POLLS TO TWO GRAM PANCHYATS POSTPONEDChandigarh :The State Election Commission has suspended two Returning Officers (ROs) and an Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) and directed the respective District Electoral Officers to initiate action for imposition of major penalty as they have acted in an extremely negligent and careless manner and obstructed the conduct of polls.Due to the missing of nomination paper files of candidates in two Gram Panchayats under these ROs, the Commission has ordered to postpone the polls to these Panchayats.Disclosing this here today a spokesman of the Election Commission Punjab said that Mr. Satpal RO Block Mamdot and SDE of Water Supply and Sanitation Department and Mr. Avtar Singh, ADO Veterinary Hospital Machhiwara and Mr. Jagdish Kumar were appointed as Returning Officer and Assistant Returning Officer respectively of Pawat (Cluster) have failed miserably in the performance of their duties. They have been extremely negligent and careless and have resulted in loss of the nomination paper files and they have, thus, obstructed the conduct of polls.The Election Commission has ordered the respective appointing authorities to immediately put them under suspension and initiate action for imposition of major penalty.
District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur and Addl. Deputy Commissioner (Dev.), Ludhiana would ensure that the competent authorities of the officials to be intimated to take action and send a report to the Commission on action taken.The District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Ferozepur had reported that Mr. Satpal SDE-cum-RO, Block Mamdot received two nomination files relating to Mr. Sukhwant Singh Village Theh Gujar and Mr. Ramesh that were found missing. Mr. Satpal on 16.05.2008, had received 226 nomination papers till late in the night and having no place for proper and safe custody of the files, he left the same on the table. Further, on 17.05.2008 on checking it was found that the above mentioned two nomination paper files were missing. Both the files were related to Gram Panchayat Teh Gujjar Block Mamdot.
The Station House Officer, Police Station Mamdot, had been asked to register a complaint. Since the nomination paper files of two candidates of Gram Panchayat Teh Gujjar were missing, therefore, there was no alternative except to countermand and postpone the polls. Fresh date for poll would be intimated separately.
In another case the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Samrala had reported that the concerned Returning Officer, Mr. Avtar Singh and Mr. Jagdish Kumar Assistant Returning Officer of Village Pawat (Cluster) were receiving nomination papers on 16.05.2008 which was the last date for filing nomination papers. They have intimated the Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Machhiwara on 17.05.2008 that the nomination files related to Gram Panchayat Ratipur and in respect of Mr. Ajit Singh, Lachhman Singh, Harpreet Singh and Smt. Manjit Kaur were found missing at the time of counting the files in the evening. They have also approached the police on 18.05.2008 for filing a FIR.
On the recommendations of concerned officers, the Election Commission has ordered that as the nomination paper files of four candidates of Gram Panchayat Ratipur Block Machhiwara Tehsil Samrala have also been found missing therefore, there was no alternative except to countermand and postpone the poll. Fresh date for poll would be intimated separately.
