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metro02 | HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW DELHI
TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016
DELHI GOVT TO SEND WATER TRAIN TO PARCHED MAHARASHTRA DISTRICT
› P06
‘Offenders are getting younger’
Soumya Pillai■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: Sometimes it is a desperate attempt to impress friends and at other times, it is a mindless show of power by their parents.
Children as young as 10 years, whose legs are barely long enough to reach the car pedals, are being caught behind the wheel.
Underage driving is not a new phenomenon but Delhi Traffic Police data shows that with every passing year, the offenders are getting younger.
In 2015, 225 fines were issued for underage driving. In 2014 and 2013, the figures stood at 186 and 178. Traffic police officials said as the number of prosecutions was going up, the age of these drivers was going down.
Traffic police records show that in 2013, the average age of under-age drivers was between 15 and 16 years, and in 2014, the average age of all the violators was 14 years.
Last year, the average age was found to be only 11 years.
“It is sad that parents allow their young children to take to the wheel. Driving is not only about being able to operate a machine but it is also about maturity and
judgment. There is a reason why the minimum age for holding a drivers’ licence is 18 years,” said Sharad Agarwal, joint commis-sioner of police (traffic).
The police said the figure was only the tip of the iceberg. Since there is no provision in the Motor Vehicle Act (1988) to prosecute drivers below the age of 18, many personnel let them go with a warning.
In the MVA, any driver, below the age of 18, if caught driving can be fined `500 along with a possible jail term of three months. Owner of the vehicle, or parents or guardians, however, are challaned `1,000.
Traffic experts say the pre-scribed punishment is not a deterrent, especially for the rich.
“The problem is the rise of the newly rich in the city. In many households, people are not well educated and are unaware of the consequences of letting their chil-dren drive their vehicles. Instead of checking the menace, these peo-ple take immense pride in letting their children drive young,” said KK Kapila, from the International Road Federation (IRF).
A traffic constable posted at west Delhi’s Patel Nagar circle-said these children or their par-ents were quick to pay the fine.
“I have seen parents who keep their young children on their laps and allow them to steer their cars. When they are caught, they make excuses that they are in control,” the constable said.
HT Correspondent■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: A day after a city cour t ordered the police to apprehend the teenager involved in the Mercedes hit-and-run case, the Juvenile Justice Board sent him to police custody for two days.
The teenager turned 18 on Friday, four days after crushing student Siddharth Sharma to death under his Mercedes car. He was produced before the JJB on Monday afternoon.
The teenager, who spent Sunday night at a juvenile cor-rection home, will be quizzed by the investigating officer dur-ing the day. The interrogation, the police said, would be held in the presence of a juvenile wel-fare officer, who will escort him back to the correction home in the evening.
“From 9.30 in the morning to 6 in the evening, he will be
interrogated about the past cases. He will be quizzed about driver Kapil Mishra who gave false information to the police claiming that he was driving the Mercedes and not the teenager,” said an investigat-ing officer.
Police sources said that on Sunday when the court rejected
his bail and the JB board sent him to a day’s stay at the correction home, the boy appeared shocked.
Sources said it appeared he had not anticipated that the court would not grant him bail. Hours before the JJ Board sent him to the correction home, a city court had granted bail to his father.
The boy, a class 12 student, was apprehended last Tuesday bu t b a i l e d w i t h i n h o u r s because the police had then booked him for causing death due to negligence.
On Friday, when the police learnt that the juvenile had been involved in speeding and other similar accidents – driv-ing without a licence – a case of culpable homicide not amount-ing to murder was registered.
DCP (North) Madhur Verma said the boy would be asked about the incident and the exact sequence of events. “It is an ongoing investigation. I cannot comment much.”
Shradha Chettri■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: Over a dozen private schools increased their fees for the new academic session in vio-lation of a recent government order that said those running out of its land could not do so without approval from the direc-torate of education (DoE).
