Ludhiana, July 7
Tightening the noose around event management and advertising companies here, officials of the central excise department raided Shakuntlm Eventz, located in Preet Vihar, on Hambran Road here.

The firm, said the officials, provided services worth over Rs 40 lakh but failed to pay tax on the earnings. It would now be liable to pay tax along with a penalty that may go up to 100 per cent.

"On receiving information, we started investigations and found that the owners ran two companies. While one was registered and was also paying service tax, the other was not even registered. On conducting a search, we detected concealment," said Mehra.

“The firm admitted evasion and has deposited Rs 2.5 lakh so far. Tax liability is more than Rs 3 lakh apart from the penalty that will be imposed,” added Mehra.

The department is now keeping a close watch on event management and space selling companies and those engaged in advertising.

In spite of massive advertising, the Ludhiana municipal corporation has not paid any service tax so far. The

corporation has now been asked by the department to furnish details of revenues from advertising.

"We are in the process of ascertaining the exact amount of duty liability in this regard before we take any further action. As per the municipal laws, permission of the MC is essential for putting up any hoardings or banners in public places. The MC also charges for the same but they have not paid any service tax," said A.K. Mehra, commissioner, central excise and service tax. The department found that the municipal corporations in other places were paying their share of service tax.

The issue of revenue earnings by the LMC has invited criticism and allegations earlier too. It has often been alleged that the corporation gets only a fraction of the earnings that are actually due to it from such advertising thanks to laxity on the part of the officials.

Ludhiana, July 7
Three members of two city-based related families were killed and five others were injured in a head-on collision between their Santro car and a Lancer car near Moga early this morning.

The deceased belonged to the family of Gul Chaman Street-based Manish Arora and his married sister, Sapna Bhatia in the Civil Lines area.

Manish Arora and Sanjeev Bhatia (husband of Sapna) were on way to Ferozepore to a relative's place when the accident occurred at about 9 am near Moga.

Manish, his mother Shimla Arora, Shivang Bhatia (6) son of Sanjeev Bhatia, died on the spot.

The injured Sapna Bhatia, Sanjeev Bhatia, Namrata Arora (wife of Manish Arora), Tanvi Bhatia (2) , daughter of Sanjeev Bhatia, and a minor Rahul were wounded.

Ludhiana, July 7
The crash of a toy plain caused panic in Amar Pura colony here this morning.

The news of plain crash spread wild fire as panic residents took it as real plain crash and rushed for safer shelter.

The plain which was hovering in the Amar Pura area since early morning, lost control and crashed on the top floor of house of Manpreet Singh, around 9:30 am.

One unit of fire extinguishing department, the division number 2 police and the media reached the spot in no time.

The crash caused some damage on the second floor. A few anxious residents assembled outside the house of Manpreet Singh to have a first look at the toy glider.

According to Surinder Mohan, SHO,said, "We are looking for the owner of the glider. It was a five-foot long glider made of plastic. The crash has caused a little damage on the wall at the top floor.”

Ludhiana, July 7
“The word Sufi has become a catchphrase for new generation singers who are liberally using the couplets of Sufi saints in their lyrics to get overnight publicity,” said Rabbi Shergill talking to Ludhiana Tribune.

The singer was in the city yesterday to promote his new album “Avengi Ja Nahin”.

Living up to his feisty image, Shergill sang “Challa vas naio mere” and “Bullah ki jana mein kaun”.

Shergill denied being a Sufi singer. However, he vehemently expressed his love for Sufi poets and singers. "Bulle Shah is matchless in his poetry and Abida Parveen is my favourite amongst Sufi singers," revealed Rabbi.

Speaking in his capacity as a cultural enthusiast, the singer was contrite on the control Bollywood has on Indian music and singers.

"It’s time for young talent to come out of the manoeuvring tactics of key players in the music industry and take the reigns in their hands. Good work and sincere efforts never fail," pronounced Rabbi.

“Cutting down on licence fee for radio stations and provisions for financial aid for infrastructure will improve the quality of independent music,” observed the singer.

Rabbi was at his modest best as he confessed being a die-hard Punjabi at heart, adding that he considered himself lucky for being able to pass on Punjabi language to the younger generation through his melodies.

Diversity in lyrics and singing being his strong forte, Rabbi opts for subjects varying from patriotism, human relationships to social scenario. “Avengi Ja Nahin” has been produced in Milan, Italy, by Italian rock maestro Maurio Pagani.

Spirituality and romance being an integral element in Rabbi's songs, the song “Pagri Sambhal Jatta” has the singer calling upon Jatts to learn a lesson from the experiences of Gurus and other wise men.

