 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Six of ‘mirchi’ gang nabbed
Ludhiana, June 19 The gang members also, at times, used a woman as bait for the victims. They were lured for carnal pleasures and robbed of valuables and vehicles. Many victims did not report the matter to the police out of sheer embarrassment, the police said. The gang had been on the prowl for the past several months not only in the city but in other parts of the city. It consisted of members from Nepal, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar. SP City-II Dinesh Pratap Singh told reporters that the police nabbed the accused from a naka last night. Those arrested included Sunil Kumar, Gurdeep Singh, Atma Ram, Parkash Thapa, Shiv Kumar alias Kala, Satvir Singh alias Satta. Seventh accused Pilot alias Taari was absconding. The police has recovered four autorickshaws, two Maruti cars, four TV sets, one motor cycle and a DVD player, apart from five mobile sets and other valuables from the accused. The police said the gang members hired an autorickshaw and threw red-chilli powder and took away the vehicle when the driver had stopped the vehicle to collect fare. At other places they had thrown the powder at passersby and snatched their mobile phones or valuables. Similarly, they looted motor cycles.
|
|
Amarinder inaugurates
Ludhiana, June 19 Spread over an area of 26 acre, the City Centre coming up at a cost of Rs 2000 crore would bring the city on the map of many ‘‘first evers’’ in the country. The project, being popularised as Ludhiana's dream and country's pride, would be completed by February next year. The City Centre project would change the landscape of Ludhiana by providing biggest mega shopping malls in the country, biggest atrium, 12 multiplexes with a seating capacity of 2500 persons, a food court, residential apartments, healthcare, library, museums, parks and offices space and above all a basement parking for 8,000 cars. Besides, the centre would
Addressing the gathering, the CM said that it was the need of the hour to set up these types of projects with a view to generate investment opportunities for big Industrial houses on one hand and massive employment potential on the other. He further said that the interest of a common man must be protected while launching such projects. He said that concerted efforts of the government would change the destiny of the state. Mr G.K. Gambhir, MD Today Homes, said the centre had been designed by world's largest architectural firms-HOK, the architects of globally acclaimed Dubai Festival City, UAE and Marina Town Centre. While the project was inaugurated today after a lot of hiccups before the start of the project, the biggest challenge faced by the LIT was the removal of jhuggis that have mushroomed right in front of the centre. Being a slur on the face of this much touted project, the jhuggies had become a bone in the neck of LIT.
|
|
Railways plays spoilsport for ‘peti mafia’
Ludhiana, June 19 In other words, the decision spells curtains for the traders, despatching goods worth lakhs of rupees every day to different parts of the country without proper invoices, thereby evading huge taxes. At the same time, the operations of 'peti mafia' which has been carrying out the booking of such consignments through the Railways, of course at hefty charges, will also suffer a heavy set back. According to well placed sources, the peti mafia, engaged in booking of hosiery and other goods at parcel booking office here, was evading sales tax (or VAT) of several lakhs of rupees daily during peak season. Enjoying patronage of certain political leaders and keeping the conniving railway and taxation officials in good humour, the operators of peti mafia were said to have engaged a large fleet of three wheelers and pick-up vans for transportation of consignments to railway parcel office which, most of the times, outwitted the attempts of the police and sales tax officials to intercept the unaccounted goods. The kind of influence and muscle-power the peti mafia wielded could be assessed from the fact that during past about one year, at least four criminal cases were booked against its operators, and the offences they were charged with, included hitting a Gypsy of a taxation official and injuring him, violation of speed limit on city roads and injuring other road-users and again assaulting an Excise and Taxation Officer here only a couple of days back. It would be no exaggeration to state that peti mafia in the city was the mainstay of those manufacturers and traders, particularly of hosiery goods, who made transactions of crores of rupees every year without issuing any bills, paying any taxes, thereby generating massive black money. Those entrusted with the Not that the excise and taxation officials were unaware of this brazen evasion of tax or they did nothing to rein in the peti mafia. During last year or so, the enforcement officials, along with city police, made repeated attempts to put up barriers and check posts at all entry points to railway parcel office. However, the peti mafia operators proved too smart and foiled all such efforts, till now that was. Now that the consignors would be required to mention their sales tax or VAT registration number, as also provide their complete address for booking of goods through railways, the outlook in the near future appeared to be gloomy for the affected section of trade. At the same time, the lucrative racket of peti mafia also seemed to be heading towards an end if the provisions of the new decision were scrupulously implemented by the railway authorities.
