Bathinda, May 15
More than 1,580 EVMs will unlock the fate of 29 candidates in the fray for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat on Friday. Meanwhile, the district administration and the police have made all necessary arrangement for the counting day. While Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav, SDM Damanjeet Singh Mann and other senior officials visited the buildings where EVMs have been kept, a large posse of policemen was deployed in the city.

The road leading to the Industrial Growth Centre where three of the four counting centres are located was barricaded on Thursday evening. Senior Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Sing Bhullar said those entering the counting centres would be frisked at three points.

The first police cordon is near the entry point and the parking lot. The policemen will make sure that mobile phones are not taken inside the buildings. The inner cordon, under the supervision of a DSP-rank official, is at the entry gates of the buildings.

Another cordon will be outside the counting halls, wherein paramilitary personnel will check the entry of unwanted material. There will be separate checking enclosures for women. Quick reaction teams have also been constituted.

Meanwhile, the policemen carried out checking in the crowded areas of the city such as the railway station, bus stand and hotels to keep a tab on miscreants.

Bathinda, May 15
Though Independent candidates hold very little significance in these polls, they are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping to save their security. People from all sorts of background had tried their luck in the Lok Sabha elections.

Banking on traders, hotelier Satish Arora, contesting on the symbol telephone, said he expected to get 20,000 votes. He said his main aim was to stand against the policies of the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress.

He said he had sought the Lok Sabha ticket from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but they selected Jassi Jasraj. Another contestant Ashish Enoch, who is fighting on the symbol of bread, is banking on 50,000 Christian votes. This is for the first time that instead of extending support to the SAD or Congress candidates, the community have fielded its own candidate.

Similarly, Vijay Kumar who comes from the area across the railway lines, is banking on the voters of his area. He has promised to bring basic amenities to the area if elected.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Hindustan candidate Sushil Jindal said he expected to get 30,000 votes. It was hard to fight against the candidates who purchased votes and distributed liquor to lure voters, he said.

Most of the candidates mainly focused on Bathinda City despite the fact that there are eight other Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the Lok Sabha segment.

Bathinda, May 15
The telegraph office of the Irrigation Department is in a dilapidated condition and crying for immediate attention. The roof of the building can cave in anytime. A quarter next to it has been lying vacant as it caved in many years ago.

Sukhwinder Singh, an employee working at the office, said he, along with his family, had been staying in the building for the last 17 years and for first seven years there was no electricity supply. Later, they arranged an electricity connection on their own.

Earlier, a JE used stay in the quarter next to the building but he shifted to some other place many years ago as nobody wanted to live here in an isolated and ill-maintained building. He said many a times he brought the issue to the notice of department officials and requested them to repair it but no action was taken on the pretext of a shortage of funds.

Meanwhile, the wife of the Sukhwinder Singh who is staying with him in the office-cum-residence, said she and her daughter were living in fear as water leaks from the roof during rain.

She said a new office should be built but it seemed that the department had forgotten about the building. Irrigation Department officials said they were waiting for funds and they had sent a proposal to the authorities regarding this.

Bathinda, May 15
A violent clash between two groups of prisoners inside the Bathinda Central Jail has brought the negligence of the Bathinda Central Jail authorities to the fore. The clash took place this morning, leaving eight injured. Among the injured are Amandeep Singh, Virender Singh and Banta.

Meanwhile, the jail authorities refused to give details regarding the clash. A group, led by Rajiv Raja, attacked Aman Singh of Lambi, who had exposed him while using mobile phone inside the jail. As per information, a scuffle had taken place between Amandeep and Raja over the mobile phone on Wednesday night following which the Jail authorities had locked Amandeep in a solitaire barrack. Following this, other prisoners went on a hunger strike, demanding Amandeep's release from the solitaire barrack.

At 9.30 am today, the clash took place between the two groups. They used sharp-edged weapons while the policemen remained a mute spectator.