At the same time, “Jinhe naaz ha Hind pe” has Rabbi persuading his listeners to ponder over the changing values of the modern Indian man.

Doraha (Sahnewal), July 7
The acute shortage of “normal” petrol at petrol stations mainly of Kohara and a few other stations of Doraha have put residents in a tizzy as they are left with no other option but to buy premium quality petrol which is much costlier as compared to the former.

The consumers complain that on one hand the government has raised the prices of petrol and on the other hand the non-availability of “normal” petrol is literally making them turn out their pockets.

Left with no other option and much against their wishes they are forced to shell out extra money for the premium fuel especially in Doraha as one of the consumers complained.

A consumer rued that we are being forced to pay approximately Rs 9.50 extra per litre of petrol, which is too much. On one hand, the consumers here are feeling shattered in the wake of inflation touching its highest ever mark and on the other hand the non-availability of normal petrol has further aggravated the financial crisis through which the common man is already passing.

Those living in the town complain that there is no scarcity in the big cities. They take it as a companies’ ploy to loot ignorant people of the villages.

Moreover, who knows whether we are getting normal petrol in the name of branded one since we don’t have any instrument to ascertain the petrol’s quality, which we are being forced to pay much against our wish.

Pawan Kumar Kaushal, MCPI (U) state committee member, who resides in Doraha, said the government is simply testing our patience. People are already angry as the excess of this particular thing is bound to be bad. “The branded petrol costs not more than 50 paise per litre to the company but the consumers are forced to pay Rs 4.50 extra for the same.

It is open loot on the part of the companies. It is astonishing that the government is least bothered about this situation. A man who has a tight budget schedule can’t afford to waste money on branded petrol when he sits to calculate his expenses at the end of the day?” Kaushal expressed.

A contractual schoolteacher who commutes daily from Jaspal Bangar to Tibba complains, “On one hand I have not received salary for the past four months and on the other hand the minimum availability of normal petrol at stations on the southern bypass is troubling me”.

Members of the youth forum and the All-India Federation of Democratic Youth have sought an early resolution of this problem.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 7
Newly elected councillors are in great demand for inaugurating social and religious functions being organised by social organisations of various wards of the town.

While the organisers say they recognise all leaders at par, defeated candidates prefer to keep away from such functions for obvious reasons.

A few social and religious organisations of the town held functions to recognise newly elected councillors of their respective areas. While some arranged tea parties and felicitation functions, other held jagrans and chowkis.

Bimal Kumar Sharma and Bhag Singh Bhaga, councillors from ward Nos 11 and 4 performed puja at jagrans organised by the Naujwan Sabha in their respective areas. The organisers even felicitated them.

Roop Lal, office-bearer of the Naujwan Sabha, said the functions were organised as thanks-giving ceremony and to recognise the councillors. The trend also bridges the gap between residents and their representative. "When we interact with our leaders at social functions, we feel more close to him or her. This will facilitate the process of getting our problems 
solved through our councillors," argued Roop Lal.

Ludhiana, July 7
World-renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Antonio Maria Calafiore is on a professional visit to Hero DMC Heart Institute (HDHI). Dr Calafiore is the Director of School of Specialisation in Cardiac Surgery, University of Catania, Italy. Referred to as the pioneer of advanced cardiac surgery and known for his expertise in dealing with cases of high-risk surgery, Dr Antonio will assist the team of surgeons in performing difficult and complicated procedures.

The team will focus on complex cases of cardiac bypass surgery, heart valve repair and aneurysms. These include cases such as bypass in patients with LV ejection fraction dysfunction and mitral regurgitation. During each heartbeat cycle, the heart contracts and relaxes.

LV dysfunction indicates that the heart is functioning below its normal level. Surgeries on such patients are therefore difficult to perform due to the inherent complications involved and put a lot of demand on the surgical team," said Dr V.K.Sharma, head, cardiac surgery department.

Elaborating further, Dr G.S. Wander, chief cardiologist and coordinator, HDHI, said: "An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel, much like a bulge on an over-inflated tube. Aeurysms are dangerous because they may burst. The aorta, the main artery leading away from the heart, can sometimes develop an aneurysm which has to be treated by carrying out a high-risk surgery.”

