Ludhiana, September 10
The Health Department and the district administration have finally swung into action after more than 20 cases of gastroenteritis were reported from the Jawahar Nagar area. There is a threat of an outbreak of gastroenteritis in certain other areas of the city "due to water contamination and unhygienic environment".

Most of the migrant-dominated areas in the city such as Dhandari Kalan, Giaspura, Focal Point, Sherpur and the Ambedkar Nagar Tajpur Colony lack arrangements to fight water-borne diseases.

A large population of migrants resides on the banks of Budha Nullah from Haibowal to Salem Tabri. The sources of potable water for them are either hand pumps or submersible pumps.

Babu (40), a labourer residing on a bank of Budha Nullah at Upkar Nagar, has been suffering from fever and a viral infection for a week.

Shama (nine) resides in a "vehra" alongside Budha Nullah, where all migrants drink water from a submersible pump. Shama's mother claims that her daughter is suffering from diarrhoea.

"No one came here from the Health Department this season. Only nurses come to "vehras" during the polio campaign," said a migrant.

"Gastric disorder is common during the monsoon. But migrants get affected by it more because they reside on the banks of the nullah, which are unhygienic. Besides, they cannot afford expensive medicines and treatment. The government should conduct free check-up camps in these areas," said a medical store owner in the area.

Ludhiana, September 10
Cases of gastroenteritis reported from the Jawahar Nagar area kept officials of the Administration, the municipal corporation and the Health Department, and politicians on their toes today.

Kuljitpal Singh Mahi, SDM, Ludhiana (West), visited the affected area and hospitals where patients are under treatment. Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to the Municipal Commissioner.

Meanwhile, Amarjit Singh Sekhon, Zonal Commissioner, checked manholes and potable water pipes in the area. Sekhon said the municipal corporation would "change the connections of potable water where there were complaints of contamination".

The municipal corporation pressed into service six water tankers for the supply of potable water in the affected area and distributed chlorine tablets and life-saving drugs to residents.

Dr Kulwinder Singh, District Health Officer, said 11 patients suffering from gastroenterites had been admitted to Shri Krishna Charitable Hospital, six to Guru Teg Bahadur Charitable Hospital and one to the Civil Hospital.

"We visited the affected area and all hospitals. All patients of gastroenteritis are out of danger. We have conducted medical check-ups in the area. No new case was reported from the area," Dr Kulwinder Singh said.

Pawan Diwan, president of the District Congress Committee, alleged that the tankers of potable water sent by the municipal corporation were unhygienic.

Ludhiana, September 10
Even as the municipal corporation is trying to wash its hands of any blame for the outbreak of gastroenteritis in several city localities, allegedly due to the supply of contaminated water, heaps of garbage in several residential localities and busy commercial centres in the old city area tell an altogether different story.

This morning, residents of Field Ganj, Chaura Bazar, Saban Bazar, Partap Bazar and the Book Market found heaps of garbage dumped on the roadside, which were not only emanating foul smell but were also blocking a significant portion of roads, causing an obstruction in the flow of traffic.

Residents and shopkeepers of affected areas say garbage, which is supposed to be lifted by private company A2Z, which has been entrusted with the task of garbage collection and its disposal by the municipal corporation, by around 10 am, keeps lying on the roadsides and in front of houses and commercial establishments till late in the afternoon.

"Many markets look like a huge garbage dump. Besides being a health hazard, heaps of garbage also affect the movement of traffic in congested commercial areas," said Gurpal Singh, a shopkeeper in the Book Market.

Ludhiana, September 10
Panic gripped employees of the Mini-Secretariat after four snakes entered offices of the Excise and Taxation Department and the Police Department located here today.

One of the employees of the Excise and Taxation Department spotted a snake and raised the alarm. Policemen working in various branches of the Police Department also spotting snakes.

People who had come to the offices for their work were in for a surprise when a policeman brought a snake charmer from Dugri.

The drama continued for 30 minutes and four snakes were caught. It is not the first time that the basement of the Police Commissioner's office was under the spotlight. The "unplanned and ill-equipped" structure is considered an engineering disaster. Last year, rainwater had entered the offices located in the basement. Computers were affected and files pertaining to hardened criminals and other important documents were soaked in water. It took over a month to dry those files. Only some of the files could be saved.