Parents, confused over the move, complained to education minister Manish Sisodia about the “arbitrary hike that did not have the DoE approval”.
Parents of around 250 stu-dents at KR Mangalam World School, Vikaspuri, said the school raised fee by 10% with-out DoE’s approval.
“From `30,000 per quarter, it has increased to `33,000 per quarter. We are not saying we will not pay the fees. But we just want rules to be followed and everything should be transpar-ent,” said Somesh Arora, a par-ent. His daughter is in Class 7.
The school principal did not respond to any of HT’s several calls. Delhi Public School on Mathura Road, Maxfort School and 10 others also increased fees.
“The school is overburdened to meet the EWS admission. We also have to pay our teachers as per the 7th Pay Commission for
which we have to increase the fees. We have applied for approv-al,” said Manohar Lal, principal, DPS Mathura Road.
Maxfort School did not com-ment. Action Committee of Unaided Private Recognised School — a consortium of school managements — moved the
court against the order. “This is a very silly kind of
thing to do. When an Act of the Parliament under Section 17(3) of the Delhi School Education Act and Rules allow school management to take decision on increasing fee, how can govern-ment pass such an order,” asked SK Bhattacharya, president of the Action Committee.
The schools have to get approval from the government according to a 2004 Supreme Court order and a High Court judgement of January 2016.
A DoE official said the schools will have to follow the order as the court did not stay it.
“If the school goes against the order it is contravening the court order. They can take an approval from DoE and increase the fee. We are also trying to work out details so that schools can apply for approval,” said a DoE official.
392 schools are built on lands government allotted to them at concessional rates.
HT Correspondent■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday came under flak from the Supreme Court that said the law enforcement agency had failed to follow its order to secure the Patiala Courts complex when JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar was produced there in February in connection with a sedition case.
“There was a high-voltage drama and our direction (of February 17) was to ensure there is some semblance of order. But if the DCP is unable to nab the man who entered the courtroom unauthorisedly then there was no point for us to give orders to you. Is that your efficiency,” a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar told senior advocate Ajit Sinha, counsel for the Delhi Police.
The court was hearing a peti-tion seeking contempt action against the police and law-yers who assaulted Kanhaiya on February 17, hours after the SC ordered the agency to ensure no violence happened at Patiala Courts.
The JNUSU president was assaulted two days before he
was produced for extension of his police remand. Advocate Kamini Jaiswal has filed the petition requesting the top court to transfer the investigation of cases to a special team of inves-tigators from the Delhi Police.
The bench’s remarks came after it read the Delhi high court registrar general’s report confirming the presence of an unauthorised person inside the courtroom where Kanhaiya was made to sit before the hearing on his police remand began. What upset the judges was that there was laxity on the police’s part despite the court directions, passed hours before the hearing, ordering the agency to spruce up security at Patiala Courts.
“Their (petitioner) demand for an independent probe is jus-tified. Let us give it to someone else,” said the judges, who then fixed April 22 to hear the matter.
The Delhi Police refuted allega-tions that Kanhaiya Kumar was assaulted when he was being taken to a trial court in connection with a sedition case. They accused the Supreme Court-appointed law-yer’s panel of pressuring the HC registrar and the DCP to extract incorrect statements.
HT Correspondent■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: The Delhi gov-er nment re gistered over 500 private buses under the DTC Paryavaran Bus Service t i l l M o n d ay t o c a t e r t o increased ridership during the odd-even scheme that kicks off on April 15.
In the first phase, the gov-ernment’s transport depart-ment managed to register over 1,200 private buses, lower than what the government expected.
This time, officials hope 600 buses should be enough to ferry the commuters.
“People mostly carpooled or took cabs and auto rickshaws during the first odd-even restriction. We are expect-ing something similar this time. Buses aren’t the first p r e f e r e n c e f o r s o m e o n e who travels by car. We will be able to manage with the number of buses that will register,” said a senior gov-ernment official.
