Amritsar, April 22
AAP’s Dr Daljit Singh today gave a clarion call to the women of Amritsar to wipe out the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress from Punjab for “pushing their menfolk” into alcoholism and drug addiction. He appealed to the youth to renounce drugs and alcohol.

"Liquor is flowing freely in villages and mohallas of Amritsar. It is the women and the youth who suffer the most. I exhort the sisters, daughters and mothers to vote for the AAP and reject those who are playing with their lives.” He said this while addressing voters during a roadshow. AAP’s Delhi (West) candidate Jarnail Singh also accompanied him.

Dr Daljit Singh said the case of Akali leader Gulzar Ranike’s son Bhupinderpal Singh, nailed for liquor distribution in Ganaur, was only the tip of the iceberg. “If anyone comes to you with intoxicants, vote against him,” Dr Daljit Singh urged the voters.

"The state government has admitted that 70 per cent of the youth in Punjab take drugs. The name of Damanvir, son of Punjab Jail Minister Sarwan S Phillaur, has figured in the synthetic drug racket, in which Cabinet Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia was also named by drug kingpin Jagdish Bhola," Dr Daljit said.

Meanwhile, Brij Bedi, who is running a school for the children of drug addicts said, “Almost 50 per cent of the drugs smuggled into India come through the Punjab border. Heroin, which costs around Rs 2 lakh per kg in Pakistan, is being sold at Rs 12 lakh a kg in India.”

According to a report, during the Congress government from 2002-07, nearly 23,000 people were arrested in connection with drug trade while the number of arrests rose to 55,426 from 2007-13.

The AAP’s roadshow passed through Batala Road, Verka, Jethuwal, Kathunagal, Chawinda Devi, Abdal, Talwandi Ghuman, Murar Khurdh, Ramana Chek, Kotla Sultan Singh, Majitha Road and Lawrence Road besides other areas.

I do not foresee that the visit of Modi will cast any impact on the election prospects of Arun Jaitley. I have not noticed any Modi wave here so far. This is Punjab. People prefer Punjabiyat. How will they tolerate treatment meted out too Sikh peasants in Gujarat. Similarly, an honest, industrious and prominent Sikh face Navjot Singh Sidhu was sidelined and an outsider Jaitley was fielded~

Gurmit Singh, a retired government employee

I feel that the visit of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Modi, will improve the prospects of Jaitley in the key election here. However, it also rests upon what kind of statements and commitments he makes to the residents of this border constituency. The electorate here looks up to the creation of more employment opportunities, establishment of industries and bringing down the rates of essential commodities.

Surjit Singh, a resident of Sultanwind

I feel that the visit of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Modi, will improve the prospects of Jaitley in the key election here. However, it also rests upon what kind of statements and commitments he makes to the residents of this border constituency. The electorate here looks up to the creation of more employment opportunities, establishment of industries and bringing down the rates of essential commodities.

Surjit Singh, a resident of Sultanwind

Amritsar, April 22
The legal cell of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) has lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, against the District Food Supply Officer for distributing subsidised ration to blue card holders while the model code of conduct is in force.

Terming it as a violation of the model of conduct, convener of the PPCC legal cell, Sandeep Gorsi, said the official had been distributing subsidised wheat to every card holder despite the fact that it was meant only for blue card holders.

The PPCC has urged the CEO to take immediate action against the officials and put a stop to the distribution of subsidised wheat to every card holder in Amritsar.

Amritsar, April 22
The district administration has launched model polling booths to maximise the voter participation in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and reduce the apathy of the urban population towards the polling process.

The move is aimed at attracting the urban masses to polling stations. These special booths have been prepared to serve as a beacon for the other booths too. The idea was conceived by Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Ravi Bhagat. He said the concept was to woo the voters just like a service industry does to entice its clients, by providing state-of-the-art facilities and to make the process of exercising franchise an enjoyable experience rather than an ordeal.