Amandeep Singh, along with Varinder Singh and Banta, were severely injured and were admitted to the Ciivl Hospital. Meanwhile, Rajiv Raja and his associates Randhir Rana, Balkar Singh, Ranjodh Jodha received minor injuries and were taken to the jail after treatment.

Amandeep alleged that the jail Superintendent had planned the attack on him. “The Superintendent didn’t grant me parole and tortured me after which my father filed a petition in the court against him. A group of prisoners attacked me and the policemen remained a mute spectator," he said.

DSP Palwinder Singh Cheema confirmed that the two groups had clashed in the jail today. He said only after the investigation, the main reason behind the clash would come out.

However, the police reminded silent on the presence of sharp-edged weapons in the jail. Notably, Amandeep and Virender were convicted in a murder case while Rajiv Raja is a notorious criminal involved in a large number murders and robbery cases.

Bathinda, May 15
The PRTC contractual employees, who were holding a dharna at the Bathinda bus stand since Monday, had their way on Thursday when PRTC general manager Rajinder Joshi held a meeting with them in the evening and accepted their demands. The protesters, however, said while two of their demands had been met, one of them still remained unfulfilled.

The employees had demanded the removal of Gurcharan Singh from the post of duty inspector and time-table inspector, release of salaries by the 10th of every month and and a staff room for drivers.

GM Rajinder Joshi stated said the protesters were assured that the room, which is being used to make bus pass of students, would be turned into a staff room.

“They had demanded that Gurcharan Singh be removed from the post of duty inspector. Simarjeet Singh has now been given the charge of the duty inspector. We have assured them to provide a room for the staff and have credited salaries into their accounts,” Joshi said.

The protesters, however, claimed that all their demands were not met. “We had demanded that Gurcharan Singh be removed from the post of the TTI but that has not been done. We had apprised the management of our demands but to no vail,” said Bhola Singh, president of the PRTC Employees' Union (Azad).

The protesters said the buses marked to ply on long routes were not running. Of the total 10 buses in the city, only two are running. They added that of the 13 air-conditioned buses, only one was running.

Bathinda, May 15
The Engineers’ Association of the PSEB has decided to protest against the management and the Punjab Government by keeping their mobile phones switched off on May 23 from 9 am to 5 pm.

A meeting of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association of the Bathinda circle was held at the Officers Club in Thermal Colony yesterday. Engineers from Bathinda and Mansa participated in the meeting.

Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL), Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) and the state government’s indifference towards the demands of engineers was discussed during the meeting.

The engineers said they would protest against the changes in the third party agreement, which the Punjab Government made with engineers in 2010 during the bifurcation of the electricity board.

They said protest was against increasing the retirement age of PSPCL/PSTCL managing director or chairman from 62 to 65 year and not notifying the joint seniority and differentiation in the pay scale of newly recruited assistant engineers. — TNS

Amritsar, May 15
The Indian Railways had kicked off a weekly premium train from Amritsar to Nanded to facilitate the pilgrims visiting Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. It seems that the train found no takers as the authorities cancelled its second run yesterday due to the lack of adequate booking. Ticket cost in the premium weekly train also includes food.

A city resident, Harwinder Singh, held the Railways responsible for failing to popularise the train among the passengers. He said its adequate publicity was not done and a majority of the passengers knew only about the daily train connecting Amritsar and Nanded.

Shamsher Singh, a resident of Rani ka Bagh, said another big flaw was that the reservation and tickets could be obtained only through website. He said a majority of the passengers were unaware of the fact that the tickets could be booked online only. Only 52 tickets were booked for the yesterday train, added Sahmsher.

Railway officials on the condition of anonymity said there were only 36 reservations in the inaugural run of the train on May 7. They said since the train was being run by the IRCTC, tickets could not be procured from local reservation counters. They said there were 792 seats in the weekly premium train with 11 sleeper coaches.

The premium train offers sleeper, second AC and third AC each costing Rs 975, Rs 2,975 and Rs 2,140, respectively.

Bathinda, May 15
Check your bill after purchasing branded cloths next time as a showroom situated on Mall Road has been found guilty of overcharging The .District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on City Garments, for overcharging Rs 622 from a customer.

