Jalandhar, April 5
As part of another voter awareness drive under its systematic voters' education and electoral participation (SVEEP) programme, the District Election Office (DEO) has decided to reach out to each and every voter of the Jalandhar parliamentary seat by way of the Deputy Commissioner’s "Sankalp Patra" (appeal).

The booth-level officers, who have about 600 to 800 voters falling under a booth, will soon be issued copies of the resolution letter which they will have to get signed from individual voter and hand it back to the BLO.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Varun Roojam said he had already prepared a draft of the appeal and would soon send copies of the same to the BLOs for distribution.

He said the idea was to reach to each individual and take his resolve on participation in the elections. A draft of the appeal reads, “Dear voters of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency, voter is the central actor in a democratic election and participation of voters in the electoral process is the essence of a democracy. A relevant democratic system is based on the premise that the best way to make a decision is through greater participation of all its citizens. Our vote is invaluable. Moreover, voting is not only our right but also our foremost duty towards our nation. Your right is not limited to elect only the candidate but it is also a responsibility towards the nation. I would like to request you to inspire and encourage your friends and family members to participate in the poll process and vote for the best candidate who can meet the aspirants of the people and work in the interest of the nation.

Thus, to make the Indian democracy more participative, inclusive and meaningful, I, Varun Roojam, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer appeal you to cast your vote on 30-4-2014 fearlessly and without being influenced by considerations of religion, race, caste, community, language or any inducement.”

The DEO is also planning to get pamphlets for voter participation distributed from air using choppers in the city from April 16 to 22.

Jalandhar, April 5
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Harveen Bhardwaj here today sentenced two youths to two years' imprisonment in a six-month-old molestation case.

A case in this regard was registered at the Phillaur police station on September 26 last year under Sections 354-A and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The accused were identified as Amandeep (20) and Hardip (20), both residents of Sabu village in Phillaur.

Sources said the accused had molested a minor girl of Chak Sahib village, following which a case of molestation was registered at the Phillaur police station.

The duo had stopped the girl and passed lewd comments against her near Apra village when she was heading towards her school.

The accused had then warned the girl that they would slap her and would “defame” her.

Jalandhar, April 5
A man attempting to cross the railway tracks near the Sodal level crossing while talking on his mobile phone had to lose part of his foot after he was hit by a train this afternoon.

The victim was identified as Raj Kumar, a resident of Gandhi Camp.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) said the victim was trying to cross the tracks near the crossing while talking on his mobile phone. Unaware of the coming train, he was hit by a Ferozepur-bound passenger train.

The GRP officials said Raj Kumar had lost part of his foot in the accident and suffered some minor injuries on his head also. He was rushed to the Jalandhar Civil Hospital. “Our cops had gone to record his statement, but doctors declared him unfit to give statement,” a GRP official said. — TNS

Jalandhar, April 5
Two independent candidates today filed their nomination papers for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

Representing a small group Democratic Bharatiya Samaj Party, Vijay Hans today filed his nomination for the sixth time. The matriculate candidate put his total assets at Rs 5.5 lakh, which includes a Rhino car, a scooter and two bikes.

The second independent candidate in the fray is Manjit Kaur. In her affidavit, she has mentioned her occupation as a journalist-cum-tailor. She has mentioned her qualification as BA from BD Arya Girls College in 1996. A resident of Railway Colony, (her husband is a Railways employee), she has mentioned her assets to be worth Rs 3.7 lakh.

Till today, four candidates, including SAD candidate Pawan Kumar Tinu and independent candidate Jagan Nath Bajwa, have applied to contest the parliamentary polls.

Jalandhar, April 5
A pulse polio drive will be held in the city from April 6 to 8. The drive will focus on children of the migratory workers living in the district. The teams would visit all brick-kilns, labour colonies, factories, huts and slum areas to immunise the children.

RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, said around 1,52,219 children would be administered the drops for which 1,181 teams had been constituted. He said although, the country had been declared a polio-free nation, Punjab was still vulnerable to its outbreak due to its proximity with Pakistan, one of the biggest polio reservoirs in the world. The Pakistani polio virus had affected at least five countries in the past 23 months, and had become a threat to other countries.

India has recently celebrated its victory over polio - completing three years without any case of the debilitating infection - the country has been declared a polio-free nation by the World Health Organisation (WHO). India introduced the oral polio vaccine in 1985 in the Universal Immunisation Programme in the backdrop of over 2,00,000 cases of polio annually (as per estimates of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics). In 1995, the first national polio immunization campaign was held.

Jalandhar, April 5
The pensioners association of Punjab State Power and Transmission Corporation Limited, Jalandhar circle, today condemned the Punjab Government and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) management for not fulfilling their long-pending demands.

The meeting was presided over by the president of the association, Avinash Sharma.

Their long-pending demands included concession for pensioners in power bills. They said a place should be provided at the district-level to hold meetings and medical claim should be increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500. They demanded that there should be free of cost treatment facility for pensioners.

Avinash Sharma said despite protests at various places in Punjab, nothing has been done with regard to their demands.