Ludhiana, November 26
Panic has gripped income tax (I-T) officials after a bogus refund scam worth crores has been detected in the department. Officials are tight-lipped and everybody is trying to save his/her skin.

I-Tax officials are in a tizzy and searching the records to find out if any refund of more than ` 1 lakh was issued under their charge.

The scam came to light when Ramesh Kumar, who claimed himself to be a resident of Anand Nagar here, tried to deposit a cheque worth ` 47 lakh in the State Bank of India. While the cheque had signatures of an income tax officer and departmental stamp, he came under scanner since he failed to show the income tax advice number (ITAN) when the bank officials asked for the same. Seeing himself in trouble, he fled from the scene.

The case was then referred to the police. What surpised the police was that apart from the forged signatures of the I-T officer, the cheque also had the department's stamp. The accused must have submitted the fake TDS certificate along with the return to claim refund.

Sources in the department said they believed it was a gang which was operative in the city for claiming bogus refunds. Cases of bogus refunds were earlier reported in Jagraon, Bathinda and other parts of the country.

The police is investigating the case and report of the same will be sent to Central Board of Direct Taxes. Sources in the department revealed that the department wanted the CBI to conduct an inquiry. 

Ludhiana, November 26
Sending a tiny tot to nursery in one of the elite city schools is now costlier than getting a masters degree in management, thanks to the ever-soaring school fees!

According to statistics, sending a child to a well-known city school reduces the parents' earnings by nearly Rs 70,000-80,000 per annum, whereas the cost of studying in one of the city's top B-school is less than Rs 50,000.

Several prominent city schools charge anything between Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000 as "admission fund", in addition to tuition fees, averaging Rs 2,500-3,000 per month.

This is not all. A look at the fee card of most schools reveals addition of various other expenses under different heads, including miscellaneous expenses, development fund, building fund etc. "Imagine! This is just about sending a child to nursery," exclaims Priya Chawla, an educationist and mother of two.

Parents rue that in the absence of any regulation, the schools have continued to fleece them in the name of quality education.

Interestingly, while on one hand, the schools hike their fee at the rate of 30-50 per cent every year, on the other, the B-schools in and around the city prefer to keep the hike minimal. Most of the colleges offering MBA course do not hike their course fee more than 3-10 per cent every session, while there are many which do not implement any hike for two-three years in a row.

"It is here that the poor and the rich are being separated in laying the foundation for tomorrow. Considering the cost of sending children to nursery, a parent with limited resources cannot even afford to send his child to school," rues another parent S. Shyamal.

Admission fee: Rs 25,000-45,000 (at the onset of academic session)

Tuition fee: Rs 2,000-3,000 per month

Transport: Rs 700-1,200 per month

Uniforms: Rs 1,200-1,500 per set

Books and Stationery: Rs 3,500-4,000

Events/fun trips: Rs 5,000-8,000 per annum

Ludhiana, November 26
The day-long raids conducted by several enforcement directorate teams of Punjab State Power Corp Ltd (PSPCL) at the premises of a charitable trust that runs a hospital, a subsidized feeding joint and a ‘vridh ashram’ on the Chandigarh Road here and in Doraha on Thursday is still shrouded in a thick veil of secrecy. Details of the report submitted by the directorate to the distribution wing on massive irregularities in the subdivisions concerned were not revealed till late in the evening today.

As PS Gill, chief engineer of the central zone, was away in Patiala to attend a meeting, repeated attempts to seek details from the PSPCL officials concerned about the penalties imposed on consumers for unauthorized power loads and other irregularities yielded no information.

Ludhiana, November 26
Laxity of the part of district transport officials has given a free hand to the city’s automobile dealerships to fleece customers by charging an extra amount for new vehicles as “premium”, for which they have to pay in unaccountable money.

Due to the gap between demand and supply of many vehicles there is a waiting period of a few months depending upon their production and supply to the dealerships. However, in the absence of any checks by district transport officials, the latter indulge in the illegal practice of selling vehicles at a high “premium”, which is an euphemism for the black-market.

Among scooters the Honda Activa is the most sought after for which people have to wait for as many as six months after paying the initial booking amount. However, seeing the customers’ desperation, the company’s dealers are charging Rs 10,000 extra for this scooter brand. The money is charged from the customer as "premium" for the vehicle to be delivered as soon as possible.

Similarly, people are paying Rs 80,000 extra as premium for the Toyota Fortuner SUV and Rs 30,000 for the Suzuki Swift and Dzire cars and the Toyota Innova MPV.

Another, malpractice that has surfaced, as a major problem for the consumers is "forcible" buying of vehicle accessories from the dealers. Customers are forced to buy accessories including mudguard, seat covers of cars, music systems, air conditioners from the showrooms, which are priced double than the maximum retail price.

Saagar, a small trader in the old city, complained: "I was forced to buy accessories worth Rs 7,500 for the two wheeler that I had recently bought. The dealer had refused to deliver the vehicle when I confronted him on the issue”.

