Jalandhar, August 5
The death of four-year-old Aarush after falling from a school bus has perhaps not served any lesson for schoolbus drivers here.

As a bus driver from Cambridge International School reached the Domoria bridge from the Kishanpura side this morning and was yet to pick more children in the city, he chose to go from the underpass instead of taking the children via the overbridge. Since it had rained heavily since last night, the underpass was filled with 4 to 5 feet deep rainwater and the bus got stranded there.

As this happened, the vehicle did not start again despite much effort by the driver and conductor. The eight children who were sitting in the bus got panicky, seeing themselves having landed in the flooded underpass. After about half an hour, the bus driver and conductor started moving the children out of the water lifting them on their shoulders.

When passersby saw this, they informed the police. The beat constables in the area and the traffic cops arrived at the spot and they, too, helped in rescuing the children to a dry stretch from the stranded bus. In the meantime, the school authorities arranged another bus in which the children were brought to the school.

Deepak Bhatia, owner of the school, said he had terminated the services of the driver in the morning right after the incident. “The action will serve as a deterrent for our remaining staff for ensuring the safety of children in future,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a yet another sequel to the incident after Aarush’s death, question marks have come on the functioning of the Municipal Corporation (MC) Jalandhar as a speed breaker is said to have been the cause of the accident.

RTI activist Kailash Thukral said he had today filed an application under the Act before the MC’s Public Information Officer seeking details about the speed breaker.

The activist has sought details such as estimate for the construction of the speed breakers on the road from Patel Chowk to Kapurthala Road in front of Ramgarhia gurdwara along with the certified copy of the design and specifications of the same. Thukral has also applied for the certified copies of the government policy and rules regarding the provision of the speed breakers within the MC limit.

Congress vice-president Ravinder, too, alleged that it was, perhaps, a wrongly designed speed breaker which had been constructed in violation of rules that had led to the fatal accident. 

Jalandhar, August 5
Terming the attitude of Jalandhar Commissionerate Police lethargic and careless in the school bus mishap that snuffed out the life of his four-year-old son Aarush Arora, the bereaved man, Chandan Arora, who today met the Police Commissioner, demanded strict action against the school management and its officials for negligence.

“I have lost my child and I know, he cannot come back, but it is quite shameful that the police are adopting dilly-dallying attitude in taking action against the school management, which didn’t follow the Supreme Court’s directions on school buses,” Chandan told The Tribune after meeting the Police Commissioner Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh.

Jalandhar, August 5
City traders today levelled serious allegations of misbehaviour against Excise and Taxation Officer Amit Sareen. They alleged that the ETO used abusive language when they went to enquire about some official record regarding the assessment of a trader.

Ravinder Dhir, a trader, alleged that the ETO had levied wrong penalty on an iron trader Hanuman Singla. In this regard, they had gone to meet a senior excise official in Patiala yesterday. Listening to their demands, the senior excise official had told the AETC Rajpal Khaira to take all records pertaining to penalty from ETO Sareen in the presence of traders.

“Today, we asked Sareen to transfer a file to AETC Khaira in their presence, but he refused. On our repeated requests, he used abusive language and even went on to manhandle us” Dhir said they had warned the DETC Sarojani Gautam Sharda to suspend the ETO, otherwise a statewide protest will follow. “We have been assured action by the DETC before Monday. If she fails to take action, we will launch a strong protest,” he added.

Jalandhar, August 5
Claiming that they had been forced to shut down their businesses, property dealers and colonisers here today lodged their protest at the residence of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) KD Bhandari and offered him to keep their keys.

Members of the Punjab Colonisers and Property Dealer Association went to the residence of the CPS at Seth Hukum Chand Colony and said their business was down owing to certain policies of the state government.

Bhupinder Singh Bhinda and RS Gill, representatives of the Punjab Colonisers and Property Dealer Association, said the government had started levying NOCs for illegal colonies which only 30 per cent property owners had paid up. They demanded that instead of keeping 1997 as the date for exemption of NOC, another 10 years’ relaxation should be given.

