B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Additional taxes on sugar
Smuggling, hoarding feared
Moga, July 19
A new dose of taxes, in the form of 5 per cent levy and 10 per cent surcharge, approved by the Punjab Cabinet on sugar, has disappointed the traders.

Levy of the new tax may lead to hoarding of sugar by traders and shopkeepers. A Tribune photograph

Millers put sale of sugar on hold
Faridkot, July 19
The sugar prices over the state today increased by `80 to `90 per quintal in the wholesale market.

MBBS/BDS courses
Counselling for NRI seats postponed
Faridkot, July 19
After the tug-of-war between the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) in Faridkot and the newly-constituted Adesh University over their right to conduct counselling for 150 MBBS seats in the Adesh  Institute of Medical Science and Research,  students aspiring to be a doctor are facing another dilemma over the 268 NRI quota seats in the medical colleges of Punjab.

Bikers’ gang
Jeweller held for buying the spoils
Abohar, July 19
The police has arrested the jeweller who used to purchase the gold chains snatched by the eight-member bikers’ gang here.

Woman set afire in Abohar, husband among 6 booked
Abohar, July 19
A woman, Manpreet Kaur of Dharam Nagari, was allegedly set ablaze by her husband and five other masked persons, who have been booked for the crime. Her condition is stated to be critical.

Liquor contractors in Moga refuse to toe excise policy
Moga, July 19
Defying the excise policy of the state government and the directives of the District Magistrate (DM), liquor contractors in Moga district have ‘refused’ to sell beer at rates prescribed for lager and strong beer, Rs 70 and Rs 75, respectively, for the current financial year.

Additional taxes on sugar
Smuggling, hoarding feared
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, July 19
A new dose of taxes, in the form of 5 per cent levy and 10 per cent surcharge, approved by the Punjab Cabinet on sugar, has disappointed the traders. They feel that not only will the measure punch holes in the pockets of the masses by `2 per kg, but will also result in inter-state smuggling as the rates of sugar are comparatively less in the neighbouring states.

Moreover, the announcement has suddenly created a tendency among the small shopkeepers to store stocks of sugar hoping to earn more profits.

This correspondent visited the Moga ‘mandi’, where one could see a rush of small shopkeepers lining up at the wholesale shops to purchase bags of sugar. Similar, reports were received from Ferozepur, Fazilka, Barnala, Faridkot and other districts.

It was reportedly learnt that the wholesalers were selling sugar with and without bills at the rate of `50 to `100 per quintal, higher than yesterday’s price, to earn profits resulting in a sudden rice in prices in the market.

After coming to know about the large-scale transportation of sugar bags, the assistant excise and taxation commissioner, Hardip Bhamra, sent special teams of officials to check the stock position of sugar from the wholesalers.

However, she expressed her inability to do anything because the state government is yet to issue a notification regarding the hike. “If the government issues the notification in today’s date, we will definitely recover tax from the wholesalers, she said.

People in general will also feel the pinch. “We didn’t expect post-budget tax hikes from the SAD-BJP government, which we have voted to power with a thumping majority,” said Shashi Gupta, a local resident who works as a teacher.

A senior leader of the Congress and MLA from Moga constituency, Joginder Pal Jain, while lashing out at the SAD-BJP leadership, said the government should realise the problems of the people. “The common people are already passing through hard times and at this point of time, extra burden in the form of taxes on essential commodities is unjust and unfair,” he added.

Fazilka: The Beopar Mandal, Fazilka, submitted to the Deputy Commissioner Basant Garg a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister demanding revocation of the hike in power tariff and withdrawal of the five per cent VAT with 10 per cent surcharge on sugar. — OC

Millers put sale of sugar on hold
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 19
The sugar prices over the state today increased by `80 to `90 per quintal in the wholesale market.

While the excise and taxation department in Punjab will start charging 5.5 per cent tax only after a formal notification by the state government, the price of sugar in the wholesale market has already increased from `3,625-`3,700 to `3,710-`3,790 today.

With this new tax announced, almost all sugar mills in Punjab made no sale of sugar today.

The millers were not sure from when the 5.5 per cent tax on sugar would be levied.

Speaking to TNS, Punjab excise and taxation commissioner A Venu Prasad said the tax on sugar will be levied after a formal notification from the state government.

But sugar millers and traders were unwilling to take any chances.

With this 5.5 per cent tax, the cost of every sugar bag of 100 kg will increase by about `180 to `185. So, until the excise and taxation department announces the date for levying this tax, millers and traders could not determine the price, said a sales manager at a private sugar mill in the Doaba region.

The recent increase in power tariff is one such example as the Punjab Power Corporation increased the tariff rate from retrospective effect, said a wholesale sugar trader in Kotkapura. This is the reason the wholesalers also increased the price, expecting the tax to be levied with retrospective effect.

The excise and taxation commissioner said the department will strengthen the flying squads to check inter-state smuggling of sugar to evade taxes.

MBBS/BDS courses
Counselling for NRI seats postponed
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, July 19
After the tug-of-war between the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) in Faridkot and the newly-constituted Adesh University over their right to conduct counselling for 150 MBBS seats in the Adesh  Institute of Medical Science and Research,  students aspiring to be a doctor are facing another dilemma over the 268 NRI quota seats in the medical colleges of Punjab.