Ludhiana, November 26
Depending on anti-obesity pills as an easy way to lose weight, beware as it could land you in serious trouble.

The lesser known Ayurvedic companies as well as multinational pharmaceuticals are selling anti-obesity pills containing antidepressants, carbohydrate blockers, appetite suppressants, diuretics and laxatives, which when consumed without medical supervision results in multiple health complications.

The growing problem of obesity has given pharmaceuticals a chance to mint money by selling anti-obesity pills/powder formulations as over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Health experts in the city, while referring to the increased number of cases reporting with various “complications”, occurring after consumption of anti-obesity pills, have warned the people from using the OTC products without the consultation of medical practitioner or a dietician.

Chief dietician at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) Ritu Sudhakar says: "Several diet pills provide only temporary weight loss. They contain potentially dangerous substances, or sometimes just don't work. Drugs delay fat absorption, but it’s a myth that they work wonders for fat reduction. I refrain from recommending diet pills to the majority of people, but make an exception in cases where people have an acute appetite problem," the dietician added.

Ludhiana, November 26
A massive protest rally organised by the Municipal Karamchari Dal at the A-zone office of the civic body at the Mata Rani Chowk here today turned into a thanksgiving function as councillors from the ruling coalition and the Congress, representing the core committee, announced that the demand for regularisation of safai karamcharis and disbanding the mohalla sanitation committees, had been accepted in principle by the civic administration.

The activists of the dal, after having submitted a memorandum to the Municipal Corporation on Tuesday, were continuing with dharnas and protest rallies to press their demand for payment of wages on DC rates to the safai karamcharis till they were absorbed against regular posts.

Addressing the workers, dal functionaries - Choudhry Yash Pal, Ashwani Sahota and Lakshman Dravid-reiterated the demand for regularisation of safai karamcharis, payment of wages on DC rate till such time, appointment of ward-wise sanitary supervisors and removal of other anomalies.

While the rally was in progress, several ruling coalition and Congress councillors made their appearance at the venue and read out a signed assurance of Mayor Hakam Singh Giaspura that the demands had been conceded in principle. “It had been decided in principle to disband the mohalla sanitation committees, the safai karamcharis will be paid wages as per DC rates till their absorption against regular posts,” the announcement signed by the Mayor said.

According to the councillors, the matter will be put before the general house in its next meeting and implemented after seeking statutory approval from the state government.

The employees greeted the announcement with cheers and slogans terming it a huge victory for the struggle launched by the dal. The trade union leaders placed on record their gratitude towards the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner AK Sinha. They also expressed their thanks to councillors: Prem Mittal, Gurdeep Singh Neetu, Sushil Raju Thapar, Amrit Varsha Rampal, Parminder Mehta, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Hans Raj, Gurpreet Gora and Gurinder Choudhry.

Ludhiana, November 26
The Municipal Corporation (MC) today carried out a massive encroachment clearance drive at Transport Nagar here where 48 permanent encroachments, including pucca ramps, sheds, walls and kiosks on the MC land were razed.

The team of building branch officials led by Municipal Town Planner Tarlok Singh, along with assistant town planner HS Ghai and Rajiv Saggar, building inspector, also cleared 23 other temporary encroachments like tea stalls, workshops and vending stalls in the area. The MC officials were accompanied by the police that acted as a deterrent against any resistance by violators.

Hailing the action taken by the civic body, several transporters in the complex said permanent and temporary encroachments all over the complex had made it difficult for trucks and other vehicles coming for booking of goods or taking delivery of consignments to move around.

Exit and entry passages remained partially blocked while the unlawful occupants remained inconsiderate to the inconvenience caused to the people. Several other area residents were of the view that rather than clearing encroachments, the MC enforcement staff ought to maintain strict watch against recurrence and maintain continuous pressure against the violators. — OC

Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 26
Activists of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) while accusing officials at the Director Public Instructions (Colleges), Chandigarh, office of allegedly delaying the process of releasing the grants for private colleges of the state have threatened to launch an agitation if the procedure for the payment of salaries was not reviewed at the earliest.

They alleged that the delay in the disbursement of grants had forced management committees of a large number of private colleges to withheld salaries of their regular and contractual teachers as well as staff.

But to talk of paying salaries on revised scale, the government is yet to release the grant on old scale for months following May 2010.

Jagwant Singh and Vinay Sofat, president and finance secretary of the union, respectively, accused the officials at the DPI’s office of creating circumstances wherein a large number of regular teachers working in private colleges of the state were forced to borrow from friends and relatives in order to run their kitchens.

The government is yet to release the grant for these colleges for months following May 2010. Though the Central body for the regulation of salaries and allowances for teachers of private and government colleges had announced to revise scales with effect from September 2, 2009, the of office of the DPI (Colleges) was yet to implement it.

Alleging that a group of officials at the DPI’s office had delayed process for implementing revised pay scales with an ulterior motive of seeking bribe, the office-bearers regretted that all complaints and appeals by the outfit has fallen on deaf years of higher authorities. The state government was supposed to implement revised pay scales with effect from August 2009.