They have also demanded that only Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 should be collected as development charges, that too at the time of the registry of the properties. They have also sought relief of 2 per cent tax levied on the registration of Power of Attorney. The members had earlier demanded the simplification of the process for the NOC. — TNS

Jalandhar, August 5
Coming as a major embarrassment for the cash-strapped Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, the office of the mayor has not even paid the annual membership charges to the All-India Council of Mayors for the past few years.

While the annual membership is Rs 20,000, the arrears stand at Rs 1.42 lakh with total dues to the tune of Rs 1.62 lakh to be paid to the council. The council's secretary Anil Kumar has written to the Jalandhar MC to make the payment before the next meeting scheduled to be held on August 25 and 26 at Dehradun.

What is surprising is that while the Jalandhar MC has been passing a budget of Rs 550 crore annually, it has failed to pay such a small amount annually to the Delhi-based council for the last nearly seven years. While the term of the present mayor started in September 2012, it is learnt that even the previous mayor Rakesh Rathour failed to pay the amount in his five year term.

A communication from the secretary reads, "I may bring to your notice that a payment of Rs 1,62,000 on account of annual membership fee of your Corporation appears not to have been received so far. It is requested that the same may be sent to this office at an early date. The strength of the association depends on your participation and contribution. Please clear your corporation dues before the Annual General Meeting at Dehradun".

Mayor Sunil Jyoti, when asked about the same, said, "I do not think it is such a big issue. There may have been a problem in clearing of bills at the government level. I will get it checked and get the payment done". 

Jalandhar, August 5
Volunteers led by environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal have initiated a new project to clean a Kapurthala-based drain known as 'Chhota Drain'.

Decades old, this 12-km drain starts from Kanjli wetland and flows through the Kapurthala city and then meets the Kali Bein. The drain is supposed to be built to provide clean water to the residents who have allegedly been ignored by the district administration for decades.

Perhaps the place will be developed as a picnic spot in the city.

Due to the negligent approach of the district administration, it had been polluted with the domestic wastage of the city. Gradually, it has become a favourite spot for the drug addicts and other anti-social elements in the city.

Since the Kali Bein has been declared holy, the polluted water from the Chhota Drain had been ruining the sanctity of the Kali Bein for long.

Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal said the drain was supposed to be built by the royal family of Kapurthala. Such a historical drain had been decaying owing to the lethargic approach of the district administration. It has been five days since the project has been started.

"The district administration and volunteers from the PAP have started assisting us. It may take another two weeks to complete the cleanliness of the drain. My aim is to get all the natural water resources cleaned amicably. Following the cleaning of the same drain, the decreasing water table may rise," he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Kapurthala Daljit Singh Mangat said, "The drain has been a vital source of water to the city. The district administration is committed to providing all the required assistance. It will recharge the water, which will improve the water table. We will develop a 3-km walking track asides the drain to facilitate the residents."

Jalandhar, August 5
The district unit of Punjab and UT Mulazim Sangharash Committee today held a protest in front the Deputy Commissioner Office against the anti-employee policies of the state government.

While addressing the gathering, the representatives of the committee said due to the anti-poor policies of state government, the economic condition of the state has deteriorated. Ministers and bureaucrats have been provided with more facilities and enormous salary packages. Yet the people, who have been struggling hard to manage two meals a day, have been deprived of basic facilities.

They said, “The employees are not being provided with salaries for past several months.”

The representatives said their demands include payment of 10 per cent due DA since January 2014, constitution of pay commission, commutation of 30 per cent pension, class IV employees’ GP fund should be taken care by the DDO-level, regularisation of contractual and daily wage staff, 71 debt-free PUNBUS merging to the mainstream Punjab Roadway, outsource should be nullify and increasing wages of mid-day meal workers.

The protest was presided over by district convener Tirath Singh Basi, Hajinder Singh, Amrik Singh Gill.

The committee will organise flag march at Patiala and Talwandi Sabo on August 14 and 18, respectively.