Bathinda, August 6
The strike of the PRTC Workers’ Union (Azad) entered in its fifth day today. Though they are protesting in support of their long-pending demands, commuters in Bathinda seem to be left in the lurch with local city buses being halted. Many routes were affected as the government-run PRTC buses are not running. The strike hit students and the daily commuters.

Among the many different routes of the PRTC buses, the most affected are Bathinda–Chandigarh route ,Bathinda–Jammu-Katra, Bathinda to Kaithal, Bathidna to Dharamshala and some local routes within Bathinda district.

An employee who visits Bathinda from his village said, “For the past few days, the city bus service is not running and we are facing problems as autorickshaw s charge more amount whereas the city bus drops us near our village bus stand in just Rs 5. Now, we will have to go the bus stand and look for private buses after using an autorickshaw to reach the bus stand.”

Employees of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) are demanding regularisation of their services besides other demands, including the discontinuance of the kilometer scheme. The PRTC Workers’ Union (Azad) on Saturday had begun protest against the state government and the PRTC management and went on strike for an indefinite period.

Since Saturday, the employees have been staging protest and raising slogans against the PRTC management and the state government, demanding that buses running under the kilometer scheme should be stopped as owners of these buses in connivance with management are causing losses worth Rs 7 crore to the PRTC every month.

On Wednesday, the employees of the PRTC Workers’Union (Azad) today protested in the Talwandi Sabo constituency of Bathinda district and met Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal but the meeting remained fruitless, they said.

The employees alleged that the drivers of these buses running under kilothe meter scheme were pilfering daily 20 liters of diesel and causing losses to the PRTC in connivance with the PRTC management.

The workers are demanding that the contract system should be abolished and they should be regularised, overtime should be paid, suspended employees be reinstated, pay grade of the workshop employees, the deserving catagerically promotions, and in time pay and pensions should be given. Harbans Singh Bhola, president of the Bathinda Workers’ Union (Azad), said, “We met the Deputy CM today and he claimed to sort out our issue soon by just giving a ring to transport secretary.

But we haven’t received any message from him till now. We would not end our strike till our demands are met.

A number of routes have been affected by our strike but its upon the government to decide the matter.

There are about 10 local city buses and 78 buses of the PRTC that have not been running since Saturday whereas only 22 PRTC buses are running during the strike period. We are on an indefinite strike until the government fulfills our demands. We are now in Talwandi Sabo and might meet the Deputy CM tomorrow.”

Bathinda, August 6
As many as nine officials were found to be either absent or late for duty during a surprise-checking conducted by Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Sumit Jarangal today. Taking a leaf out of Punjab Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal’s book of conducting surprise-checking at government offices to keep a tab on whether officials are coming on time or not, the ADC conducted a surprise checking of the office compound which houses the District Welfare Office and the Tehsil.

While the officials are scheduled to reach office by 9 am when the public dealing begins, the ADC found that only three out of the 12 officials were present at their respective desks at 9 am. Seven more officials reached their offices by 9.15 am.

After the checking, the ADC announced that show-cause notices will be served to the officials who had either walked in late or didn’t come to the office at all. Speaking to the Bathinda Tribune, he said, “I have already given directions for the show-cause notices to be served to the officials who had reached late. The notices are just a way of seeking clarification from the officials.”

Elaborating on the surprise-checking, he said, “The checking was not to pinpoint any irregularities in the offices but to make the officials abide by the office timings since the public expect them to be in their offices starting 9 am. Those who walked in by 9.15 am were also considered to be late.”

He also added that the district administration was trying its best to make sure that the officials reached their respective offices in time and ensure that no trouble was caused to the public coming to the government offices for their works.

It is pertinent to note here that the Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sarup Chand Singla had also conducted a surprise checking at the Tehsil office and Excise and Taxation office and had found several senior and junior officials absent during the checking.

Interestingly, while the show-cause notices were sent to the officials found absent during the checking, no action was taken against them.

Bathinda, August 6
Even after more than a year of the Panchayat polls, the dispute pertaining to these elections still continues between the losing and the winning candidates as out of 129 election petitions, 78 are still pending with the Election Tribunal.

The election petitions have been filed in the Election Tribunal which is presided over by the Deputy Commissioner. The DC also transfers these petitions to the respective ADCs and SDMs under whose area these petitions fall.

