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Tax men raid two top
firms Ludhiana, November 21 According to sources in the Income Tax Department, the raids, which started in the morning today, were still continuing till late in the evening. The companies whose premises have been raided included Monga and Mukesh Steel, owned by Mr. K.C Gupta, and Lalita Fabrics, owned by Mr. S.N Aggarwal. Raids have been conducted on the Daresi ground, Dana Mandi, Focal Point, Gill Road and Aggar areas. Raids to detect tax evasion were also conducted in Macchiwara, where one of the companies has a unit. While, the officials who conducted the raids under the supervision of Director-General (Investigation), Mr. K.K Kapila, refused to divulge any details, it is learnt that several ledger books and registers have been taken by the tax men for scrutiny. This is not the first time in recent times that the tax officials have tightened their noose around tax evaders. Only last month the Income tax officials had raided some well-known hosiery manufacturers in the city. Though, the department has till date not released any official figure of the recoveries, but it is said that huge discrepancies in the accounts of the hosiery manufacturers were detected. Officials of the department told The Tribune that a concentrated effort was being made to boost the Income Tax Department’s tax collection before the end of the current financial year. The department had, therefore, planned out a series of raids on the manufactures of different commodities for which lists have been prepared under the guidance of Mr Kapila. |
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Youth demands money back from Kimti Lal Jagraon, November 21 Satwinder Singh, a resident of Burj Littan village in Raikot, in his complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Mukhwinder Singh Chhinna, alleged that his father, ex-naik Darshan Singh, had deposited an amount of Rs 2 lakh with Kimti Lal as he had to pay an interest of Rs 20,000 biannually on the amount. Kimti Lal is in police custody after his role in the NRI fraudulent marriages had come under a scanner. He was alleged to have accepted lakhs Rupees for striking matches with the bridegrooms parents with fake NRI brides. His wife, Renu Jain, is also in police custody. On April 7, 2002, Kimti Lal had got a wind of the Provident Fund money of Darshan Singh, which he was willing to get deposited in Satwinder’s name due to his being physically challenged. “He approached my father to lend him money for his financing business. He agreed to pay Rs 10,000 as interest biannually on every Rs 1 lakh. My father went ahead with the deal but Kimti Lal neither paid the interest money nor the principal amount. “My son is studying in BA-II year and I wanted to secure his future by depositing money in his name. Kimti Lal said that it would be better if I gave money to him. So he decided to do so only to be duped.” Satwinder Singh along with Darshan Singh had visited the SSP, Jagraon office, on Tuesday last when Kimti Lal was arrested by the police. Satwinder, who is unable to walk properly without a support narrated his tale of woes to the SSP. Darshan Singh said that he had lodged a complaint with the police four months ago but no heed was paid to his complaint. But after Kimti Lal was caught in the racket, his complaint was taken seriously. Mr Mukhwinder Singh Chhinna, SSP, said that they were looking into the matter and with the intervention of the police, Rs 1.25 lakh was paid back to the youth. He said that the entire recovery would be effected very soon. |
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Spurious cement paint
seized Ludhiana, November 21 A team of officials led by Mr R.K Jha had descended upon M/s Royal Coating in the city's Himmat Nagar locality yesterday. It was discovered that the company was using the ISI brand logo for its products without having a license from the ISI. The company was found to be engaged in the illegal manufacture of paint which was being sold under brand names 'Castle Cem", "Birla Plus', Gulf Cem", Asian Cem' and 'Bombay Cem'. According to Ms Renuka B. Salwan, Deputy Director at the BIS Northern Regional Office, the raiding team had seized the stocks and sealed them. The BIS has initiated legal action against Royal Coating. The BIS Act says that anyone misusing the ISI mark is punishable with imprisonment up to one year or a fine up to Rs 50,000 or both. The officials had received several complaints from end users as well as well-known national companies about the substandard nature of cement paint manufactured under the brand names of these companies. The companies too, it is learnt, were perturbed at their name being associated with an inferior quality product that they did not manufacture. The companies are reported to have persuaded the BIS to send a team to Ludhiana from Chandigarh to conduct the raids. The situation was precipitated when several consumers complained to the company that the cement paint used by them on their homes prior to Divali was already coming off, less than a month after its use. The company, it is learnt, was not only supplying cement paint to shops in the city, but the product was being passed off to several paint dealers in the region. |
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Husband held for demanding Honda
