Bathinda, January 22
The Returning Officer (RO) for the Bhucho Mandi Assembly constituency, Bhupinder Singh Rai, has issued a notice under the Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Property Act - 1997 to the Congress candidate from Bhucho Mandi, Ajaib Singh Bhatti.

The RO has also recommended to the deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer to initiate disciplinary action against the Panchayat Secretary of the Gill Patti village (Bhucho Mandi constituency) as he has not brought the defacement incident to the notice of the administration. The model code of conduct came into force nearly a month ago.

In the notice, issued to Bhatti, the RO has mentioned that the election observer (General) VL Kanta Rao has brought to his notice through telephonic message that more than half-torn old posters of Bhatti were still pasted on the water tank, situated near the bus stand of Gill Patti village. So by pasting the election posters on public property, Bhatti has violated the Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Property Act -1997 and Section 127-A of the Representation of People Act - 1951.

The RO has further mentioned in the notice that Bhatti should explain his position within 24 hours after the issuance of the notice to him as to why a case should not be registered against him under the Defacement of Property Act and the Representation of the People Act.

The RO has also stated in the notice that in case no reply is given within the stipulated period by him, it would be considered that he did not want to say anything about it and admitted his guilt. So under the rules, proceedings would be initiated against Bhatti, he added.

RO-cum-ADC Bhupinder Singh Rai, said as more than half-torn posters of the Congress candidate had been found pasted on a water tank at village Gill Patti village, he had written to the Deputy Commissioner to initiate a disciplinary action against the Panchayat Secretary of the village as he had not brought the matter to the notice of the administration so far. 

Bathinda, January 22
The Post Office Identity Card — one of the ‘promising’ services launched by the Indian Postal Department in the recent past, has failed to find any taker in Bathinda so far.

Under the service, the Postal Department issues the photo identity cards, which also serves as address proof. The card looks like other photo identity cards such as PAN card, sources in the Postal Department said, adding that the card contains name, signature and photo of the card-holder along with the date of issuance, having a validity period of three years. After the expiry, a new card is issued to the card-holders.

It may be mentioned that one of the problems that the students, professionals and migrants have been facing nowadays, is of getting address proof for opening a bank account, obtaining mobile SIM and others. Considering these points, the Postal Department had decided to launch the service through its vast network. Though the service was launched over a year ago, the Bathinda Postal Department is yet to find its first applicant for the service.

Explaining the process for obtaining the postal identity card, officials at the Postal Department here said that anyone seeking the Post Office Identity Card, may obtain the application form from the Head Post Office (Bathinda) by paying the fee and submit the duly-filled form along with Rs 250 as fees at the post office.

The Postal Department later verified the address by sending the staff concerned, official said, adding that if the claims and address are found to be correct, the Postal Department may recommend the name for issuing the card at the department concerned in Delhi. The card would be delivered at the address as early as possible, claimed the postal official. Giving reasons for the nil response so far towards the service, sources in the department said, “Locals may not find the ground for spending money for getting ‘just’ another identity card as they must be having many like ration cards, PAN cards.

“As far as the migrants are concerned, they may not be aware of such service,” sources said and added that the Postal Department needed to take steps for popularising the service. Some senior postal officials in Bathinda pleading anonymity said that besides lack of awareness about the service, the provision of paying fees might also not be going down well with the residents, who had availed the opportunity of getting identity cards like voter cards for free.

A section of the officials also found considering the fee aspect as a major hindrance for the service becoming a hit in the region. The officials, however, insisted that one, who has nothing as an address proof and identity card, should go for the postal identity card as it is easy to obtain. 

Bathinda, January 22
“Ab ayega mazaa!” Those were the words of the eighty-two-year-old Nand Lal Monga, a former LIC employee, who got the chance of scanning the “new entrants” in the ongoing political ad war, a few days ago at a library in Bathinda.

Monga said that he was just fascinated by the cartoons. “I have seen many elections and these characters have given a fresh lease of life to the electioneering which many a time, turned out to be boring,” Monga said and confirmed, “I am just loving it.”

“I will not tell that my vote would go to which party but I can say --- my heart goes out to all these four characters,” he said.

“Congratulations to the cartoonists, who gave births to these immortal characters,” Monga said and asked the name of the cartoonists.

Who will rule the Punjab for the next five years will only be known on March 6 but one thing is certain, cartoon characters born out of this political battle would rule the hearts of all in the years to come as Jeeta, Jaggi, Jhootha and Thaggi, cutting across the party lines, have probably became the cynosure of all eyes.

The four cartoon characters, the protagonists in the ad war in the ongoing political slugfest, have caught the imagination of the residents here and have been giving ample recipes for the pre-poll discussions across the city.

People use the name of the characters to know the party afflation of a person. “Will you vote for Jaggi or Thaggi?” Such is one of the new lingoes coined in this election season, said Pramod Kumar, a migrant.

The discussions based on the conversation between the cartoon characters become long as it appear convincing to many, said another resident, Rajinder Kumar. Rajinder, a retired central government employee, said that cartoons were quite interesting besides being convincing.

For all these, the credit should go to the cartoonists and their imagination and the campaigning teams of the respective parties, Rajinder said.

All the characters are interesting but which one is convincing? “This is a million dollar question,” said Rajinder adding that it will only be known on March 6 as to which protagonist had succeed in convincing the voters the most.

Bathinda, January 22
An interaction session with all the retired officials of Bathinda district was hosted by the Chetak Corps today.

Lt. Gen Sanjeev Anand, GOC, Chetak Corps, with veteran officers and their families at the Bathinda military station on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Bathinda, January 22
What was poised to be a platform for the voters to come face-to-face with the assembly candidates showed how serious the candidates were about facing the public and their questions.