|
|
For Chief Minister’s ears
Ludhiana, June 19 Ashok Kumar Goswami, a resident of Shimla Puri here, was assured a job by the President of India who had visited the city in September 2003. Ashok had presented Dr Kalam with his sketch at a function and the President had announced a grant of Rs 20,000, besides a job. The President had sent him the amount and had sent a letter to the CM to provide the youth with a job. He was offered a job as a peon with a senior official of the MC at Rs 2,500 per month as wages. He was promised that he would be taken as a permanent employee later. “But even after three years, I continue to request officials, who never listen to me,” he said outside the venue for the CM's visit. He said he had met Mr B.I.S. Chahal, media adviser to the CM, at a recent rally and he was invited to the CM's residence in Chandigarh. “There I met another official who gave me a letter that the CM wanted to give me a job. He had asked me to hand over the letter to the MC Commissioner but I was not allowed to meet him. So I sent him a copy of the letter through a courier three days ago,” he said. “I am very disappointed that neither bureaucrats nor elected representatives have any time to listen to the problems of the youth,” he said. Councillor Satwinder Singh Jwaddi asked him to wait outside the venue for the function but again he was not allowed to meet the CM. Son of a Class 1V employee, Ashok belongs to a poor family. He can make beautiful sketches. He has presented portrait sketches to many prominent personalities. He had also organised an exhibition at his house which was inaugurated by SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar. He had promised him Rs 21,000 as an award which never reached him, he claimed.
|
|
Merchant’s son held for stealing bike of friend
Ludhiana, June 19 The youth, Nipun, had cleverly made a duplicate key of the friend's bike with the help of a computer. The police said the accused then called his friend to Ansal Plaza, told him to come to the fourth floor and took away his motor cycle. Nipun and his accomplice in the crime, Ravi, then went to sell the bike claiming that they needed money. However, shopkeeper got suspicious and called the
police. The youths had an altercation with the shopkeeper and allegedly beat him up. But they were later arrested by the police.
|
|
BYM to seek ticket for Malerkotla seat
Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 19 Meanwhile, the morcha has launched a membership growth campaign in the district. Mr Surjit Gogna, district president of the morcha, said all the activists who attended the meeting resolved unanimously to impress upon the state body to get the Malerkotla seat for either the BJP candidate orthe Yuva Morcha one. The decision was taken on the demand of a large number of supporters of BJP leaders of the area. "Supporters of the BJP leaders in Malerkotla constituency had been feeling ignored at the hands of the authorities, both during Congress Government and SAD-BJP regime as well. The trend developed after the bureaucracy came to know that at no stage a BJP leader would be launched as BJP-SAD alliance candidate," said Mr Gogna on the basis of interaction held in the meeting. Mr Gogna further said that the district unit had launched a membership growth move. "But we will try that only clean image youth were inducted in the morcha. We want to make sure that heads we count, contained enough grey matter to understand the nationalistic policies of our parent party," claimed Mr Gogna. The meeting also criticized the Congress Government for allegedly ignoring issues related with religious conversions, price rise and inflation. The counterpart of the morcha had earlier sent a similar resolution to the state BJP leadership. The decision was taken at a meeting organised at Malerkotla recently. Malerkotla town being Muslim dominated, major political parties had been launching candidates from this community. Almost all parties have faced dissidence on the issue of granting party ticket in the past. Pre-election period may be tougher than before as besides Mr Ajit Singh Chanduraian declaring his candidature, BJP leaders have also started demanding ticket this time.