City Mandi Ahmedgarh, November 21 According to an FIR registered on the intervention of the SSP, Sangrur, Jaspal Singh of nearby Jhaner village had married his daughter Amrit Paul Kaur to Maninder Singh on January 19, 2003. Family had spent around Rs 10 lakh on marriage but it could not please the groom and his parents as his demand of Honda City car was not fulfilled. Jaspal Singh, father of the victim said,” We intended giving a 800cc car in dowry, but her in-laws insisted for a Honda City. We arrived at a compromise on Zen, which we gave. He alleged that Amrit Paul’s in-laws harassed and tortured her for not bringing more dowry. The matter was also reported to the Ludhiana police, but friends and relatives of both families intervened and settled the things”. Amrit Paul Kaur alleged that her sisters-in-law Prabhjot Kaur and Amandeep and brother-in- law Paramjit also used to harass her for not bringing Honda City. She had been pressing her parents to fulfil other demands. She said, “In October, they turned me out of their house”. The victim’s family ultimately approached the DIG, Patiala, who marked the complaint to the SSP, Sangrur. After preliminary investigation, the SSP directed the local police to register a case against Maninder Singh. Meanwhile, a police party headed by Ravinder Singh, SHO, Sadar, arrested the accused and recovered a major part of the dowry. |
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Rs 50,000 stolen from
scooter Ludhiana, November 21 The victim, who lives in Lohara village withdrew the amount from HDFC Bank situated in the same market. He then went to the ICICI Bank for some work and left the money in the dicky of his scooter. When he returned, he found the dicky broken and the money missing. |
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Industry for trade ties with Pakistan Ludhiana, November 21 The Wire Drawing Federation of Punjab feels that if the prevailing conditions of negative growth of industry in the state continued, no industrial units worth the name would be left in the state in next two or three years. The only way to wriggle out of this situation, at the moment, appeared to be establishment of strong trade links with Pakistan. Mr Badish Jindal, general secretary of the federation, observed that in the sixties and seventies, the industry took strong roots in the city and elsewhere in the state solely because of entrepreneurial initiatives of the Punjabi people with the then government lending active assistance through incentives, subsidies and availability of raw material at reasonable prices. The ever-increasing prices of raw material and withdrawal of freight equalisation facility by the government had made the things very tough for the industry and the very survival of a large number of units was threatened. “Anti-industry policies of the successive state governments in Punjab have further added to the woes of the industrial units. The power tariff has doubled during the past three years and the increased cost of production has rendered a sizeable portion of the industry non-competitive, both in domestic and global markets,” Mr Jindal added. He remarked that for the crisis-ridden industry, concessions like cheap power, extended tax holiday and locational advantage being offered by various states like Orissa and Jharkhand, had come as a welcome relief and many big units had either shifted or were in the process of setting up manufacturing facilities in those states. In addition, rapid industrial growth in states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, which were close to natural resources and ports, had also hit the prospects of the industrial units located in this state. In the given situation, the industry in Punjab was left with the only option of export to Pakistan. It would provide a significant freight advantage and a fertile market for a variety of products like light engineering goods, hosiery and textile, machine tools, bicycles, auto parts, sewing machines and hand tools. The government ought to give a serious thought to this issue. It should be accorded top priority whenever the process of better bilateral relations made any progress. |
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Nagar kirtan to be taken out today Ludhiana, November 21 The nagar kirtan, led by 'Panj Piaras' would commence from Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran and pass through Bearing Market, Local Bus Stand, Railway Station Road, Clock Tower Chowk, Chaura Bazar, Ghas Mandi, Chauri Sarak, Div No 3, Baba Than Singh Chowk, Gurudwara Chhenvi Paatshahi, CMC Chowk, Sikandari Road, Khud Mohalla Chowk, Old Civil Hospital, Gurdwara Kalgidhar Road and Jail Road and conclude at Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran. Volunteers of Singh sabhas, Bir Khalsa Dal, Shaheedi Dal, Shabadi jathas, Istri Satsang Sabha, youth wing and women wing, district Akali Jatha Urban and Rural, besides schoolchildren, band parties and gatka parties would take part in the nagar kirtan. Representatives of participating sabhas would be honoured at a special stage to be set up at Clock Tower Chowk. More than 100 tractor trailers from the neighbouring villages would also form the body of the nagar kirtan. Meanwhile, as part of the religious functions being organised at Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran, a troupe of the Guru Angad Dev Seva Society staged a play 'Ankhile Jodhe' based on the lives of Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mehtab Singh on Thursday evening. |
