Jalandhar, April 29
The authorities of three district schools, whose seven students went missing during a trip organised to the USA, are yet to hear from various students or their parents on the issue.

The administrations of the schools said it reflected a sorry trend and parents needed to be sensitised to the problem.

Sarav Tandon, Principal of Emm Aar International Public School, said the incident had brought bad name to the schools without any fault of theirs and he totally suspected parents' intentions in the incident.

"Parents, so far, haven't shown any interest in the issue. If a child goes missing parents usually cause a ruckus. But days after their children went missing in the USA, they are not even making inquiries. We find that highly suspecting," Tandon said.

Speaking on the prevention of such incidents in the future, he said, "It is beyond us to know what is in student's or his/her parent's mind. All we can say is that this lure for going abroad - at any cost - is crazy. All we can say is these children have dragged themselves into hell."

"We got affidavits signed, showed films and held discussions, but if parents are still bent upon doing it, one can't help it. Students' eyes and fingerprints were screened. They were still naive enough to attempt this, what can one say," he added.

He said the school had submitted a complaint to the SHO of the Adampur police station.

Narottam Singh, director of the State Public School, Nakodar and Shahpur, said, "We had first sent our students on a trip five years ago. All came back safe and sound. The next year visas of all our students were rejected. We hired a new company this time, but we had never thought this would happen."

"We sent children to gain a new experience. The children were recommended by the company on the basis of their visa and passport details. The company had repeatedly told us no risk was involved," he said.

Speaking about the psyche of students and parents, he said, "We have heard some people are believing rumours regarding the USA legalising people who have gone there illegally. It all reflects a very sad trend. As far as parents are concerned, their silence explains it all."

The State Public School administration has also complained to the police about missing students both in the USA and to the Jalandhar SP (Headquarters).

Seven students had gone missing during an educational tour to NASA in the USA. The students included three from State Public School, Nakodar, three from State Public, Shahkot, and one from Emm Aar International School, Adampur. All students were from Class XII and were supposed to return by April 23.

While one student went missing at Orlando, another at the hotel they were staying in and five at the Niagra Falls.

While total 40 students had left (on April 11), only 33 came back.

Jalandhar, April 29
The rural police today recovered 2.5 kg of heroin, Rs 24 lakh unaccounted cash and a new Innova car from a proclaimed offender (PO), who was arrested four days back.

The SSP (Rural), Yurinder Singh Hayre, said the recovery had been made from Chuheki village resident Sarjit Singh (23), who had been on the run in a rape case since August, 2012. There had been a tip-off regarding his involvement in heroin smuggling, to which he confessed during his interrogation.

Stating that police remand of Sarjit had been sought for three more days from the court, the SSP said during his interrogation he had revealed that he had been storing the narcotics in specially created chambers of the dashboard of his car, which was actually found to be so.

Sarjit also confessed to have kept a bag containing cash at his maternal grandparents' place at Partappura village, Phillaur. The SSP said during a raid conducted subsequently, a bag containing Rs 24 lakh was recovered from the house.

The SP (D), Rajinder Singh, said the two bank accounts of Sarjit had also been sealed, acknowledging the effort of the CIA staff (rural) and Nurmahal police.

He said a fresh case had been lodged against him Sarjit under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act at the Nurmahal police station.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a case against Kuljit Singh and his wife Kulwinder Kaur, residents of Ramgah, for selling opium. The SSP said 1 kg opium had been recovered from the woman during a naka and investigation had been on in the case.

Jalandhar, April 29
Having already been constructed at a cost of Rs 3.26 crore by the district administration for the past two months, a new building which is to house the offices of the Sub-Registrar and patwarkhana is still awaiting a formal inauguration by some VVIP.

While a sprawling, two-storey new building is already ready for use near the Suwidha Centre, the shifting of the offices has been kept on hold by the administrators who are simply waiting for the Chief Minister or Deputy Chief Minister to visit the complex to make it finally functional.

The offices of the Sub-Registrars and patwaris are currently functioning from dingy and congested rooms. Since there are hundreds of applicants visiting the tehsils for registries of their properties daily and there is no proper seating arrangement, many of them have to stand for long hours to get their work done.

The new building has come up in a 11,300 sq feet area where there will be four public counters for Sub-Registrar offices. Four halls have also been constructed wherein more than 400 persons can wait for their turn. The first floor of the building will have 62 cabins for patwaris, with a provision for an elevator.

Most officials now believe that the offices would now be shifted only after the panchayat elections. The SDM-I, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, said there still were no orders on the shifting of the tehsil offices to the new complex.

Jalandhar, April 29
Three teachers seated on a modest cot, teaching 50 children adjusted on a broken verandah at a madarsa, is what runs for the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) school at Jamsher Khas.

In a violation of the guidelines of the NCLP scheme, 50 children from rural families were seen admitted as child labourers to a National Child Labour Project (NCLP) school being run from a madarsa in a mosque at Jamsher Khas here, even as none of the children are child labourers.

The school was started a year ago when the NCLP school housed at Government Senior Secondary School, Garha (city), was closed down. While Garha students cannot come to Jamsher Khas, they were adjusted in the primary school at Garha.

Children who were already studying in primary schools at Jagral and Bhode Saprian were enrolled in this school.

When asked why they shifted here, the children (all from Muslim families) said their parents wanted them to learn Urdu (from the madarsa).

Neerja (12), who was earlier studying at a primary school in Hoshiarpur, said, “I help my mother do chores at home. I was sent here to learn Urdu by my parents. I was formerly studying at a primary school.” Neerja clarified that she was not pursuing a vocation as a labourer elsewhere.

Margena (13), also revealed that she wasn’t pursuing labour and was sent to the madarsa to study Urdu.

Shamadeed (10) and Sadiq (10), both boys, revealed that they took farm animals to graze, but were not pursuing labour as occupation.

Shamadeed and Sadiq said they were earlier studying at primary schools in Jagral and Saprain, respectively, and were sent here to study Urdu.

The students did not have any furniture to sit on and were studying in a broken verandah, which was earlier used by the madarsa authorities to cook meals. The shifting of this school, sources said had also left students at Garha (which has slums and many child labourers) without any NCLP school for remaining children to go to.

Notably, even as the government primary as well as senior secondary schools at Jamsher Khas are just a stone’s throw from the mosque, the children were still adjusted at this school. Sources said the primary school did not have any place to house the school, so it had to be housed at the madarsa.

Inderjit Singh, Project Director, NCLP, said, “Our surveys revealed that labourer students needed an NCLP school at Jamsher Khas. In Garha, students were not turning up so the school was shifted. The students at Jamsher Khas are self-employed labourers so they needed the school.”

When asked why they were not put in the local government school, he said, “Their homes are very far away from the primary school.”

Students and neighbours said the children, after the 9 to 12 NCLP school classes, attended Urdu classes at the madarsa.

Giving two hoots to rules Children previously studying at other primary schools falsely enrolled at the school as child labourers. Children said they opted for the school because of Urdu classes at the neighbouring madarsa.

Jalandhar, April 29
Nearly 50 activists of the Hindu Jagriti Manch, who had planned to block the passage of Lahore-bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus this noon, were kept under house arrest at their place in Lambra village today.

The members had been protesting against the attack on Sarabjit Singh, lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan. The DSP, Jasvir Singh Rai, said their leader Mandeep Bakshi and some more persons were confined to their places and not allowed to leave for the whole day through as a part of a preventive measure.