The officials responsible for implementing the revised pay scales had also ignored the minister for higher education and the chief secretary (higher education) from time to time, both of them rued. While demanding the review of the entire process the union has threatened to launch an agitation in case the revised salary was not released soon. 

Ludhiana, November 26
Bone marrow transplant is the first line of treatment that can put 10-year-old Abhay's life back on track. The little boy having been diagnosed with apalstic anaemia and is undergoing treatment at the Post Graduation Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.

Son of Om Shakti Singh, a resident of Indira Puri on Tajpur Road, Abhay was admitted in the PGIMER under Dr Deepak Bansal, associate professor in the department of paediatrics.

The cost of the bone marrow transplant is `7-8 lakh with an HLA match sibling donor. In case of no match of bone marrow, the doctors will opt for alternative treatment with an approximate cost of `5 lakh.

Said Om Shakti Singh, "I am a driver and cannot afford to pay for the treatment of my son, who is suffering from this life-threatening disease. Thus I appeal to the kind-hearted people to donate generously so as to save my son from the clutches of death."

Machchiwara, November 26
A man and son died on the spot and another sustained injuries after two trucks collided head on near Jharodi village on the Machchiwara-Rahon road. The deceased have been identified as Ranjit Singh and Jagdish Singh. Ranjit, the son, along with his father, who was sitting beside him, was on his way to Rahon.

As soon as their truck reached near Jharodi village a speedy truck coming from the opposite direction collided head on with it. Both man and son died on the spot. Gurmeet Singh, who was driving another truck, was seriously injured in the accident. His condition is stated to be serious.

This resulted in traffic jam. The Machchiwara-Rahon road was opened to traffic after both trucks were separated with the help of a crane. The bodies of the man and son were extricated with great difficulty. The bodies were sent to the local civil hospital for the post-mortem examination. — OC

Ludhiana, November 26
Mystery surrounds the death of a 22- year-old servant of LIC agent, who was found dead at his office here this afternoon.

The victim, identified as Deep Singh, a resident of Phoolanwal, was working as a servant with Jaswinder Singh, an LIC agent.

The incident came to light here this afternoon when Jaswinder Singh came to his office and found Deep Singh’s body lying on the floor. He informed the police about the incident. According to the police, the victim may have succumbed to drug overdose.

The police has recovered a sachet containing tablets from the possession of the victim. The police has initiated an investigation under Section 174 of the CrPc and sent the body for autopsy.

Mandi Gobindgarh, November 26
The police party during a “naka” near the Octroi post, Amloh road, Mandi Gobindgarh, recovered 500 gm smack from a man here today.

The suspect was later identified as Ranjit Singh, alias Deepa, resident of Bhikhi road, Budhladda, in Mansa district.

The police said the accused was undergoing ITI course at Budhladda and allegedly used to supply toxicants to students.

The police has registered a case under Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act at Mandi Gobindgarh.

Ludhiana, November 26
Vipindeep Kaur, Judicial Magistrate, has convicted Tarlochan Singh, a resident of Rajguru Nagar, Ludhiana, in a cheque bounce case. He was sentenced to undergo two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 was also imposed on the accused of Rs 2,21,930/.

The court, while pronouncing the verdict, held that the accusations levelled against the accused stands proved without any doubt. The court also ordered the accused to pay `5,000 as compensation to the complainant.

The orders came on a complaint moved by Pardeep Singh of Ashok Nagar, Ludhiana. The complainant had stated before the court that the accused was friend of his father. He alleged that the accused had taken `2,21,930 from the complainant in order to purchase a bus under 50-50 partnership. But, he failed to purchase it. After a few days he informed the complainant that the bus had been purchased. It was later on recovered by the financer due to the non-payment of the amount.

The accused issued a cheque after the complainant requested the accused to return the money. The accused assured the complainant that amount would get encashed on the presentation of the cheque to the bank. The complainant got horrified after the cheque was dishonoured by the banker with remarks ‘account closed’.

The complainant sent a legal notice to the accused urging him to make the payment of dishonoured cheque. Despite sending this, the accused failed to repay the amount.

The accused pleaded not guilty. He stated that the father of the complainant had taken his scooter for personal use. A file containing three signed cheques for taking loan from the financier, for purchasing the bus, was lying in the scooter’s dickey. The file and cheques were not found after the scooter was returned.

Ludhiana, November 26
Terming the denial of a mediclaim to be unjustified, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered the United India Insurance Company to pay `1,51,430 to an aggrieved consumer. The forum also directed the company to pay `10,000 as compensation and ` 2,000 as costs of litigation.

The orders were made on a complaint filed by Dr Varinder Kumar Thukral, professor at the Lord Mahavira homeopathic College and Hospital.

The complainant had taken treatment from Sibia Medical centre for coronory artery disease as indoor patient.

He took treatment through Enhanced External Counter Pulsation (EECP).

The insurance company had rejected the mediclaim with the plea that the treatment taken by the consumer was from alternative therapy, which was not approved by the IMC and USFDA.