Pholriwal (Jalandhar), November 25
Panic gripped Polriwal village here on Sunday morning after a wild animal, suspected to be a panther, attacked a person. The villager, identified as Vijay Kumar, received serious injuries on his head and face.

Vijay Kumar said he had gone to the fields to answer nature’s call when the incident took place. “It looked like a panther.

Earlier, I thought it was a dog. But it was big in size. I could not clearly identify it as it was very foggy,” he said.

Kumar, who was taken to the civil hospital, received stitches on his face and head. Meanwhile, the villagers armed with swords and sticks carried a thorough search of the area but could not find the animal.

The police was informed about the incident. A team of cops reached the village where it was shown the footprints of the animal.

However, the station house officer (SHO) of Lambra police station denied the possibility of the animal being a panther. A thorough search would be conducted with the help of the forest and wildlife department to locate the animal, he added.

Amritsar, November 25
Narinder Singh, a resident of Bank Avenue, Majitha Road Amritsar has demanded a high level probe alleging that the local police have changed a brick laden tractor trolley with an empty one to weaken the accident case in which his right hand was crushed.

He alleged that this was done to save the accused, Jasbir Singh, who was the owner of the tractor trolley. Being an influential person, Jasbir had strong police and political links.

In a missive to the district police chief Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, Narinder Singh alleged that the accused in connivance with the police officials, changed the red coloured, brick laden trolley, which had crushed his right hand on November 1, with a blue colored empty trolley to weaken his case.

It is pertinent to mention here that on November 1 Narinder Singh had gone to the railway station for some personal work on his scooter (No PB 02A- 0732) when the accused hit his scooter with a speeding tractor trolley near Crystal Chowk. The police immediately took him to the Muni Lal Chopra Hospital for treatment besides impounding the tractor trolley. However, the right arm of the patient was badly damaged as a result of which he lost four of his fingers.

Repeated attempts by the reporter to contact SSP Singh for his comments proved futile.

Narinder Singh said he had also written to the CM, chairman Punjab human rights organisation and the President of India demanding a high level probe into the alleged role of the police for registering a case on November 14, thirteen days after the incident, even though the matter was reported to it on the same day.

Nawanshahr, November 25
The district consumer disputes redressal forum, in a decision, has directed New India assurance Company Ltd. to pay a compensation amounting to Rs 75,355, along with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum on account of the repair of a car damaged in an accident, to Tirath Ram Tejpal resident of Rahon Road here.

In his complaint filed with the Forum on July 7 this year, Tirath Ram stated that in September last year, he purchased a vehicle ( PB 12/D/ 0088) along with the insurance policy having validity up to February 14, 2007, from M/S Ved Parkash Vijay Kumar of Dana Mandi. The request of transfer of insurance policy in his name was received by the New India assurance company on October 30, 2006.

The vehicle met with an accident on January 29, 2007 and necessary information to that effect was sent to the New India Assurance Company, which deputed a surveyor for inspection of the site and vehicle.

The surveyor instructed the complainant to get the vehicle repaired. A sum of Rs 75,355 was spent on the repair but when the bill was submitted for reimbursement, the claim was rejected as the insurance policy was in the name of M/S Ved Parkash Vijay Kumar. Tirath Ram, in his complaint, stated that though the registration of the vehicle was transferred in his name but the insurance policy was not transferred in his name by the company though he had submitted the request on October 30, 2006.

The delay in the transfer of the insurance policy was negligence on the part of the company hence he should not suffer due to it.

M.R. Batra and Jagjit Kaur Mander, president and member respectively of district consumer disputes redressal forum, heard both the parties and examined the documentary evidence placed before the forum and found that the claim of the complainant could not be rejected merely due to the delay in transferring the insurance policy caused by the New Assurance Company.

Nawanshahr, November 25
Physically Handicapped Association, Punjab will hold the state-level "Apang Punarvas Chetna Divas" at Nawanshahr on December 3 to mark International Handicapped Day. Thousands of physically handicapped persons are scheduled to attend the event which is aimed at making them aware about their rights as well as to unite them to get their rightful social status and rehabilitation.

Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, SAD (B) president, Sukhbir Badal, accompanied by a galaxy of ministers, MLAs, senior leaders, representatives of different NGOs and intellectuals are likely to attend the function. A documentary movie highlighting problems of the handicapped would also be released. Experts in therapeutic and counseling would also provide their services to the handicapped persons at the function.

Giving this information to The Tribune, Kashmir Sanawa, chairman, Physically Handicapped Association, discussed the deplorable condition of handicapped people as well as the apathetic attitude of the government towards implementation of Persons with disability, equal opportunity, full participation Act - 1995 enacted as per the UNO recommendations for the welfare of disabled persons.

“The attitude of the bureaucracy is not only apathetic but negative also as far as the implementation of the Act is concerned,” rues Sanawa. He credited failure of rehabilitation of the handicapped to lack of literacy and funding provided to the handicapped persons.

“It can be gauged from the recent reports which say that the funds provided by the World Bank for literacy and rehabilitation of handicapped persons in India are quite underutilised and the day will focus on these issues,” says Sanawa.

Literacy rate of handicapped persons have fallen down and no loan facility has been extended to the handicapped persons under self employment schemes by the National Handicapped Development Finance Corporation for the past many years.

Phagwara, November 25
Keeping in view the continuing dismal performance of VAT even in the first two quarters of the current financial year and to secure more revenue, the Punjab government has revived the Punjab Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Areas Act, 2000, with effect from November 21.

Commenting on the state government’s decision on the entry tax, VAT expert and author of “Punjab VAT” Vinod Vashishat said here today that the government had imposed 4 per cent entry tax on certain goods - iron and steel, dyes and chemicals, all types of yarns and sugar. Besides this, the government had made the entry tax “vatable” in line with the decision of the empowered committee of the state finance ministers on VAT. Except sugar, applicable local tax (VAT) on the goods covered under entry tax was 4 per cent, which means “in most of the cases the entry tax imposed at the information collection centres will get adjusted in the subsequently tax liability in the hands of a VAT person.”

Sugar brought from outside Punjab, which was a tax free good (Schedule A) until now, has now been made taxable. The government has now imposed additional tax of 4 per cent on “sugar not manufactured in Punjab” besides covering it under entry tax. Clearly, this would result in rise in sugar prices and sugar would no more be as sweet as it used to be to the people of Punjab. The sale of sugar within the state as well as outside the state had been tax free so far. While the rationale for brining entry tax back on goods other than sugar can be understood as to put curb on tax evasion, there is no reason why sugar has been taxed, except one to protect the local inefficient sugar industry.

It is a known fact that sugar manufactured in state is low on quality. . So, imposing tax on “sugar not manufactured in Punjab” would amount to providing subsidy to the local uncompetitive sugar industry.

Hoshiarpur, November 25
Six machines worth Rs nine lakh were completely damaged and paddy worth Rs one lakh was reduced to ashes in a fire at a rice mill in Dashmesh Nagar, Tanda, 32 km from here on Saturday evening.

Two fire engines of municipal fire brigade, Hoshiarpur struggled for more than five hours to control the fire at Shri Rala Ram and Shri Ram Lal Jain Rice Mill.

According to the labourers of the rice mill, paddy lying in one machine caught fire when an extra heat was given to the machine, meant to evaporate moisture from the paddy, which eventually got out of control and damaged the entire machinery and paddy. However, no loss of life has been reported.

In another incident, goods worth Rs 1.5 lakh reduced to ashes in Sant Pathak Cloth and Garment Shop, near Mahavir Spinning Mills, Phagwara Road here on Saturday. The fire engine of municipal fire brigade took two hours to control the fire.

It is learnt that owner Gopal Shah of Sunder Nagar had returned home after closing his shop at around 8:30 pm. Later, some persons noticed the fire and informed the owner.