Like last time, it is expected that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will urge commut-ers to carpool.
T he Aam Aadmi Par ty (AAP )government expects more private buses to register till Friday.
However, the government decided not to hire school buses this time. Last time, hir-ing buses from private opera-tors and schools had become a big issue. Only 350 schools buses registered their vehicles for the scheme as opposed to 2,000 expected.
The government on Monday also issued the final notifica-tion for the second phase restrictions which remains largely the same. An additional category exempted from the rule is vehicles carrying chil-dren in school uniform.
The fine remains `2,000 in the second phase as well.
T h e g o v e r n m e n t a l s o inducted 400 ex-servicemen to help enforcement teams on the ground. Chief minister Kejriwal and deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia will administer a pledge to students at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Moti Bagh, on Wednesday. The students will promise to urge their parents to follow the odd-even restriction.
The CM will meet road transpor t minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday to seek the Centre’s support for imple-menting the road rationing. Kejriwal is also likely to dis-cuss the city’s public transpor-tation with Gadkari.
Board sends hit-and-run teen to 2-day police custody
Parents ecstatic about govt’s decision to take over schools
JNU TO SET PUNISHMENT IN SEDITION CASE BY END OF WEEK
Shradha Chettri■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: The parents of the stu-dents of Maxfort School Rohini and Pitampura are ecstatic over the Delhi government’s “take over” notice to these two branches. The private school managements, however, see this as a problemat-ic trend. The Delhi government on Monday announced that it had issued a take-over notice to the school, for violations of pro-visions under the Delhi School Education (DSE) Act 1973 and Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009. The school management has been given 15 days to reply to the notice, failing which government will take over.
“We are relieved with the decision. We will be spared of the harassment by the school administration. The teachers are going to remain the same, just the administration will change,” said ML Agarwal, a member of the parents’ association.
It was following complaints from the parents that the gov-ernment conducted an inquiry by a committee set up by the Directorate of Education and District Magistrate (North-West).
“Action needed to be taken against the private schools that harass parents and children. This is a good start and raises parents’ hopes. We are confident that if the government takes over the school, it will run better,” said Satish Arora, a parent.
However, the private school management association see this as a threat to private schools’ autonomy . “I think this is a move by the government to harass pri-vate schools, as we have dragged them to the court several times and won” said SK Bhattacharya, president, action committee of an unrecognised private school.
Heena Kausar■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: Jawaharlal Nehru University is likely to announce punishment for students involved in the February 9 event, wherein anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, by the end of this week. The announcement will be made after the approval of the vice-chancellor.
A five-member committee prob-ing the incident had found some students guilty of violating dis-ciplinary norms and disrupting communal harmony on campus.
The panel is understood to have recommended rustication of some students, including Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, for academic sessions ranging from one to two semesters. Some other students will be fined and let off with a warning.
However, the VC, M Jagadesh Kumar, is yet to take a final deci-sion on the nature and quantum of punishment to be given to stu-dents based on the recommenda-tions of a probe panel.
“The university has not taken a final decision yet. The VC and other administrative officials are not in Delhi. A final decision can be reached only when they are back,” JNU registrar Pramod Kumar said.
Sources said a meeting of sen-ior officials was scheduled later in the week after which the stu-dents would be told about the final punishments being given to them.
“The VC will convene a meet-ing this week with senior offi-cials, including chief proctor, registrar, and rector to discuss the recommendations of the probe panel. The punishments will be announced by the end of this week,” sources said.
The chief proctor, who is the authority to take a call on all dis-ciplinary issues, is in Manipur for a three-day workshop on dis-aster management. The VC is also out of Delhi.
T H R E E D AY S T O G O
500 private buses sign up with govt for odd-even part 2
■ According to a Supreme Court order, schools built on government land have to take approval before raising fees. SONU MEHTA / HT FILE
■ JNU union president Kanhaiya Kumar being taken to the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi. VIRENDER SINGH GOSAIN / HT FILE
HT Correspondent■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: Government teams inspected private schools on Monday to review the admis-sion status of seats under the Economically Weaker Section or Disadvantaged (EWS/DG) category.