In a complaint to the forum, Bharat Bhushan of Veer Colony stated that he had purchased clothes from the showroom in the ‘off season 40 per cent flat discount’ offer. Bhushan said the showroom had put up a banner to attract customers.

The complainant had paid Rs 6,799 after getting 40 per cent discount on a total amount of Rs 10,295. He, however, checked the bill at his house and found that he was charged Rs 622 extra.

When I took up the matter with the showroom, they refused to listen to me and misbehaved, he alleged.

Later, he brought the matter to the notice of Madhura Fashion and Lifestyle, Aditya Birla Nuvo in Banglore, through an e-mails after which he was assured of refund but nothing happened.

Employees at the showroom had told the complainant that the extra amount would be adjusted in the next shopping bill. The complainant, however, decided to move an application in the forum seeking justice.

Representatives from the showroom appeared before the forum and admitted that the complainant had visited their store but denied that they ever allured him by providing 40 per cent flat discount on clothes.

They also refuted the allegations of misbehaviour. Rather there were different schemes of discounts on different type of garments/merchandise as per the company’s policy, they said.

As such, certain items were carrying a discount up to 40 per cent, and there was an offer of ‘buy three and get two free’, under which the complainant purchased the clothes, they said.

The showroom officials claimed that the complainant didn’t avail 40 per cent flat discount as no such scheme had ever been offered.

The forum, after listening to the arguments observed that the showroom failed to prove that the complainant had purchased clothes under the ‘buy 3 get 2 free’ or 20 per cent discount offers.

Keeping in view the facts, circumstances and evidence placed before it, the forum stated that it was of considered opinion that the complainant had opted the scheme of 40 per cent discount and the amount after deducting the discount of 40 per cent had been charged from him to the tune of Rs 6,799, which was in excess and there was a difference of Rs 622, which amounted to unfair trade practice on the part of the showroom.

The forum accepted the complaint with Rs 5,000 as cost and compensation to be paid to the complainant along with a refund of Rs 622.

Bathinda, May 15
Worried over the violence in Mansa by a mob following the death of a 14-year-old boy, doctors at the Bathinda Civil Hospital went on a strike today.

The doctors under the Indian Medical Association held a meeting to plan and discuss strategies to counter such situations in future.

The strike will continue till tomorrow and no new patients will be treated, though the emergency service in the hospital will continue to function.

The doctors also condemned the Mansa police for being a mute spectator during the violence and not protecting the family and the house of the doctor from the mob.

Last morning, a mob in Mansa ransacked a private hospital and set the house of a doctor on fire after the death of a 14-year-old boy who was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday night following illness.

IMA Bathinda spokesperson Dr Ajay Kumar said, “The doctors will continue the strike tomorrow. IMA will decide whether the chemist shops will remain closed or not. No private hospital will admit any new patient for treatment. The medical stores and the OPD at the Civil Hospital will also remain closed.”

“IMA doctors from Bathinda condemned the police inaction and both government and private doctors gathered earlier in the morning to discuss strategy to counter such mob reactions in future. Doctors also discussed ways to sensitise the society on intricacies of medical treatment in sick patients,”added Dr Ajay.

Dr Ajay said, “Police inaction had instilled fear in the minds of doctors and we want action against the erring police officials too. We will go on a strike as per the instructions of the IMA state president. The public should be aware about medical limitations.”

Bathinda, May 15
On a call given by the Moga Bar Association, the lawyers in Bathinda district today suspended work for a day.

Bar association secretary Kanwaljit Kuti said the work was suspended in view of the problems being faced by lawyers at Zira as the chambers are situated far away from the courts there.

Kuti said apart from this problem, a decision to make two lawyers share one chamber was also opposed by the lawyers’ fraternity. The secretary said the lawyers had opposed the move of making arrangements of two lawyers sharing one chamber.

Meanwhile, litigants and complainants had a tough time due to the suspension of work by lawyers.