Bathinda, April 29
The district election office has declared 60 polling booths as super model booths. Ten polling booths in each of the six Assembly segments have been declared as super model booths. District Election Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav said the first 10 voters at the super model booths would be garlanded for casting their vote early. As many as 29 candidates are contesting from Bathinda.

These booths will also have the facility of chhabeel (sweet water meant for public distribution). Besides, “May I Help You Desk” will also be set up. Feedback forms will be distributed among the voters at the super model booths. Medical kits are being provided to the polling staff at the booths to meet any emergency.

Super model polling booths in Bathinda urban

• Special school, Thermal Colony
• Zila Parishad office, Saraswati Institute (east wing)
• Guru Nanak Dev Sr Sec School, Kamla Nehru Colony (east wing)
• Ambedkar Bhavan
• MSD Public School (east wing)
• MHR Sr Sec School (west wing)
• Arya Girls Sr Sec School (east wing)
• Giani Zail Singh College
• Bhojraj Jain Middle School, Veer Colony (north)
• DAV School, Paras Ram Nagar 

Bathinda, April 29
The delay in taking action against the people distributing liquor and cash to influence the voters has led to widespread illegalities in the Bathinda parliamentary segment. Levelling this allegation today, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Jassi Jasraj, aka Jasraj Longia urged the senior officials to keep a tab on such people.

“Security forces deployed on roads for the inspection of vehicles for the past one week are now missing in Mansa," Jassi said. In a complaint to senior officials, he stated that four nakas were laid on the Sardulgarh-Mansa road but no one was there for the checking of vehicles. Jassi said the authorities have failed to act on the information and repeated complains.

Jassi, accompanied by a section of the media, reached Parasram Nagar this morning where liquor boxes were reportedly unloaded in a house last night. “I reached there at 8.30 am. We kept on calling the police and election officials till 11 but to no avail," Jassi said.

He added that an ASI arrived at around 10.15 am and the party workers accompanied the ASI up to the house where liquor was supposed to be stocked. General observer Dalip Kumar Wasnikar told The Tribune and the AAP workers that the teams, which were supposed to check the irregularities, were on the way and would take appropriate action in this regard.

The officials, however, failed to reach the spot in Parasram Nagar till 11 am.

“As the authorities responded late, the culprits shifted the stock to some other place. Had the authorities acted swiftly, the liquor would have surely been recovered," Jassi said.

Some media houses also got anonymous phone calls regarding the issue. Meanwhile, the police took out a flag march and conducted a surprise checking at the commercial establishments to rule out any possibility of violence breaking out. 

Bathinda, April 29
Farmers are facing harassment in the procurement of wheat at the local grain market. As farmers are annoyed over the treatment meted out to them by the officials, they are blaming the SAD-BJP combine for their problems.

During a visit to the local grain market, irregularities were found in the procurement process as the grain market is choked with bags of wheat due to the tardy procurement process.

Due to this, there is no space left for the newly arrived wheat and farmers are forced to wait.

Farmers alleged that officials were more concerned about the Lok Sabha elections and they were least interested in the auction and lifting of wheat crop. Farmers alleged that they were facing harassment due to the lack of coordination among the Mandi Board, state procurement agencies, market committee and the district administration.

Meanwhile, a commission agent said the farmers were being forced to wait for four to five days to sell their crop and the payment was delayed by 14-15 days.

"Farmers are requesting us to pay them immediately but there is delay in getting funds from the authorities concerned," he said.

Even the shortage of gunny bags has come to the fore. Jai Singh, a farmer from Chak Fateh Singh Wala village, said his crop had not been lifted for the past four days and he did not know when it would be lifted. "The state government always claims that it has done a lot for the farmers but you can see yourself how difficult it has become to sell the produce," he said.

Another farmer, Kiranjit Singh from Jassi Pau Wali village, said tomorrow was the election day but many farmers would not be able to vote as they were busy guarding their produce at the grain market.

Meanwhile, Ashok Dhunike, president of the Punjab Beopar Mandal, said though the procurement process was slow due to a sudden increase in the arrival of wheat this season, it would not have an impact on the voting pattern among farmers. 

Bathinda, April 29
The district administration is continuously violating the election code of conduct as the work of constructing new roads is still going on in the city.

With the SAD claiming the development of Bathinda as the main agenda for the Lok Sabha elections, the district administration is hurriedly constructing new roads, which have been in a bad condition for quite some time.

The administration laid new roads at Paras Ram Nagar Chowk and Jai Durga lane across the railway line area on Tuesday.

Both the roads were in dire need of repairs for long, but no steps were taken by the leaders and the officials in the last five years. Interestingly, only after the enforcement of the election code of conduct, did they suddenly start maintaining the old roads and laying new ones in the city. It is evident that the district administration, whose responsibility it is to ensure the enforcement of the election code of conduct, is itself violating it.

However, Municipal Commissioner Vipul Ujwal said the work was not a violation of the model code of conduct as it had been allotted before its enforcement. CPM state leader Mahipal said the SAD-BJP government failed to provide basic amenities to the people of the state during its last seven years in power. Now fearing a loss in the elections, they were leaving no stone unturned to lure the voters and also to pacify the anger of the people, he said.

It is pertinent to mention that two days ago, Bathinda Tribune had reported the violation of the model code of conduct when the administration laid a new road in the Fish Market area. Roads were specially laid over- night for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in the city.

Bathinda, April 29
As the campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections ended on Monday evening, the candidates heaved a sigh of relief. They met party workers and relaxed today. As per the Election Commissioner of India guidelines, after the end of active campaigning, candidates or party workers, accompanied by a maximum of five supporters, can carry out door-to-door campaigning.