Ludhiana, July 7
What is the contribution of politicians in the development of this industrial capital of Punjab. The answer is big no. The politicians of all hue have not even bothered to think about the welfare of this town. Those belonging to the Congress, Akali Dal and the BJP have failed to provide quality leadership in tackling the problems like unauthorised constructions, encroachments, chaotic traffic and improving the sanitary conditions of the town. They talk of removing the encroachments but as a matter of fact, they are the biggest culprits as far as encroachments in the busy commercial centres are concerned. Whenever the authorities concerned try to remove such encroachments, they lead the pack of encroachers. Thus, corrupt officials get an excuse to give up the halfhearted drives.

Ludhiana town, which has witnessed an unprecedented expansion during the past four decades, has been encroached upon from the Clock Tower Chowk to Girja Ghar and Chaura Bazar once known as the Connaught Place of Ludhiana. The shopkeepers have extended the business from two feet to three feet on both sides of the main shopping centres. The MC officials are not even trying to remove the same. If these were removed, the shopping centres would have more than five feet of area, which will make the flow of people easy in the markets. But this does not seem to so. As a result the situation has worsened during the past five years.

Similar situation prevails from Jagraon overbridge, clock tower to Chand Cinema. The construction of the elevated road from Jagraon bridge to Chand Cinema has not helped in easing the flow of traffic, rather encroachments on both sides of the highway and under the elevated road present an ugly look. The auto rickshaws rule the roost in this road making it difficult for the pedestrians to walk. In jail road, civil lines, shopping centres of Ghumar Mandi, Dandi Swami Road and old Daynand Hospital road are the worst hit. The congestion on mall road has been compounded with the construction of malls. Once the only beautiful residential area of Ludhiana-the Mall- has now been converted into a commercial hub making movement of vehicles difficult.

It is the misfortune of Ludhiana that the administration has no guts to take up cudgels against the proximity of the encroachers and the politicians. The district officials succumb to the pressures of the politicians and encroachers without putting the slightest resistance. Ludhiana town needs officers of the caliber and stature of Inderjit Singh Bindra and Ajit Singh Chatha, who served as administrators of the civic body along with discharging the duties of district collectors. It was Inderjit Singh Bindra, who had the guts to throw out of his office District Congress Committee general secretary and faced the wrath of the senior Congress leaders like Satpaul Mittal and Joginder Paul Pandey. They staged dharnas against Bindra and in return got reprimand from Giani Zail Singh, who was then Chief Minister of Punjab. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also adopted the policy of appeasement and has not shown any muscle power to set things in order.

The SAD-BJP Government has not reconstituted the district planning board and the district grievances committee of Ludhiana so far. The Chief Minister who also happens to be the city’s in charge has not even organised a single meeting for discussing the state of affair of this industrial town.

A senior politician of the ruling party said the reconstitution of the district planning board was delayed due to the panchayat elections, as they did not want to give representation to the Opposition (Congress). The board and the district grievances committees would soon be framed as the panchayat elections are over.

Another misfortune of the town has been the lack of a dynamic mayor who could help in eradicating the woes of the town. These politicians should learn a lesson from BJP’s MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is taking keen interest in developmental activities of the holy city. It was he who forced the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to fulfill his commitment of giving Rs 100 crore for Amritsar’s development. Politicians of the ruling coalition should follow Navjot’s footsteps and facelift the dirtiest town of the state?

Ludhiana, July 7
S.P. Karkara, a retired IAS officer, has been appointed as president of the Rotary Club Ludhiana for the year 2008-09 at a function organised at Rotary Bhawan. The club has installed a new board of directors which include former president B.D. Sharma, Kanti Kumar Behal, vice-president I.S. Grewal, secretary Maj S.S. Khosla, joint secretary Balbir Singh, treasurer Romesh Sood, M.N. Sharma, director community service H.S. Chhatwal, director community vocational service Parveen Chadha, director international service V.K. Anand, director community projects Col R.K. Jam and director special committees Bharat Pargal.

Surinder Vij,former district governor, Rotary district 3070, who was the chief guest, installed the members. Earlier, the function started with the chanting of the National Anthem and lighting of a ceremonial lamp. Outgoing president B.D. Sharma welcomed the guests and secretary l.S. Grewal read out the club’s achievements.

Ludhiana, July 7
At least 31 Punjabi youth employed in an aluminum and a glass factory in Dubai have sought immediate help citing inhuman treatment being meted out to them.

They urged Lok Bhalai Party’s supremo, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, to rescue them from the clutches of their employers. In a fax message to Ramoowalia, the youths stated that they were made to work for more than 12 hours a day and had till date not been given the promised salary of 1,000 dram per month.

They were not provided salary details and if they reported sick then the power supply to their apartment was cut.