The Ru-Ba-Ru event, organised by Swami Vivekanand Study Circle at the Dr Walaiti Ram Memorial Auditorium in the SSD Girls College, looked like a date gone wrong. The programmes was scheduled to start at 3.30 in the afternoon and the candidates representing Bathinda were to be there by four. And like a beloved keeping the lover waiting, by quarter to five, only the BSP candidate Ranjit Ram had managed to make it to the venue, while the SAD candidate Saroop Chand Singla walked in well past five. Congress candidate Harminder Singh Jassi was fashionably late and came in at 5.30 pm while the PPP candidate, Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder, chose to give the event a complete miss.

As the volley of questions began, initially the candidates looked ill at ease. When asked what concrete steps they would take towards ensuring an increase in the number of students in government schools and curtailing dummy admissions, Singla, citing a 20 per cent increase in the number of students in the schools, said he would like to counsel the parents to curb the menace of dummy admissions. Ranjit Singh said he would “try and increase attendance in the schools.”

As the topic of Bathinda being the Cancer Capital and the general well-being of the Bathinda residents came up, Singla said he would set up research institutes to find out the reasons behind the disease. Jassi said he would have more hospitals, gyms, parks and yoga centres opened to cater to the public.

Discussions on topics like employment, potable drinking water, electricity, traffic problems, fly ash, Jan Lokpal Bill, price control and many other issues took place. Although Jassi came in towards the later half of the event, he made full use of the time given to him.

What took the cake was when the candidates were asked what they liked about the other parties. Singla, after thinking for a few seconds, said that since he had liked the “ideals and principles of SAD the most, he joined SAD and not any other party.” Jassi was slightly more forthcoming and accepted that he liked the BSP’s agenda of the uplift of the poor. This gave Ranjit Ram a chance to admire Jassi and he quipped, “I like it that Jassi ji likes the ideals of our party.”

The candidates had everyone in splits when they unanimously said they loved the strict rules laid by the Election Commission for the upcoming Assembly elections. Jassi added, “I would have been happier had the EC been even stricter.”

Bathinda, January 22
In connection with the randomisation of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the Assembly elections, to be held on January 30 in six constituencies of the Bathinda district, a meeting was held under the presidentship of Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav here today.

These EVMs will be used by the voters for casting their votes at the polling booths, set up in the district.

In the meeting, besides three election observers (general) VL Kanta Rao, Dr Prem Singh and Srikant Singh, Kumar Amit (IAS), the Tehsildar (Election) Harphool Singh Sohal and District Informatics Officer Sandip Gupta also took part.

The randomisation of the EVMs was done on a big screen through computer and projector in the presence of representatives of candidates of various political parties from all Assembly constituencies of the district: Bathinda (Urban), Bathinda (Rural), Rampura Phul, Bhucho Mandi, Talwandi Sabo and Maur. After the randomization of the EVMs, the lists containing the details, relating to EVMs, were also handed over to the representatives of the candidates. These lists contain details, comprising booth number, name of the booth, control unit and ballot unit.

Addressing the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said in the district, 1070 EVMs would be installed for conducting polling on 
January 30.

He said on the polling day, the candidates could match the details of the EVMs with the lists, given to them. He said some EVMs had also been kept in reserve so that in case any fault developed in any EVM, then it could be replaced with the other.

The District Election Officer said the electronic voting machines for the respective booths had been selected through randomisation by the computer.

The District Election Officer, Bathinda, also assured the people that the election process in all six Assembly constituencies of the district would be completed in a free and fair manner.

Bathinda, January 22
Seventy-nine units of blood was donated during a blood donation camp held by the NSS unit of Punjab Technical University, Giani Zail Singh campus, Bathinda.

The camp was held in collaboration with Aasra Welfare Society and Blood Bank, Civil Hospital, Bathinda. A college spokesperson said that in spite of the ongoing internal examination in the college, there was an overwhelming response from the students. Seventy-nine units of blood (including 15 units donated by the girl students) were collected. Students and staff volunteers of the college participated in the camp.

Principal Dr Jasbir S Hundal emphasized upon the importance of mobilizing the youth towards the cause of blood donation and thereby serving the mankind. He stressed upon the need for integrating information relating to blood donors in and around the area for quicker help in their need of hour.

He thanked the in-charge, Blood Bank, Civil Hospital, Dr Inderdeep Singh Sra and his team, chairman Vinod Goyal and president, Aasra Welfare Society, Ramesh Mehta for their cooperation.

Naveen Singla, coordinator, NSS unit, motivated the students for the social cause. GS Bath, Dr Manjit Bansal, Gagandeep Kaur, Vivek Kaundal, Kalyan Rai and Avinash Singh, the programming officials of various departments of the college, were also present.

It may be mentioned that blood donation is organised done on a large scale by various organisations in the city that even hosts a fair, ‘Mela Khoondaniyan Da.’

Bathinda, January 22
The Thermal police today seized one kg opium and arrested a person in this connection. Investigation officer, ASI Kashmir Singh, said a person was on his way from the Papiha Palace to Joganand. Seeing the police patrolling team, he panicked and turned back. He was stopped by the police and a search was conducted. The opium was hidden in his clothes, wrapped in a plastic envelope. The person has been identified as Mool Singh. He was arrested and a case was registered at the Thermal police station. According to information available, he had brought the opium from Rajasthan and was heading for the villages to sell it.

Yesterday, police had arrested a resident of Barnala with 100 grams of opium from near Dhipali village following a tip-off. — TNS