“Once declared a loser, a candidate usually files the election petition to maintain the dignity and prestige in his village. While most of the candidates never turn up after a couple of hearings, others would send their lawyers to fight the case,” said an official at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The official said it had now become a norm that the losing candidate—mostly panchayat members and few sarpanches—usually file the election petitions in view of their defeat to show supporters a ray of hope through the Election Tribunal.

“The losing candidate demands recounting in view of the little or less margin of win by his opponent while filing the election petition, which is heard in the court of the Tribunal, headed by the DC,” said an advocate, Sukhdarshan Kumar.

He pointed out that out that the total of 61 petitions received in the office of Deputy Commissioner, recounting was initiated only in two of these petitions.

“Those who pester and keep on pressurising the senior functionaries from one quarter or the other are given preference while the other dormant petitioners are not bothered,” said another official in the office of SDM (Sub Divisional Magistrate). One of these petitions is pertaining to the elections of the Zila Parishad, which is also pending. Recounting was done in the petitions received from Bhaini and Gidder villages. “Accusations of result swapping were levelled by the loser candidates in both these villages”, said the officials of the DC’s office. While the panchayat member of Gidder village is still fighting the case of result swapping, the losing panchayat member at Bhaini village was declared winner after re-counting.

All the petitions received from the Talwandi Sabo block are lying pending in view of the election code of conduct.

ADC (D) Sonali Giri admitting that the most of the petitioners did not turn up to continue their cases despite filing the election petitions. “We dispose of such petitions under dismiss in default (DID) category, as the petitioners fail to respond”, she said. She added that out of 19 such petitions—diverted from the office of DC—eight have been disposed off and same number is still pending.

Talwandi Sabo, August 6
Infighting between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has come to the fore in the run-up to Talwandi Sabo byelections as two senior leaders, Tarun Chugh and Madan Mohan Mittal, deputed by state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Kamal Sharma to campaign for the alliance candidate Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu are absent from the constituency. They were absent at the election meetings of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in various parts of the constituency today.

It may be mentioned that Madan Mohan Mittal is yet to visit the constituency to campaign for the ruling alliance candidate while Tarun Chugh visited the constituency on August 2 but skipped Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal's meetings today as he went back to Amritsar last night.

Highly placed sources in the party said Tarun Chugh will be back in the constituency only after August 10 which indicates that he will miss all the election meetings of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal scheduled to be held from August 6 to 7 and the Chief Minister who is visiting the constituency on August 8 and 9.

The absence of Tarun Chugh, state general secretary of the BJP from the constituency at a time when the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister will be visiting the area, has given rise to speculations about a rift between the two parties.

Some saffron party leaders, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is feeling ignored as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is hardly discussing any strategy with it.

Tarun Chugh, while speaking to Bathinda Tribune over the phone, said he was campaigning in various villages of the constituency today and had deputed Dyal Sodhi to be present at the Deputy CM's functions. Chugh said he was going back to Amritsar and would be attending a BJP meeting in New Delhi on August 8 and 9. He also said that Madan Mohan Mittal will join the campaigning after August 10. District heads of the BJP would also join the campaigning, he added.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearer, while talking to Bathinda Tribune, said Tarun Chugh had gone back to Amritsar last night and would be back only on August 11 as he has to attend a party meeting in New Delhi on August 9.

It may be mentioned that Tarun Chugh today released a press release of his poll campaigning last evening from his own e-mail. Earlier, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state media in-charge used to handle the public relations for the party.

Talwandi Sabo, August 6
While campaigning for Congress candidate from Talwandi Sabo Harmander Singh Jassi, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Partap Singh Bajwa today addressed several rallies and meetings at Gurthari, Pakka Kalan, Pakka Kothe, Pakka Khurd, Fallar, Sekhu and other villages.

Bathinda, August 6
The ongoing pen-down strike by the employees of the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (MCB) entered its third day today. The public work remained suspended due to the strike.

The city has also turned into a virtual hell as the safai sewaks are also on a strike for the past three days. Heaps of garbage can be seen in various parts of the city.

The safai sewaks have already said that they would not return to work till their demands were not met. Meanwhile, the city residents are dumping garbage at every vacant spot. The condition in the colonies is deplorable where dustbins are overfilled and stray animals are feeding on garbage.

The Municipal Corporation Workers’ Union and the Safai Karamchari Union are protesting against the state government for not accepting their long-pending demands.

The work at the Suwidha Centre and other branches of the MC has been hit due to the protest. Navneet Singh, who had come from Chandigarh to rectify some mistake in his birth certificate, said after reaching here, he came to know that the employees had gone on strike.

He said he urgently required rectification in his birth certificate.