Ramoowalia has warned the IBM Tours and Travels, an agency that sends these youths to Dubai, to intervene failing which he would initiate action against them, he stated in a communiqué here yesterday.

Jagraon, July 7
Amarjit Singh,alias Amba of Butedian Chhanna, and Gurprit Singh,alias Raju of Kaimwala, were arrested by the Sudhar police on July 6 from near Hissowal village while they were going on their scooter (PB-08 AD-7091) About 25.20 kg of poppy husk was seized from their possession. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against them and the car impounded.

Remand declined: Judicial Magistrate Ranjeev Kumar Vashisat today turned down the request of the state’s counsel for extending the police remand of Gurbhej Singh,alias Sonu of Pakharpur, Amrik Singh and Daljit Singh of Moga for another eight days in a case registered against on June 26 under the Explosive Act. The police had recovered 34.5 kg of explosives. Judicial Magistrate remanded the accused in judicial custody till July 21. However, the police immediately moved an application seeking permission to arrest Gurbhej Singh, alias Sonu for for anti-national activities. Bibi Ranjit Kaur and Karnail Singh have already been arrested in this case. The state’s counsel also sought police remand of Gurbhej Singh on the plea that Bibi Ranjit Kaur and Karnail Singh had disclosed that Gurbhej Singh,alias Sonu, used to extend help to them for doing anti-national activities. Gurbhej Singh was remanded in police custody till July 11.

Ludhiana, July 7
As per Panjab University, Chandigarh, admission to various undergraduate courses starts from tomorrow. Keeping this in mind, certain colleges in the city today displayed the merit lists on their campuses while many others have chosen to display lists tomorrow morning itself.

At Government College for Women, the cut-off marks for BCom is 103.2 per cent. If a student has done Class XII with commerce subjects, additional four per cent per subject have been given to the student as per varsity guidelines. For BSc (non-medical), the cut-off is 71 per cent while for BSc it is 86.6 per cent. The college has kept 65 per cent cut-off for BSc (medical) students.

The merit list for BCom I and BCA I courses was displayed at Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines. The college has kept a cut-off for BCA course to 81 per cent while for BCom it is 96 per cent. For MSc, the cut-off marks are 65 per cent. For BSc and BA, admission is open to all candidates. The merit list of remaining courses will be displayed tomorrow.

At Guru Nanak Girls College, for BCA, the cut-off marks are 72 per cent while for BCom and BBA, it is 70 per cent and 71 per cent respectively. There is a cut-off for BA, BSc courses.

At SCD Government College, for BCom course, 79 per cent minimum are required if student has studied mathematics. For students who have done Class XII without mathematics, minimum requirement is 83 per cent. For BCA, the students need to have above 79.5 per cent and for BA the cut-off is 63 per cent.

The managements of colleges, including SDP College, Master Tara Singh College and Ramgarhia College, are welcoming the students with open arms. There will be no cut-off marks for any course. Arya College, Kamla Lohtia College and GGN Khalsa College will be displaying their merit lists tomorrow.

Ludhiana, July 7
A special session on learning strategies and slow learners was held yesterday at Saraswati Modern School, Hambran road, for staff members as they geared up for post-vacation classes.

Dr Deepika Vig, assistant professor, department of human development, PAU, was the resource person. The session was specially organised keeping in view the growing need for teachers to first be able to identify slow learners and then reorganise themselves and their teaching methods to suit these children with special needs.

Dr Vig remarked that children with learning disabilities should not be labelled as dull as this was could leave a deep impression on the young minds.

She remarked that these children needed special attention and a lot of patience is required to handle them. These kids must never be ignored in the classroom.

She highlighted various kinds of learning disabilities and their symptoms and also the strategies that could be followed in the classroom so as to help these children learn with other students.

Handling children with learning disorders involved greater love, patience and responsibility. But unfortunately this was not being done in schools where most of the times teachers ignore their needs as they are afraid to put in extra efforts. As a result, more children were dropping out of school and becoming delinquents. Restlessness, aggression and rash behaviour had been seen in adults with a history of learning disorders, she said.

The session was followed by an interaction with teachers. Present on the occasion were Kamala Jain, president of the school, and school headmistress Priyanka.

Priyanka said teaching was a conscious effort and teachers must be able to identify the problems of each child and try to solve them. “Since we are handling the future of our country, it becomes our responsibility to groom balanced personalities,” she said.

She remarked that more such workshops would be organised to help teachers polish their teaching skills.

Doraha, July 7
The consultancy, training and placement cell of Ludhiana College of Engineering and Technology (LCET), Katani Kalan, organised a lecture today on ‘Opportunities for Computer and IT Professionals and Applications of SAP’ for BTech first year students in computer science and engineering and information technology.