Ludhiana, September 10
Of the 216 marriage palaces in the district, only seven are legal. The startling fact came to light following the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court asking all Deputy Commissioners in the state to prepare a data of the total number of marriage palaces in their respective districts and to check whether these had proper documents. Of the 216 marriage palaces in the district, 209 are "illegal", without proper documents and only seven fulfil the norms.

Sources said 209 marriage palaces in the district (in and outside the municipal limits) were "illegal". These were without proper documents like a no-objection certificate from the State Pollution Control Board, change of land use and permission from the authorities concerned such as the municipal corporation, PUDA and the GLADA.

Getting their marriage palaces legalised will not be an easy task for the owners as the state government has recently announced to impose new taxes in the form of licensing fee, change of land use and external clearance charges. These have been made mandatory. For fulfilling these guidelines, the marriage palace owners will have to shell out crores of rupees.

According to the latest directions issued by the state government, marriage palace owners will have to shell out Rs 1.5 crore per acre if the marriage palace is in an urban area, while those having marriage palaces in rural areas will have to pay Rs 1 crore per acre.

Ludhiana, September 10
The government has made electronic payment (e-payment) of the customs duty mandatory for importers. The move will speed up the clearance of consignments and importers will now need to update their software for making e-payments.

A circular issued by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said, "It has been decided to make e-payment of the customs duty mandatory for importers registered under the Accredited Clients Programme and those paying a customs duty of Rs 1 lakh or more per bill of entry with effect from September 17."

Instructions have been issued to all Chief Commissioners of Customs to give wide publicity to the e-payment decision so that traders get ready for the procedure and change their software.

"As a large number of taxpayers will be required to pay taxes electronically, it is requested that importers, traders and the industry may be provided all assistance to help them adopt the new procedure," the circular said.

Meanwhile, traders have hailed the move of the government saying that it will reduce the transaction time and cost. "Though money will be spent in updating our software, it is a one-time investment and after that both time and money will be saved," said Jeevan Rai, an importer.

Ludhiana, September 10
Have you missed the deadline for filing tax return again? The last date to file your income tax return (ITR) was August 31. However, one still has time till July 31, 2014, to file the ITR, both online as well as personally, but this provision comes with certain conditions and penalties.

"For the financial year 2011-12, an individual with a total income of up to Rs 10 lakh per year can file income tax return personally by March 31, 2014, and an individual having a total income of more than Rs 10 lakh per year can file his/her return online by March 31, 2014," said Jatinder Khurana, a tax professional.

However, there are some conditions of the late filing of return like you cannot revise your ITR, cannot carry forward losses, and you have to pay a penal interest of 1 per cent per month on your outstanding tax liability. Moreover, you cannot file the ITR for the financial year 2011-12 beyond March, 2014, even if you are willing to pay the penalty.

A senior income tax official draws attention towards the following points if you are filing your return late.

A return filed after the due date is considered as a belated tax return. Under the law, a belated tax return cannot be revised. However, there may be some details which are not available till the due date. "In such a case, the Act allows filing of a 'belated return' within one year from the end of the assessment year or completion of assessment, whichever is earlier.

The loss under the head profits and gains of business or profession (other than depreciation loss) cannot be carried forward if the return is filed late. However, one can still set off the losses against the income (other than income under the head salary) under other heads of the same year.

You must pay a simple interest at 1 per cent per month on the outstanding tax liability up to the date of payment of tax. According to Section 234-A of the Act, interest is levied at a rate of 1 per cent per month from the due date of filing the return to the actual date of filing on the tax payable, subject to certain conditions.

Doraha, September 10
Passengers travelling by private buses from Doraha to Ludhiana have alleged overcharging by conductors, particularly during evening hours.

Jandeep Kaushal, who travelled from Ludhiana to Doraha by a private bus on August 26, complained that the conductor charged an extra rupee from him. “The bus fare from Ludhiana to Doraha is Rs 17. But, I was asked to pay Rs 18. I tried to reason with the conductor, but he refused to listen. He charged Rs 18 from other passengers as well.”

“It is sad that most of the passengers never try to retaliate. This open ‘loot’ is increasing day by day as there is no one to question the drivers and conductors. The passengers, on the other hand, either have no guts to object or are too occupied in themselves to initiate any argument,” he added.

A fellow passenger also said, “It is not about paying a rupee more. The issue is why the passengers should be ‘looted’ in this a manner?”