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Suicide victim’s father seeks CBI inquiry Ludhiana, November 21 The parents of Ashish, who was an IAS aspirant, are alleging that he took this extreme step due to some external pressure, as was evident from some SMS messages received on his mobile phone. Mr N.M. Hansi, the father of the suicide victim, has alleged in his letter that the mystery could not be solved as the BSNL authorities were claiming that the suspected telephone number was of a mobile service centre of BSNL at Chandigarh. The person sending the messages has not been identified so far. The BSNL authorities have also claimed that the number is not a subscriber’s number and thus no messages could be sent from it. Mr Hansi, however, believes that the authorities are shielding their employee, who could be responsible for the death of his son. Earlier, the BSNL authorities were not providing the details of the said number, but after Mr Hansi approached the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, they revealed that it was the phone number of BSNL office. Mr Hansi said the PHRC had given 13 weeks, time to the police for investigation into the matter. ‘‘I believe that it is going to take too long and it would be better if some independent agency takes up the matter for investigation,” he added. He said the suicide note from from his son’s possession said he was feeling too
pressurised. |
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Step to bring mothers, daughters closer Ludhiana, November 21 So to provide a platform for open, informative and interactive discussion, a four-day mother-daughter health awareness programme was organised on the premises of Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar. More than 300 mothers and daughters enthusiastically attended this enlightening session, which was skillfully conducted by Ms Deepa Gupta of the Procter and Gamble Group. Rev Sister Sobel reiterated the need for such informative and interactive session in today’s fast -paced world where exposure to the vast electronic media is unchecked and unlimited. Each interactive session opened with warm-up games which checked the knowledge of mothers and daughters about each other. Films were shown to give extensive knowledge to the participants and then the open information and interactive session was held. It gave a chance to one and all to share their views, doubts and experiences. Daughters expressed their love and feelings through letter of ‘Thank your mom’. The response of the participants was overwhelming. |
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Reorganisation of Youth Cong sought Ludhiana, November 21 A vice-president of the PYC, Mr Amarjit Singh Tikka, met the AICC president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, in Delhi early this week and submitted a detailed representation in this regard. He maintained that though Punjab had a Congress government, the activities of the its front body (YC) were almost suspended. With proper motivation of the party workers, the YC could have played a significant role in propagating the anti-corruption drive launched by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh. Mr Tikka further pleaded with Ms Gandhi that though the YC needed a complete overhaul at the top level in Punjab, at the same time, the party leadership should take into consideration the work done by loyal workers and the new party chief should be selected from among the functionaries. He said the party workers would not accept any president thrust upon them from outside the cadres. |
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BJP to launch anti-govt protests on
dengue Phillaur, November 21 He said a torch procession would be organised on November 22 in Amritsar on the first day of the campaign. Dr Chawla alleged that the government could not initiate effective steps to check the increasing cases of dengue. He had visited civil and private hospitals of Jandiala Guru, Rayyia, Beas, Kartarpur, Phagwara, Phillaur, Banga and Nawanshahr and found a lack of sanitation
arrangement. More than 3000 suspected cases of dengue were diagnosed in different hospitals of the state, including, 1,670 cases in Ludhiana alone he added. He alleged that the Congress government could not fulfil its poll promises and did nothing for the interest of the state. |
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Cut on duty on re-rollable material hailed Mandi Gobindgarh, November 21 The association had taken up the issue with the Ministry of Steel on several occasions. The removal of quality norms of BIS specifications vide notification number 44 of Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is welcome decision of the Ministry of Steel. The demand was made by the industrial association at a meeting of the steel consumer council of Ludhiana on August 28. The meeting was chaired by Mr B.K. Tripathi, Minister of Steel. Mr Vinod Vashisht, president of the association, has urged the Prime Minister to approve the recommendation so that the SSI sector may be able to withstand the challenges of the global market. |
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