To achieve this objective, a number of facilities are being provided at these booths anticipating needs of each and every segment of society. There will be 18 such booths in the district. The facilities will include a red carpet welcome to the voters. A shamiana will be erected to provide cover to the waiting people from the heat. Drinking water will be available. Special facilities to the old and infirm voters, pregnant women and differently-abled persons such as wheelchairs shall be provided along with a separate waiting area for them. NSS and NCC volunteers have been roped in to help voters and for queue management.

A special help desk shall be put up outside the booth for voter assistance. If any voter forgets his voting slip, he can check the voting list available at the help desk and get the slip on-the-spot.

Apart from this, a medical/first aid centre shall also be set up to handle minor emergencies. To help mothers, who are accompanied by their children, a novel concept of a play area for the children has been developed. The area will have swings, toys for playing and caretakers to look after the children as mothers wait for their turn to cast vote.

The DEO said signages and banners, giving information about facilities of the help desk, waiting area, drinking water and play areas etc, shall be put up at prominent locations in the city to make the people aware of these booths.

With the creation of these model polling booths, the administration aims to create a sort of festive atmosphere to lure the voters to throng the booths on the polling day so that the citizens can make a proper choice of government.

Amritsar, April 22
The Congress said recently that the ruling SAD was bringing out notorious criminals from jail to spoil the atmosphere ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Deputy Superintendent, Jail, on the other hand, stated that one of the gangsters, Ankur Likhari, was never granted parole. He said other gangsters were also never let out of the jail.

A few days ago, the Congress had complained to the Election Commission of India against "freeing" some of the dreaded criminals, convicted for crimes like murder and undergoing sentence in different jails in the state, and bringing them to Amritsar with the "motive" of intimidating Congress workers.

Karanpal Sekhon, election agent of Capt Amarinder Singh, in his complaint had mentioned that three notorious criminals, Ankur Likhari, Sanjiv Baba and Sonu Kangla, who were convicted and sentenced for murder and other crimes, were regularly seen in the town. Sekhon claimed that these criminals were deliberately brought here at the behest of the ruling alliance to create an atmosphere of fear and terror among people.

While clarifying, Jail Superintendent RK Sharma said Likhari and other criminals were never granted bail as there were stern guidelines of the Election Commission against it. Likhari, serving life sentence in a murder case, was shifted to the high-security Nabha Jail some time ago to prevent any scuffle inside the Amritsar Central jail, where his opponents and dreaded gangsters were also lodged.

“Since the wall of the Nabha Jail was damaged, Likhari was shifted back to the Amritsar Central Jail. Moreover, Likhari's cases were being heard in the local court. To avoid the hassle of bringing him all the way from Nabha, he was shifted to the local jail,” said Sharma.

About his being out of jail, Sharma said Likhari had suffered a spinal injury inside the jail and was taken to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital for a check-up. “It is a routine process as the inmates are sent to the hospital outside the jail premises for a check-up due to lack of facilities in the jail hospital. Likhari had suffered a spinal injury during the exercise session in the gym located inside the jail. After undergoing treatment, he is now back in jail,” said the Jail Superintendent.

Amritsar, April 22
Every time there is an election, government employees start searching for ways to get their poll duties scrapped. A number of government employees said they detest poll duties as they faced harassment at the hands of senior officials and supporters of political parties while performing election duty.

“Election duties are assigned by the clerks who know nothing about the seniority of employees in various departments. Even the principal of a school, who has a higher grade pay than a PCS officer and is better qualified, is assigned the duty of a polling officer while a bank employee or other junior employee performs the duty of a presiding officer,” said a retired official.

He said the seniority of the employees should be taken into account while assigning them poll duties.

Many a times, polling booths lack arrangements for night stay or drinking water. “The employees have to make their own arrangements. No one is there to serve them dinner or breakfast,” he said.

"The condition is comparatively better during the panchayat elections when all the contesting parties try to keep the employees on poll duty in a good humour, hoping that they would turn a blind eye towards their misdeeds. However, during the Lok Sabha elections, when a village head has nothing at stake, no one offers them even drinking water," he added.