“(On Monday) 24 teams visited schools to check if schools have actually admitted all the students named in the list. The teams called up parents of those who were in the list but were not admitted,”
said government officials.The department constituted 48
teams with three representatives each to inspect schools.
The government decided to conduct inspection because every year seats in the catego-ry go vacant and schools don’t submit the details to the depart-ment, said a source.
HT on March 29 reported that over 1,000 seats in the category for the 2015-2016 session was headed to lapse.
Under the Right to Education Act, every private school is required to reserve 25% seats for the EWS/DG category.
The AAP government the admission process for the cat-egory online this year.
To bring in transparency, the application of the category was centralised. The government conducted draw of lots and par-ents had to take admission in the allotted school.
HT Correspondent■ [email protected]
NEW DELHI: Principals of 30 Delhi government schools started a six-day training programme at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow, on Monday as part of the teacher training initiative.
They will be trained in leader-ship and strategy management, officials said. “This is the first batch of principals to be sent for training. We will soon send oth-ers,” said a government official.
On completion of training, the principals will have to meet once a month. “They will be asked to share their experiences about implementing the learn-ing to their schools. Batches of ten principals would be made for these monthly training. This way their peers will also learn,” the official said.
The government had decided to get 200 school principals and teachers trained at institutes
abroad, and a similar number trained within the country.
Recently, the government announced that principals from 90 of its schools will be sent to Cambridge University for leader-ship training.
They will be sent in three batches for eight to ten days. Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, also the education min-ister, last week met two officers from the University.
The Delhi government in its budget proposal for 2016-17 allo-cated `10,690 crore — 22.9% of the total budget outlay — for the education sector.
30 school principals take leadership lessons at IIM-L
Govt teams check EWS admissions in pvt schools
THEY WILL BE TRAINED IN LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY MANAGEMENT. AFTER TRAINING, THEY WILL MEET ONCE A MONTH.
Kanhaiya assault: SC raps police for security lapse
›There was high drama and our direction was to ensure there is some semblance of order. But if the DCP is
unable to nab the man who entered the court unauthorisedly then there was no point for us to give orders to you. SUPREME COURT BENCH
›The problem is the rise of the newly rich in the
city. In many households, people are not well educated and are unaware of the consequences of letting their children drive their vehicles.KK KAPILA, IRF
›From 9.30 in the morning to 6 in
the evening, he will be interrogated about the past cases. He will be quizzed about driver Kapil Mishra who gave false information to the police claiming that he was driving the Mercedes and not the teenager.AN INVESTIGATING OFFICER
■ A staff member affixing a CNG sticker on cars in New Delhi ahead of the odd-even scheme from April 15 to 30. SONU MEHTA/ HT PHOTO
WORRYING TREND Traffic police records show that in 2013, the average age of underage drivers was between 15 and 16 years, and in 2014, it was 14 years
P R I V A T E S C H O O L S O N G O V T L A N D
Schools hike fees without education department’s nod, parents confused
UNDERAGE DRIVINGHTSPOTLIGHT
@htdelhipollWho should be blamed for rising cases of underage driving in Delhi?
10%Police
3%Schools
87% Parents
Total 647 votes
‘PUNISHMENT NO DETERRENT’Punishment for underage driving under Motor Vehicle Act (1988) Driving by minor: `500 and/or imprisonment of three months
Permitting to allow minors to drive: `1,000 and/or three months imprisonment
Prosecution figures
178 186225
2013 2014 2015
■ Flouting norms, schoolchildren ride a scooter in Daryaganj in Delhi on Monday. RAVI CHOUDHARY / HT PHOTO
TOMORROWThe number of students going to school on scooters and motorcycles has increased sharply.
