B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Polling staff to testify before tribunal
Faridkot, July 18
Two weeks after they witnessed bloodshed and violence in panchayat elections in Faridkot, over 400 government employees on polling duty in these villages have now been summoned by the District Election Tribunal (DET). The DET has summoned these government employees as witnesses to testify and depict the ‘misdemeanour’ committed during the counting of votes as has been alleged by many who lost the elections.

16-member panel to run Adarsh School at Moga village
Moga, July 18
District Magistrate Arshdeep Singh Thind today constituted a 16-member committee to manage and run the state-sponsored Adarsh School at Manawan village in the district. The school has remained closed ever since the summer vacations ended leaving hundreds of students in the lurch.

Mohar Jamsher braces for fight against floods
Fazilka, July 18
The residents of border village Mohar Jamsher, that bore the burnt of the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, have been continuously facing natural and man-made calamities due to its unique topography.

 Contentious panchayat seats
Polling staff to testify before tribunal
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 18
Two weeks after they witnessed bloodshed and violence in panchayat elections in Faridkot, over 400 government employees on polling duty in these villages have now been summoned by the District Election Tribunal (DET). The DET has summoned these government employees as witnesses to testify and depict the ‘misdemeanour’ committed during the counting of votes as has been alleged by many who lost the elections.

There were 35 complaints-cum-election petitions before the District Election Tribunal in the last one week and almost all the petitioners demanded the re-counting of votes. Therefore, the Tribunal has first summoned the polling staff on duty on these seats for their testimony to decide the petitions.

As most of the petitioners have demanded the recounting of votes, the statements of the polling staff and the other witnesses will be recorded first to decide, revealed sources in the District Election Tribunal.

Many of the polling staff members feel they are once again back to square one--- caught between the rival groups of Akalis. “Both the winners and losers want us to be a witness according to their convenience. We can’t afford to ignore either of them as they belong to the ruling party,” said a teacher who was on polling duty.

While the orders to summon the polling staff have already been sent, the hearing will start only after the State Election Commission nominates the president of the District Election Tribunal. Mostly, the deputy commissioner or an additional deputy commissioner is the president of DET. But orders have not yet been issued by the Election Commission.

Besides the 35 election petitions filed so far, more petitions are expected in the days ahead as every contestant or applicant has the legal right to challenge the election results within 45 days of polling.

Other than the demand for recounting by most of the petitioners, there are also applicants whose nomination papers were rejected during the scrutiny by the returning officer (ROs). Now, they are demanding the rechecking of their nomination papers, alleging that their nomination papers were rejected on frivolous grounds under political pressure.

 16-member panel to run Adarsh School at Moga village
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, July 18
District Magistrate Arshdeep Singh Thind today constituted a 16-member committee to manage and run the state-sponsored Adarsh School at Manawan village in the district. The school has remained closed ever since the summer vacations ended leaving hundreds of students in the lurch.

JS Dhaliwal, chairman of the BIS Group of Institutes, who runs the school, said the school remained closed due to an unrest created by a section of the teachers and some politically motivated local people.

He said there were 32 teachers working in the school in conformity with the strength of the students last year. As per the government norms, there should be at least one teacher for 40 students. In the current academic year, the strength of the students decreased by 50 per cent. The contract of the teachers ended on March 31 this year. Therefore, a fresh interview was called by the management and 12 teachers were given jobs on merit.

However, the teachers who could not get the job or did not appear in the interview ‘forcibly captured’ the school premises and did not allow the students and the newly recruited teachers to enter the school after the summer vacations leading to a law and order problem.

A former minister and Congress leader, Inderjit Singh Zira, brought in his supporters staged a protest against the government, early this week, which further aggravated the situation forcing the district administration to intervene.

Keeping in view the future of the students, District Magistrate Arshdeep Thind called a meeting to resolve the issue. Senior Akali leader and local MLA Jathedar Tota Singh, SSP Surjit Singh Grewal, chairman of the BIS Group of Institutes, JS Dhaliwal, Additional Deputy Commissioner Ajmer Singh and representatives of the local panchayati raj institutions participated in the meeting.

The DM constituted a 16-member committee comprising the local panchayats apart from the representatives of the BIS Group of Institutes to run the administration of the school. “The district administration will not allow anybody to create unrest and the school will run smoothly in the interest of the students,” the DM assured. 

 Mohar Jamsher braces for fight against floods
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, July 18
The residents of border village Mohar Jamsher, that bore the burnt of the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars, have been continuously facing natural and man-made calamities due to its unique topography.

Now, 900 odd residents of the flood-prone village have been practically cut off from the mainland as the authorities removed the pontoon bridge ahead of the monsoon today. The pontoon bridge on Sutej river is the only link which connects the villagers with the mainland and is removed every year during the rains.

The villagers are left with only an indigenous non-motorised boat to ferry them. “We are now forced to bring our belongings, vehicles, produces and livestock through the boat, the only means of transport,” said Chhina Singh, the newly-elected Sarpanch.

The village is surrounded on three sides by Pakistan while the Sutlej flows on the Indian side. It is also surrounded by barbed wire fencing from all sides due to its wrong erection about two decades back leaving the residents virtually “imprisoned”.

Pakistan has further added to the woes of the villagers. “Pakistan has shut down the barrages of Sulemanki head works on their side, resulting in backlash of water into the Indian territory,” said Executive Engineer, Drainage, GC Singla.

“About 80 acres of standing crops of paddy and moong have been washed away by the Sutlej," said Surjit Singh and Makhan Singh, two farmers who have been affected by the rising level of water in the river. The flood has ruined the fortunes of about two dozen marginal farmers.

Singla ruled out any threat of flash floods. “No water is being released from the Hussainiwala head works these days,” he said. The executive engineer said the department has already strengthened the Mauzam Forward and Kanwawali bundh to prevent damage to the area in case of floods in future. Notably, due to the flash floods, the bundhs had been washed away two years back as a result of which flood waters had wreaked havoc in the area.