|
|
MC plans optimum use of vacated land
Ludhiana, June 19 The MC authorities have asked Zonal Commissioners to prepare details of lands/properties of their respective zones. According to press note by the MC, the revenue generated from the auction of this land will be utilised for providing the municipal share in projects approved under the city development plan prepared under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. The MC had drawn up a Rs 3,995-crore plan and submitted it to state government and government recently accorded its approval. Under the operation, illegal structures from all seven major roads of the city, including the old GT Road, Ferozepore road, Ambala road, Chandigarh road and Rahon road were made encroachment-free and all the identified 219 encroachments had been removed. In the second phase, the focus was on the removal of big encroachments involving 400 sq yard or more and less. In the process, possession of land measuring about 47 acres was retrieved.
|
|
Bairagi mandal chief felicitated
Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 19 Recollecting various phases of the mandal, speakers claimed that Mr Bawa had laid the foundation of the organisation by formally installing a portrait of the great soldier 15 years ago. “Since 1988, when Mr Bawa had installed a portrait of Baba Bahadur, presented by former MLA Jagdev Singh Jassowal, the organisation, has now become a global institute having membership of around one lakh ,” claimed Dr Balwinder Singh Walia, chairman of the trust running affairs of ayurvedic college, law college and college of education. Speakers further claimed that by preserving historical events connected with Banda Bahadur, Mr Krishan Bawa served farmers of the state. “Mr Bawa by preserving memoirs and supreme sacrifice made by Banda Bahadur has in fact served peasantry. Farmers should not forget sacrifice of Baba Bahadur who had fought for getting them ownership rights of land they cultivated,” said Mr Jagpal Singh Khangura, a senior Congress leader. Mr Bawa, after being felicitated assured the organisers that he would strive hard to come true to expectations of all sections of society. He claimed that his organisation, following teachings of Baba Banda Bahadur had been working for the welfare of all sections of as society.
|
|
Artificial limbs, tri-cycles distributed
Ludhiana, June 19 Mr Pawan Aggarwal, secretary of the parishad, said they were running a Viklang Swarojgar and Punarvas Kendra, where more than 16,000 physically challenged persons have been rehabilitated till date by imparting them training in computers, TV, refrigerator, radio repair, carry bag making, candle and chalk making. In addition, the trust was also running a charitable polyclinic where patients were treated through allopathy, homeopathy, ayurveda, acupressure, acupuncture and naturopathy. He said a state-of-the-art polio corrective surgery and general hospital would be opened very soon here. Mr Vadhyar presented a cheque of Rs 16,000 to the parishad on the occasion. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Mr Yash Pal Gupta, Ms Sangeeta Soni, Ms Neelam Gupta, Ms Janak Trehan and Mr Rajinder Sharma.
|
|
Summer camp ends at Sutlej Club
Ludhiana, June19 Members, spouses and their dependents took training in various activities. The fashion show showcased garments designed by the youngsters during the workshop. Ms Pallavi and Ms Punit, faculty members, said: “The objective behind the free workshop was to spread awareness of fashion and art. It reinforced the faith that there was potential in the field of design in the city but proper guidance was needed.”
|
|
Woman arrested with illicit liquor
Jagraon, June 19 In another incident, the Dehlon police arrested Jeet Singh of Narangwal Kalan from his village and seized 8 kg of poppy husk.A case under Sections 15,61,85 of the Narcotic Act has been registered. Five booked: The Sidhwanbet police has registered a case. Some land dispute is said to be the reason behind it . No arrest has been made so far.
|
|
Cash, tyres worth Rs 5 lakh stolen
from shop
Ludhiana, June 19 
|
|
Industry condemns delay in VAT refunds
Ludhiana, June 19 “The grim situation regarding the non-refund of VAT within the stipulated period of three months from the filing of quarterly returns, has created a tough situation for the industry,” said Mr Avtar Singh, general secretary, CICU. Industry representatives said the government had promised to make refunds within three months, however, the delay continued which had blocked the industry's capital and was affecting its functioning, they said. Mr Inderjit Singh Pardhan, president of the chamber, said computerised records of the Sales Tax Department had not been updated and entries for quarterly returns from January 2006 onwards were still pending. “The inefficiency of the department and non-monitoring by the ministry concerned is creating hardships for the industry,” he rued. The chamber said in spite of apprising the government time and again of the situation, no concrete measure had been taken so far. Urging the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister of the state to intervene in the matter, Mr Pardhan said they should take it on priority to save small and medium enterprises that were badly hit due to the delay in refunds.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