While the counselling to fill 950 medical seats in nine medical colleges began on July 17, counselling for the NRI seats have been postponed indefinitely. Last week, the Director of Medical Education and Research (DRME), Punjab, vide his letter number 1ME3-P12/14579, postponed the counselling for admission to the MBBS/BDS courses in all medical colleges under the NRI quota.

In his letter to the BFUHS, the DRME said there was confusion about an order of the Supreme Court and the help of the apex court was needed to understand it. So, till then, the admissions are being deferred.

With this postponement, a total of 268 medical seats (164 for BDS courses and 104 for MBBS courses) in Punjab could not be filled till further orders. Earlier, the counselling for these NRI seats for MBBS course was scheduled to be held on July 21. For the BDS course, the counseling was to be held on July 26.

Because of this confusion about the NRI seats, only 70 candidates have applied against the 268 NRI seats so far. While the medical colleges in Punjab offer 164 seats for the BDS course under the NRI quota, the BFUHS has received only seven applications for the BDS NRI seats and 63 applications against the 104 MBBS NRI seats.

While earlier, the eligibility for the NRI seats was only 10+2 in medical stream, this time the Supreme Court has made it mandatory for every candidate, including the NRIs, to appear in an entrance test. So this is the reason why there are not many seekers for the NRI quota seats this time.

While the vacant NRI seats shall be available to the general candidates, they will have to wait for the start of counselling to fill these vacant seats.

“We are waiting for the Supreme Court’s response. After that, the dates for counselling for NRI seats would be announced,” said Dr SS Gill, vice-chancellor, BFUHS.

Bikers’ gang
Jeweller held for buying the spoils
Our Correspondent

Abohar, July 19
The police has arrested the jeweller who used to purchase the gold chains snatched by the eight-member bikers’ gang here.

It is learnt that during the interrogation of six members of the gang, identified as Manpreet Singh, Gaurav Goyal, Ankit Phutela, Ramandeep Singh, Sahil and Sandeep, it was revealed that they had been selling the gold chains they had snatched to one Amarjit Singh of new Dharam Nagari who runs a jewellery shop near Johri Mandir on the old Fazilka road, at throwaway prices.

A case under Sections 399, 402, 420 and 379 of the IPC and Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act has been registered.

The arrested members of the gang had reportedly confessed to their involvement in 11 crimes, which they reportedly committed in the sub-divisional town. Most of the arrested accused belong to affluent families.

Woman set afire in Abohar, husband among 6 booked

Abohar, July 19
A woman, Manpreet Kaur of Dharam Nagari, was allegedly set ablaze by her husband and five other masked persons, who have been booked for the crime. Her condition is stated to be critical.

The victim had suffered over 90 per cent burns. Observing her condition as critical, the doctors in the burns ward at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital referred her to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College Hospital at Faridkot.

During her treatment here, she had reportedly told the investigating officials that she was married to Damanpreet Singh of the Government Seed Farm Colony here last year.

As her parents were unable to meet the fresh demands for dowry raised by her in-laws, the latter forced her to abort the child she was expecting. The police had registered a case and arrested her husband who was remanded to judicial custody but was released on bail early this week.

Last evening, when she was returning home after escorting her mother to a physician for treatment, her husband along with five others, who had covered their faces, chased and intercepted her on motorcycles, poured petrol over her and set her ablaze before fleeing. The onlookers extinguished the fire and shifted her to the Civil Hospital, she reportedly told the officials.

The city police said a case under Sections 307,148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered against her husband Damanpreet Singh, one Gurmail Singh and four others.

However, no arrest could be made. — OC

Liquor contractors in Moga refuse to toe excise policy
Say will continue selling beer above prescribed rates
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, July 19
Defying the excise policy of the state government and the directives of the District Magistrate (DM), liquor contractors in Moga district have ‘refused’ to sell beer at rates prescribed for lager and strong beer, `70 and `75, respectively, for the current financial year.

Under the directions of the DM, Arshdip Singh Thind, assistant excise and taxation commissioner (AETC) Hardip Bhamra called a meeting of the liquor contractors at her office this morning to ensure the sale of beer at the prescribed rates but the contractors expressed their inability to do so citing the hike in power bills and transportation charges.

The contractors told the excise official that they would sell beer at their own rates of `85 and `90 for lager and strong beer, respectively.

As per the rules, the deputy excise and taxation commissioner (DETC) of the area is vested with the powers to forfeit the security deposits and suspend the licences of the ‘erring’ contractors who violate the excise policy, but it is alleged that he had failed to perform his duties to protect the consumers’ rights.

When contacted, Arshdip Thind categorically said he had already given instructions to the AETC to strictly adhere to the excise policy and ensure that the beer was sold at the prescribed rates within the jurisdiction of Moga district.

“I will seek a report from the excise officials and if they fail to protect the rights of the consumers, I will take up this serious matter with the higher authorities of the department and take action as per the law,” he said.

Punjab Excise and Taxation Commissioner A Venu Prasad had already said the liquor contractors should abide by the excise policy and sell beer at the prescribed rates. He has summoned a meeting of all the DETCs at his office on Friday where the Moga case is likely to be taken up.

It may be mentioned that most of the groups, who had been allotted licences for opening liquor vends in Moga district, had strong connections in the ruling alliance in the state and were controlling the liquor business here for the past many years.

Beer is sold by obtaining a licence from the state government. Any item which is sold especially by obtaining a licence falls under the purview of the Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The District Magistrate and his subordinate magistrates are vested with powers under this act and the CrPC to take legal action against the violators.