“This generally happens during evening hours. The conductors know that in the evening people have limited options to reach home. They take advantage of this situation. The passengers on this route are already paying toll tax even when there is no barrier on the route. Adding to this, now the passengers are unjustly asked to pay an extra rupee for each trip,” said another passenger.

“The passengers who travel once in a while do not bother to pay extra but the daily passengers face the actual problem.

Additional District Transport Officer Prem Singh said such a thing cannot be tolerated. “The affected passengers should submit a written complaint to us so that we may take action against the accused. Many a times the passengers fail to approach us and keep their problems to themselves,” he said.

Ludhiana, September 10
In a city like Ludhiana, which is known for its love for jaw-dropping expensive cars, cycling is also gaining craze among residents. Not necessarily for cycling, but the penchant for riding high-end bicycles also comes from the oomph factor associated with these high-end bicycles.

Owing to the expanding market for expensive bicycles in the city, a couple of showrooms are getting good response, they say. A newly opened showroom for bicycles has a range of bicycles of international brands. These have come up to cater to the rising inclination towards the high-end bicycles. The cost of these bicycles varies between Rs 18,000 and Rs 43,000. More expensive models were also available costing in lakhs.

These multi-geared bicycles are not only impressive to look at but also breeze through briskly, says Pargat Singh from an outlet by Pioneer Cycles.

Most of the models are for mountain bikes (MTB), but some bikes are hybrids, meant for city biking as well.

These bikes are equipped with advanced features. Most of these are multi-geared, having as many as 24 gears and ride fast and have advanced smooth gear-changing mechanism. Some of these are made from lightweight aluminium, while others are made from carbon fibre, instead of metal and weigh less. The bikes weigh 5 to 10 kg at the most. Even lighter models are available. Most of these are equipped with lockable shock absorbers.

Sales have started picking up in the city. “We have already sold about 12 bikes since the opening of the showroom a month ago,” says Pargat Singh. Satish Nagpal from another showroom says the sales have started picking up in the last six months and they are selling about a bike a day on an average. The demand for high-end bicycles is more, he says, and people buy these bikes as much for flaunting as they do for cycling.

Puneet Dhingra, a resident, who recently got a bicycle, says being lightweight, they are comfortable.

Maj Harmeet Singh, who bought an MTB, says he went to Barnala and came back on the bicycle he bought. With a bit of conditioning, one can easily get used to riding these regularly, he says. “Although one should prefer hybrids for biking in the city, even mountain bikes ride well in the city,” he says.

Ludhiana, September 10
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and its collaborating partners, Adelphi Consulting, International Institute for Energy Conservation (IIEC) and Triodos Facet Consulting in association with the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) yesterday organised workshop on financing of clean production (EE&CP) measures in Indian engineering and auto sector.

This workshop was attended by 130 industrialists, representing various sectors of the industry from different parts of Punjab.

Balbir Singh, deputy general manager, SIDBI, informed that in the framework of financial cooperation between India and Germany, KfW (a German development bank) is providing an energy efficiency credit line (worth EUR 50 million) and an environmental credit line (worth EUR 38.5 million) to SIDBI. The credit lines are targeted for investment loans for energy efficiency and cleaner production measures in existing micro, small and medium industrial enterprises (MSME).

CICU general secretary Avtar Singh said energy efficiency was associated with capital productivity and included technological, behavioural and economic changes.

The industries have started realising and adopting efficient practices of energy use. The efficient use of energy, sometimes simply called “energy efficiency”, is using less energy to provide same level of output.

Improving energy efficiency has benefits like lowering energy bills, increasing energy independence in long run and reducing air and water pollution that leads to cutting carbon emissions that cause global warming.

CICU joint secretary Upkar Singh said the objective of the workshop was to promote CP lines of credit, to showcase advantages of credit lines, to provide information on EE&CP loan procedures and to train on EE&CP measures applicable to engineering and auto sector and to share the best practices through case studies and experience sharing.

The participants were apprised in detail for adoption of energy efficiency measures and features of innovative cleaner technologies through interactions with equipment manufacturers and service providers in implementation of such projects.

Ludhiana, September 10
Perturbed over the Centre’s failure to announce comprehensive package of relief for drought-hit farmers in Punjab, the Bharati Kisan Union (BKU) is preparing grounds to launch a decisive battle against the government and seek justice for the farmers in Punjab.