SAD-BJP candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who conducted an impressive road on Monday, chose to remain indoors. As per sources, Harsimrat held a “paath” at her residence. “Though she had planned to hold door-to-door canvassing in the constituency, she dropped the idea and remained indoors,” the sources added. SAD-BJP workers, however, remained a busy lot today. Congress-PPP-CPI candidate Manpreet Singh Badal went around the constituency and met party workers to boost their morale. He thanked them for their support.

His wife Veenu Badal, met many party workers at their office while son Arjun Badal addressed a few gatherings.

The main election office of Manpreet Badal remained the centre of activity as the party workers flowed in and out. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Jasraj Singh Longia, often flayed for not holding enough public gatherings, preferred to relax. Sources said as he wasn’t feeling well, he chose to sit at the party office and did some work. AAP workers, however, held door-to-door canvassing in some parts of the constituency. 

Bathinda, April 29
Rs 20 lakh was seized from a car in Maur today. Paramdeep Singh, SDM-cum-assistant returning officer of Maur the Assembly constituency, said a police team stationed at Ram Nagar Kenchiyan junction stopped a taxi and during the checking, Rs 20 lakh was recovered.

The car’s occupant, identified as Munish Goyal, is the manager of the Maur branch of HDFC Bank. He said he was shifting the cash to the Maur branch of the bank.— TNS 

Bathinda, April 29
With just 24 hours left in polling for the Lok Sabha elections, the posters and hoardings of the SAD-BJP government put up on the permitted sites across the city were removed today.

Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) Assistant Commissioner Kamal Kant Goyal said the advertisements had been removed as the contract for the same had expired today.

Also, as per the orders of the Election Commission of India (ECI), no campaigning material can be posted around 200 metres from the polling booth. Before the MCB could initiate any action under the orders of the ECI, the advertisement agency, which has been given the slots meant for public display of advertisements, started removing these posters.

It is pertinent to mention here that the SAD-BJP posters have been hogging the limelight for more than a month, outdoing its opponents in the poster war.

SAD-BJP posters could be seen at every permitted place in the city, including unipoles, kiosks and bus shelters etc. 

Bathinda, April 29
Misinterpreting the letter of the assistant returning officer of Bathinda rural constituency, a section of school heads have ordered their Class III employees to be present in schools to help booth-level officers tomorrow for elections.

Class III employees include all teachers, excluding lecturers and principals who fall in Class II and I category respectively. “While some of the teachers will be on poll duty, the others will be made to sit in schools. As the letter of the ARO of Bathinda rural is ambiguous, the officials in the district education office did not bother to clarify whether all the non-poll staffers were expected to report at schools or only some of them. There are no instructions for Class IV peons and chowkidars,” said a school staff member.

She added that the district education office should have clarified over the issue.

The confusion has been created due to the letter of the ARO, Bathinda rural, that was issued on April 28.

Bathinda, April 29
A city resident allegedly cheated of Rs 5.25 lakh by the London School of Business and Finance in the UK got some relief from the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, which has directed its Mumbai office to refund the entire amount along with a penalty of Rs 20,000.

The complainant Vikas Mittal of Bibiwala Road said London School of Business and Finance had assured him of admission in the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) course with a permission to work for 20 hours per week. The institute pocketed Rs 5.25 lakh through its Mumbai office for the admission and work assurance in the UK.

Advocate Satvir Singh said after getting admission in the institute, the complainant, however, failed to get a visa as it was denied by the UK embassy. Despite moving the application for visa twice, he couldn’t get it.

“As per their own (institute’s) conditions laid in the enrollment form of CIMA full-time courses, the college is supposed to refund the entire fee in case the student fails to obtain visa. The authorities, however, denied money and asked the student to take admission in some other course in the institute,” Satvir said. He said there was no point in getting admission to another course as his client would not be able to reach the UK sans visa.

After listening to the plea of the complainant, the forum summoned officials from the Mumbai office. As nobody appeared for the hearing, ex-party proceedings were taken against them.

The forum, observing deficiency on the part of the institute, directed it to refund the entire amount of Rs 5.25 lakh along with the cost and compensation of Rs 20,000.

The forum has directed that in case of non-compliance of the order, an interest of 9 per cent per annum would be paid on the refundable amount to the complainant from the filing of the complaint till its realisation. 

Bathinda, April 29
Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Bathinda campus organised its first ever alumni meet on its premises on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the institute.

Giani Zail Singh Alumni Association (GiZSAA) was formed with the theme of ‘Rejuvenating connections and strengthening the alma mater.’

Managing director, Bathinda Chemical Limited and member, Board of Governor, GZS PTU Campus, Rajinder Mittal, was the chief guest on the occasion. He said the alumni were the biggest asset of any educational institute.

Chief engineer, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda and member, Board of Governor, GZS PTU Campus, Karnail Singh Mann, was the guest of honour. He appreciated the efforts of the faculty and the students in organising this reunion.

Vice-Chancellor of Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, Dr P Rama Rao, former principal Prof Narinder Singh, Dean (Academics) of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, Dr Buta Singh, heads of various departments, students and many other guests were also present on the occasion.

More than 100 alumni came from all over the country and abroad to participate in the function. They enjoyed meeting their teachers and visited their hostels.

Campus director Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal warmly welcomed all the alumni members and guests and motivated them to contribute to the development of the institute. He said the contribution may be in any form, including curriculum upgrade, training, placement or monetary help to the poor students.

Responding to the needs of the campus, more than 40 alumni voluntarily agreed to do their bit for the college. Some of them assured the authorities to offer recruitment opportunities to the students from the college.