pay arrears.

Dr NPS Saini, general secretary of GNDUTA, said the university has already requested the Punjab Government vide its letter dated November 2, 2011, that Rs 21.53 crore be released towards payment of 40 per cent of the amount due to the teachers of the university. “In light of the above facts and figures, we urge the state government to get the state’s share of the grants released for payment of the arrears due to the teachers,” he said.

Amritsar, August 2
In the first phase of Punjab government's Durgiana Mandir Beautification Scheme, the Amritsar Improvement Trust is all set to float bids for the construction of commercial complex in the Durgiana Mandir complex tomorrow. As many as 53 owners and tenants of commercial outlets would be rehabilitated in this commercial complex as their shops would be razed under the project.

The cost of the project, notified by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) in 2007, increased from Rs 36 to 50 crore following delays due to various reasons. A final design for beautification of the 3.03 acres of land around the Durgiana Temple has been chosen. Nearly Rs 40 crore had already been deposited by the Trust to the Local Bodies Department to carry out development work. All this is being initiated to attract tourists to the city.

About 70 per cent of land would be an open area which would include greenbelt and rest of the part would have multi-storey commercial complex, multi-level parking lot with basement.

The AIT convinced 53 owners and tenants to vacate their shops in the complex. These shops will be demolished and the displaced shopkeepers would be rehabilitated in the proposed multi-storey commercial complex. Owners of the residential area would be paid at the rate of Rs 18,000 per sq yard. Simillarly owners of commercial space would be compensated at Rs 60,000 per sq yard.

Amritsar, August 2
Rich tributes were paid to late Bollywood superstar Rajesh Khanna and wrestler-turned-film actor Dara Singh at a function organised by Rotary Club Amritsar South East, in collaboration with the Punjab Council of Arts and Literature and three other clubs, on Wednesday.

Pushpinder Singh Grover, president of the Council and senior manager of Rotary South East narrated several incidents from the life of Rajesh Khanna and Dara Singh. — TNS

Amritsar, August 2
Mystery shrouds the death of a lineman of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, identified as Joginder Singh, whose bare body was found in a park at Kot Baba Deep Singh here on Wednesday.

Though the police has initiated proceedings under Section 174 CrPC, the police authorities said further action would be taken after the post-mortem examination. Joginder Singh was posted at Verka sub-division and was missing since Tuesday.

Karanit Kaur, wife of the deceased, said Joginder's phone was switched off since Tuesday evening. The family tried to trace him but in vain. Yesterday, they received a call from the police that the body of her husband was found lying in the park. The family members alleged that there were some injury marks on the body.

Jarnail Singh, SHO Sultanwind police station, said preliminary investigations point out that he was an acute drug addict. An overdose of drugs might be the reason for his death. He said the post-mortem examination would reveal the exact cause of the death.