BKU president Ajmer Singh Lakhowal said in case the government continued its indifferent attitude towards the plight of farmers and failed to revise the minimum support price of wheat crop as per recommendations of Dr Swaminathan committee, the BKU will have to follow the path of agitation.

He said the BKU had rejected recommendations of the Agricultural Costs and Prices Commission (ACPC) for freezing MSP of wheat for the next year.

“The government ought to review the recommendations of the ACPC and take an appropriate decision to safeguard the interests of the farmers, lest this factor should adversely affect the sowing of wheat crop,” the BKU chief said.

According to Lakhowal, the meeting stoutly opposed the additional demand raised by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited from the farmers for pending tube well connections under the ARTC scheme while demanding that connections be immediately released to the farmers who had deposited the funds with PSPCL for this purpose. 

Ludhiana, September 10
“If one is fond of reading, he or she naturally picks up a pen to write,” feels Harjit Singh Sohi, director investigations, income tax department. His reading habit culminated into his passion for writing and as a result he released his maiden book “Ek Si Mumtaz” today.

Telling about his book, Sohi said, “Ek Si Mumtaz is not a love story, but it is more of a socio scenario. “The story is woven around the lives of teenagers of a small town in 1960's and then compared it to the present life of teenagers,” he quips.

Sohi’s book was released by SK Sandhu, Principal-Secretary to the Chief Minister in Ludhiana. 

Ludhiana, September 10
Some of the students of Guru Nanak Engineering College today broke the windowpanes of a bus with stones in front of college gate here. Following the incident, certain bus drivers blocked traffic by parking buses in the middle of the Ludhiana-Patiala highway.

According to the police, the students hurled stones at a bus of Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) when the driver didn't stop the bus outside the college. Certain other drivers and conductors plying busses on the same route protested the students' action by blocked the road. The protest led to a massive traffic jam on the road for around one hour.

According to the Daba police, no one was injured in the incident.

Inspector Jatinderjit Singh, Station House Officer, Daba, said, "In the preliminary investigation, we have come to know that there was no bus stop in front of the college gate. Students often try to halt buses in front of the gate. Today, certain students tried to halt the bus but the driver did not stop it, so they smash its windowpanes with a stone".

"Students had already fled from the scene when the police reached there. The bus drivers told us that they were going to Delhi and they were already behind schedule. So we listened to their demands. After that they cleared the road," the SHO added.

Ludhiana, September 10
"Life is a common pursuit” (by TS Eliot) that is how the newly appointed principal of Arya College, Dr RC Tejpal, looks forward to his new role.

The 55-year-old, PHD in English, who has over 30 years of teaching experience, believes in thinking out of the box.

Perhaps, that was why he had set out on a 25-day adventurous journey on his scooter in 1994 and travelled from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

During his journey, he visited 19 states and covered the distance of over 10,000 km. "Life is not restricted to job, education and family. Thinking out of the theoretical aspect should be the pursuit of every student. Life is about searching beyond the known boundaries of it," said Dr Tejpal.

Tejpal was all praises for the college professors. "I have always been a lone crusader. But here at the Arya College I have found a good team. Together we will take the institute to its new heights," said Tejpal.

The newly appointed principal owes a lot to his alma mater. "I am very fortunate to have inspiring teachers, who shaped my outlook, thought and career. Whatever I could achieve in life is because of their guidance," said Dr Tejpal.

Ludhiana, September 10
A ‘Crop Produce Competition’ will be organised by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) on the first day of its on-campus kisan mela from September 21 to 22 in Ludhiana.

During the farmers’ fair, the competition of the recommended and approved varieties of vegetables, including okra (bhindi), bitter gourd (karela), chillies, ‘ram tori’, radish, cowpea, brinjal, ‘ghiya kaddu’ (long and round), ‘halwa kaddu’ or any other vegetable will be held, said Dr SPS Brar, senior extension specialist (field crops) and convener of Produce Competition Committee.

The competition of the recommended and approved varieties of field crops such as maize (cobs)/baby corn, cotton, sugarcane, etc. and fruits like guava, lime and lemon, malta, grape fruit, papaya or any other will also be organised as well, he said.

He suggested the farmers to seek guidance from the District Extension Specialists (DESs) and faculty members of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for taking part in the competition. Emphasising that no produce samples brought by DESs/KVK faculty members will be entertained for this competition, he highlighted that winners will be awarded prizes and certificates during the mela. 