Ashok Sharma, an employee at the Health Department, said, “Employees are called on poll duty a day before the elections and issued election material. They spend the entire night at the polling booth. Next day, when the polling is over, they are required to deposit the machines, which is a tedious job. Moreover, there is nothing to encourage them.”

Amritsar, April 22
A high-level team of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation is expected to visit the city on April 25 to take stock of illegal hotels, inns and guest houses around the Golden Temple.

The team will assist the special investigation team (SIT) entrusted with the task of scrutinising the status report of the illegal commercial establishments near the Golden Temple. Following the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the state government had constituted a three-member SIT.

Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat and Sandeep Rishi, Chief Administrator, Amritsar Development Authority, are the members of the SIT. The investigating team is being headed by Rahul Tiwari, Principal Secretary to Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The report prepared by the SIT will be placed before the High Court on May 16. There are around 130 illegal hotels, inns and guest houses, which failed to comply with the building bylaws.

On January 23, Senior Town Planner (STP) Hemant Batra had issued speaking orders (after approval from the High Court) to the proprietors of the commercial establishments to comply with the Municipal Building Bylaws, 1997, and the Revised Building Bylaws, 2010.

They were also told to demolish the illegal part of their buildings within six months.

A separate list of violations and discrepancies in the construction of these commercial establishments by the Municipal Corporation was displayed on the notice board of the Municipal Town Planner's office.

Meanwhile, sources said the Ludhiana civic body team could include Additional Commissioner, building inspectors and draftsmen.

Amritsar, April 22
A group of girl students today met Congress’ Lok Sabha candidate Capt Amarinder Singh and urged him to look into the issue of their safety and security in the city. They told Amarinder that they were feeling insecure in the city, particularly after an ASI was shot dead by an Akali Dal leader because he tried to save his daughter's honour.

During their interaction, when Amarinder asked what was their primary concern, they said getting the right kind of jobs after the completion of their studies topped their list of priorities.The students also discussed the safety and security scenario in the city. Amarinder said he understood the issue and assured them that once he was elected, he would draw the country’s attention towards the law and order situation in Punjab, where daughters did not feel safe.

He also promised the students that he would explore the avenues of providing job opportunities to them so that they would not have to move out of the city or state for employment.

Amritsar, April 22
Eight companies of the paramilitary forces will be deployed for the elections in Amritsar. "Four of these companies have already arrived in the city," said Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, adding that all security arrangements for the elections have been made.

He said 3,600 policemen would help in maintaining the law and order situation on the election day. Bhagat said a company of the paramilitary forces would work as a flying squad. The constituency has 115 highly sensitive polling booths. Of the total 1,527 polling stations, 284 have been identified as sensitive and 196 as vulnerable.

The Deputy Commissioner said around Rs 1.14 crore in cash had been seized from various persons in the district in the past few days. He said the Income Tax Department was investigating if the seized amount was to be used in campaigning.

The cops have also seized 3,530 litres of illicit liquor, over 2 kg heroin and 8,735 habit-forming capsules. Bhagat said about 99 per cent of the licensed arms had been deposited with the police or gun houses. He said the police had also seized three unlicensed pistols and 118 live cartridges.

Amritsar, April 22
We can count on popular Punjabi actor-singer Gippy Grewal to introduce Bollywood beauties to Pollywood through his films. If it was Mahie Gill in his super hit “Carry on Jatta”, then his latest lead actress from the B-town is the charming, Zarine Khan. The lead pair of the upcoming Punjabi film “Jatt James Bond” visited the Golden Temple and later interacted with fans and media to promote their film.

The film, directed by Rohit Jugraj, is slated for release on April 25 and is one of the most anticipated films in Pollywood. The film is a quintessential love story with doses of action. Excited and confident about her Punjabi film debut, Zarine said she was drawn towards Punjabi entertainment industry for new learning experience and large following. Zarine plays the role of a village teacher and Gippy depicts a titular character.