B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Moga admn seeks nine companies of Central forces
Moga, January 4
Keeping in view the apprehensions regarding the use of muscle and money power in the ensuing assembly elections, the Moga police has divided this sensitive district into 16 sectors and demanded nine companies of central forces to ensure free and fair polls.

Badal brothers avoid making personal attacks at each other
Lambi, January 4
Though both the two estranged Badal brothers, the Chief Minister and Gurdas, who are in the fray from the Lambi constituency, today campaigned in a number of villages. Yet they picked their words carefully during their speeches and opted not to make personal attacks on each other.

(Left) Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his election campaign in Lambi constituency on Wednesday. Gurdas Singh Badal (right) during his election campaign in Lambi constituency. A file photograph

Bathinda DC KK Yadav and SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill with the currency notes seized during checking at Doomwali near Haryana border on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Voters get receipt after being issued EPIC
Faridkot, January 4
In the run-up to the assembly elections, the District Election Office (DEO) here wants to leave no scope for any political party to blame it for showing favoritism to the ruling SAD(B)-BJP.

DCs issued guidelines to ensure fair polls
Ferozepur, January 4
To take stock of the poll preparations and ensure free and fair elections in various districts under the division, Raminder Singh, Commissioner Ferozepur and Faridkot division, today held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Electoral Officers of Ferozepur, Moga, Fazilka and Muktsar districts.

Welfare schemes for ecocab operators
Fazilka, January 4
To make Fazilka's world famous ecocab system more operator-friendly and hi-tech, the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF), after winning the prestigious National Urban Mobility Award-2011 by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, last month, has come up with welfare schemes for ecocab operators from the current year.

Moga admn seeks nine companies of Central forces
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, January 4
Keeping in view the apprehensions regarding the use of muscle and money power in the ensuing assembly elections, the Moga police has divided this sensitive district into 16 sectors and demanded nine companies of central forces to ensure free and fair polls.

Revealing this to The Tribune, Lok Nath Angra, DIG of the Ferozepur Range, and Inderbir Singh, SSP of Moga, said here on Wednesday that the local police was prepared for the elections. They said that an IG rank official was coming from outside the state as a police observer to look into the security arrangements. He is expected to come anytime within a couple of days, they added. Earlier, they reviewed the security arrangements and chalked out plans for the smooth conduct of the polls. More than 75 per cent of the local strength of the police will be mobilized for the elections, the DIG said.

Angra said more than 6500 licensed weapons owned by the locals had been deposited in the police stations and with the arms dealers in the district as per the directions of the Election Commission as a preventive measure.

He said that two security guards would be provided to each candidate contesting the elections as per the norms but it could be reviewed in case of threat perception to the candidates in exceptional cases as per the guidelines of the Election Commission.

In reply to a question, the DIG said there were no specific guidelines for those politicians who already had extra security guards provided to them by the Central or the state government.

On being asked about the former DGP Paramdeep Singh Gill, who has been named as the candidate of the ruling SAD from Moga and the possibility of use of muscle power by him, Angra said, “We are here to ensure free and fair polls.”

Badal brothers avoid making personal attacks at each other
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Lambi, January 4
Though both the two estranged Badal brothers, the Chief Minister and Gurdas, who are in the fray from the Lambi constituency, today campaigned in a number of villages. Yet they picked their words carefully during their speeches and opted not to make personal attacks on each other. SAD candidate Parkash Singh Badal, accompanied by huge police posse, visited a few villages in his home constituency but he did not even mention the name of his brother in his speeches. “My fight is with the Congress alone, which has looted Punjab whenever it came to power. So, this fight will continue throughout the journey of my life,” said Badal, in all his speeches. Appealing further to the people to cast their votes in his favour, he added,

“There are only two options before the public. One is the SAD-BJP alliance and the other is the Congress, whose leaders have always remained busy in enjoying life rather than serving people.”

When asked about the third front formed by the PPP-led Sanjha Morcha, he said, “I never make personal attacks. But the reality is that the SAD-BJP and the Congress have always formed the governments in Punjab. So, practically there is no space for the third front.” On being asked as to what would be his strategy to defeat his brother Gurdas Badal, he retorted, “I have already said that I am not fighting elections against him. My fight is only with the Congress.”

Similarly, PPP candidate Gurdas Singh Badal, who also visited some villages at the same time, preferred not to dwell upon the family feud in his speech.

He has already said that contesting elections against his brother, whom he calls ‘Badal sahib’, was only the result of a ‘change in circumstances’.

Voters get receipt after being issued EPIC

Faridkot, January 4
In the run-up to the assembly elections, the District Election Office (DEO) here wants to leave no scope for any political party to blame it for showing favoritism to the ruling SAD(B)-BJP.

The DEO has directed all block-level election officers in the rural areas to get the signature of every voter while issuing the Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC). As the EPIC is mandatory to cast vote this time, the election officials do not want to be accused by any political party of not giving the EPIC to their supporters. The directions were issued to ensure that every voter gets the EPIC card and even a receipt with signature, said an official in the District Election Office. — TNS

DCs issued guidelines to ensure fair polls
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, January 4
To take stock of the poll preparations and ensure free and fair elections in various districts under the division, Raminder Singh, Commissioner Ferozepur and Faridkot division, today held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners-cum-District Electoral Officers of Ferozepur, Moga, Fazilka and Muktsar districts.

During the meeting, the Commissioner asked the DCs to ensure strict implementation of the model code of conduct as per the guidelines issued by the Election Commission (EC) and ensure that all arrangements for the ensuing assembly elections including law and order measures were in place for the polling. The commissioner instructed the DCs to have regular liaison meetings with the Police Department and the respective Returning Officers of various assembly segments in their districts. He said all complaints regarding violation of the mode code of conduct or any other complaints regarding polls being received by the grievance redressal cell set up at district level should be taken up on priority basis. He further said foolproof security arrangements should made in and around those polling booths, which have been declared sensitive and very sensitive.

On the occasion, S Karuna Raju DC Ferozepur, Arshdeep Singh Thind DC Muktsar, B Purustartha DC Moga and Basant Garg DC Fazilka besides other senior officials were present.

Welfare schemes for ecocab operators
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, January 4
To make Fazilka's world famous ecocab system more operator-friendly and hi-tech, the Graduate Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF), after winning the prestigious National Urban Mobility Award-2011 by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, last month, has come up with welfare schemes for ecocab operators from the current year.

GWAF started distributing branded shoes from today to the traction men. "One-fourth of the total cost would be paid by the operators and rest shall be borne by the GWAF," informed GWAF general secretary Navdeep Asija. GWAF patron Dr Bhupinder Singh distributed the shoes amongst a dozen operators.

Asija said that tenders have been invited to purchase 200 GSM based mobile phones for the ecocab operators. At present, there are about 500 traction men in Fazilka, of which 350 have registered themselves with the project.

Development of new ecocab machines, designed with less weight, is also in the pipeline. For performance evaluation, it will be handed over to the Ecocabs Fazilka on January 10 and after receiving their feedback, the next fleet shall be delivered.

"In the mean time, five new ecocabs of the existing model with new children's seat shall be handed over to next batch of five beneficiaries on January 7,” he said.