Arshdeep, a resident of Paras Ram Nagar, said he had gone to the MC office to deposit his water bill but he failed to pay the bill as the MC staff was on the strike. Municipal Corporation Workers’ Union leaders Bhola Singh, Ravinder Singh Cheema, Ranjit Singh, Safai Karamchari Union president Veerbhan said the Punjab Government had issued a notification regarding the transfer of the level-three employees, supervisors and pump operators, which would not be accepted.

They demanded that the state government should immediately cancel the notification and fulfil their other long-pending demands, which included regularisation of 138 contractual safai karamchari, pension for them and the promotion of the safai karamcharis on the basis of their educational qualification. 

Bathinda, August 6
The Lal Jhanda Pendu Chowkidar Union, Punjab (Setu), staged a dharna against the state government at the Children’s Park. They also raised slogans against the state government. The tehsildar reached the park and the protesters submitted a letter of demands to him. They said if their demands were not met, they would stage a dharna at Talwandi Sabo on August 18.

Leaders of the union said that even after 66 years of Independence, the watchmen were working as slaves on a meagre salary of Rs 800 per month. They said the discrimination would not be tolerated.

They demanded that rural watchmen should be considered as level-four workers and they should be paid a salary of Rs 8,635 as per the labour law. They also sought insurance cover for the watchmen. 

Bathinda, August 6
As many as 4,000 aspirants thronged the Bathinda Cantonment to participate in the Army recruitment drive today. The drive is being organised by the Army recruitment office, Ferozepur, and it will continue till August 13. On the first day of the drive, aspirants from Ferozepur appeared in the physical test.

So huge was the response to the recruitment drive that the youths, waiting to enter the cantonment grounds, broke the barricading at the entrance to reach the ground. A large number of the candidates waited on the road outside the venue, resulting in traffic chaos.

The recruitment drive is being held under the guidance of Colonel Bhushan, Director (Recruiting). As a part of the physical examination, a 1,600-metre race was held in which 200 aspirants participated at one go. Since the track was muddy, thy bumped into each other while a number of them fell on the track.

Although Army officials expressed satisfaction over the physical strength of the aspirants, they said a number of them would be eliminated after the written examination. Colonel Bhushan said Punjabi youths were physically fit and easily cleared the physical test but it would be difficult for them to clear the written test as it was based on general information regarding the Indian Army.

While the aspirants from Ferozepur appeared for the physical examination today, those from Faridkot and Muktsar will appear for the same tomorrow. Bathinda youths will appear for the test on August 8 and the aspirants from Fazilka will appear for the physical examination on August 9. Colonel Bhushan said on the rest of the days, the selected candidates would undergo written and medical examinations. 

Bathinda, August 6
The department of computer science of Baba Farid College organised a seminar on digital marketing today. Simranjeet Singh Bains, business development manager at Bon Digital Group, Mohali, discussed the basics of digital marketing.

He said the students should have a detailed knowledge about Google and Facebook. He asked several questions related to the background of the students. He also explained various benefits of digital marketing.

He defined various types of digital marketing. At the conclusion of the seminar, Amandeep Singh, head of the department of computer science, thanked the resource person for sharing his knowledge with the students.

Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, chairman, BFGI, while appreciating the efforts of the department, said, “I am happy with the successful conclusion of the seminar. We understand the need of digital marketing and these kinds of seminars are the need of the hour.”— TNS 

Bathinda, August 6
The court of Special Judge Jasjit Bhinder awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a resident of Multania village for carrying a large quantity of medicinal drugs.

The accused, Kuldeep Singh, was arrested in June 2012 by the Sadar Bathinda police with a huge quantity of vials and tablets. A case under the NDPS Act was registered against him.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh upon him and if he failed to pay the fine, he would had undergo imprisonment for two years. — TNS

Bathinda, August 6
Morning walkers and sportspersons have been facing inconvenience due to the Independence Day preparations at the multipurpose stadium in the city. A large number of morning walkers and sportspersons visit the multipurpose stadium everyday but these days their routine has been affected.

Pardeep Sharma, a resident of Ajit Road, said the Independence Day preparations started at around 9 am so there was no point in closing the gates of the stadium.

Ajay Gupta, a resident of Mehna Chowk, said their routine had totally been upset as there was no other place in the city for a morning walk except the rose garden, which remained overcrowded.

District Sports Officer Darshan Singh said the police had taken over the security of the stadium as the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister would unfurl the Tricolour on August 15.