Resource person Anil Bedi, who is presently working as SAP application administrator with the Sultanate of Oman, highlighted the use of SAP in industry and said SAP professionals would be the most sought after in the near future. He added that SAP was the lifeline for any business/ industry. He also highlighted various areas in which SAP education can be gained and called upon IT and computer trainees of LCET to acquire complete knowledge of SAP, which will be an add-on skill set and assure their placement in reputed industry.

Bedi appreciated the response of students and emphasised that every engineer should be well versed and certified in SAP as that would increase his/ her demand in the national and international market. He assured his support to the students whenever required.

LCET director Dr J.S. Sohal presented the award of honour to the distinguished guest and called upon the students to work hard for achieving excellence in computer and information technology to meet the future needs of rapidly changing industrialised world.

Principal Dr Pawan Kumar presented a vote of thanks to Bedi for guiding the students.

Ludhiana, July 7
The court of Additional Sessions Judge M S Virdi has convicted a husband and his parents in a dowry death case. They were ordered to undergo imprisonment for 10 years. Woman Jasbir Kaur had died within three years of the marriage due to burning.

Those convicted include Vikram Singh, his parents Ajmer Kaur and Gurdip Singh of Mundian Khurd, Ludhiana.

Delivering the verdict, the judge observed, “it has been proved beyond that all accused have subjected Jasbir Kaur to cruelty and harassed her on the ground of dowry and they have killed her, as she could not fulfil their demand of scooter”. The accused did not deserve any leniency.

The accused were booked at the Focal Point police station on August 23, 2000, following the statement of badly burnt Jasbir Kaur. The woman expired after a week in the hospital.

In her statement to the police, the woman had submitted that she was married with Vikram Singh. Sufficient dowry was given at the time of marriage. But her in-laws were not happy with her and used to maltreat her on the pretext of bringing less dowry.

They used to demand more dowry and particularly a scooter. On August 22, 2000, her husband’s father caught hold of her arm, whereas mother-in-law poured kerosene and her husband set her body on fire, added the complainant.

On the other hand, the accused had pleaded innocence. They had claimed that the stove had bursted. Due to this, she caught fire. And they were not present at home at the time of occurance. But the Judge not found their version to be credible.

Ludhiana, July 7
Cricket for the deaf and dumb players is reeling under the financial crunch in India; their counterparts from across the border find themselves in a comfortable position as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been extending all sorts of assistance to these special cricketers. Sharing his views with The Tribune, Walter John, chairman, Pakistan Deaf Cricket Association, who accompanied the Peshawar XI team for playing three match series against India’s Punjab XI during the Dosti Cup Deaf and Dumb Cricket Tournament, said the PCB had borne all expenses of this tour.

The PCB has also recruited permanent physio expert as well as a coach who knows the sign language to communicate with these boys in a better way and make the cricket skills enjoyable.

“For us they are no less than members of the national team. Our aim is to equip them with all necessary facilities required for playing the cricket,” said Walter John.

While expressing gratitude towards hosts, Punjab, Deaf Federation, he said the boys were overwhelmed by the facilities provided to them during their weeklong stay in India.

He further said more such tournaments should be organised in future for promoting special cricket in the subcontinent. One of the organisers said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket body in the world, which has recently minted money by hosting IPL matches, should also work for promoting the deaf and dumb cricket in India.

Ludhiana, July 7
An inter-house chess competition was organised on the premises of Ryan International School,Chandigarh Road. At least 180 students took part in the chess competition.

According to Dr A.F.Pinto,chairman, Ryan International Group of Institutions, and Grace Pinto,director, Ryan International Group of Institutions,such activities are good for developing students’ brain. It gives them an opportunity to participate in all kind of games and sports and inculcates in sportsman spirit in them.

The results are as follows: U-12 boys: winning team: Aryabhatta House- Nehul Jain, Sarthak Gupta, Pranav hawan, Kartik Setia and Varun Tara. U-12 girls: winner team: Aryabhatta House- Sanjana Jain, Shruti Gupta, Manvi Nijhawan, Tanya Goyal and Gurmehar Kaur. U-14 boys:winner team: Raman House- Ishan, Paras, Mukul, Manik and Ayush. U-14 girls: winner team: Newton House- Twinkle Jain and Malika. U-16 boys: winner team-Raman House- Jaskaran Singh, Sartaj Singh, Gursimran Singh, Parteek Aggarwal and Akshay Bahal.