Ludhiana, September 10
The authorities of DAV College, Phillaur, were in for a rude surprise when they got to know that the official email of the college had been hacked.

DAV College principal Ravinder Kalia said he came to know about the hacking of email when he started getting frantic calls from professors and other persons who used to regularly receive mails from the official email.

The email sent by the hacker reads, “I am sorry, I didn’t inform you about a trip to Spain for a seminar. I’m presently in Madrid and I’m having some difficulties here because I was robbed on my way to the hotel and thieves made away with all cash, mobile phone, passport and other documents. Presently, I have limited access to the Internet, I will like you to assist me with a loan of 3,000 Euro to sort out my hotel bills and to get myself back home or any amount you can lend, so I can make arrangements. I have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively. I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with. I’ll refund the money back to you as soon as I return. Let me know if you can be of any help. I don’t have a phone where I can be reached. Please let me know immediately. I'll be waiting for your reply. Thanks DAV Phillaur.”

Kalia said, “It seems to be a handiwork of a professional hacker who wants to pocket easy money by invoking sympathy of residents. I request the residents not to fall prey to the crook.”

Ludhiana, September 10
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari has ordered to suspend a patwari, chargesheet a kanungo and to issue a show-cause notice to a sarpanch for "transferring" property worth several crores of rupees in the name of a particular party, ignoring another legal heir of the property who lives in Jhande village, near here. The property was transferred to the party in 2011.

According to information, patwari Albel Singh has been put under suspension. He allegedly, in connivance with a kanungo and a sarpanch, prepared a "fraudulent" mutation deed to favour the party while ignoring another legal heir of the property.

With these orders, complainant Narinder Pal Singh Grewal, an NRI from Canada, has heaved a sigh of relief.

According to the information, Grewal had told the Deputy Commissioner that his father had married twice. He was the only child from the first wife while his stepmother had children too. The family had prime property of more than two acres in Jhande village. The complainant had said that a mutation deed had already been registered, according to which he and her stepmother’s children were the legal heirs of their father's property.

After the NRI had left for Canada, one of the children of his second wife got a mutation prepared from Patwari Albel Singh in connivance with Kanungo Vijay Kumar, according to which the legal heirs of the property were the second wife and her children.

An enquiry was conducted by the officials of the district administration and the facts provided by the NRI were verified. The enquiry officials also found that the lambardaar of the village had refused to be the witness to the deal as the patwari was doing a wrong to favour a party. However, the fake documents of the deal were attested by the sarpanch of the village.

Meanwhile, Rahul Tiwari confirmed the development and said he had ordered to suspend the patwari and chargesheet the kanungo for preparing fake documents to favour a party. 

Ludhiana, September 10
Fine batting by Parul Mehdiratta (28), Nimit Malhan (18) and an equally valuable contribution with the ball by Rajat Verma (4 for 6) helped Kundan Vidya Mandir, Civil Lines, to score a facile 63-run victory over Government Senior Secondary School, Ayali, in the Punjab Schools Zonal Cricket Tournament (u-19) being organised by the education department at the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Punjab Agricultural University, here today.

The skipper of KVM won the toss and chose to bat first. In the stipulated 12 overs, they scored 103 runs losing 8 wickets. Besides, Parul and Nimit, Jaslaran Singh scored 12 runs while Hartejeswari Kapoor chipped in with 8 runs.

For Government Senior Secondary School, Ayali, Vicky bowled three overs and scalped three victims conceding 16 runs while Pardeep Kumar claimed two wickets for 10 runs in two overs.

Defending a small score, KVM bowlers restricted the Government School to a paltry total of 40 runs in 9 overs. Only one batsman, Pardeep could reach double figure who remained unbeaten at 10. Sanwal Kumar and Vicky contributed 6 and 5 runs, respectively.

For the winning side, Rajat Verma grabbed four wickets. Nikhil Chowdhary and Lalit Malhan captured two wickets each after giving away 15 and 9 runs, respectively.

Ludhiana, September 10
Pranav Chopra has been selected to represent the country in two major international badminton tournaments.

Pranav, a trainee of the Ludhiana Badminton Academy (LBA), has been in news for the last couple of years. This lanky shuttler had added one feather after another to his cap registering victories in various international events.

He brought fame to the city as well as the nation bagging medals in the doubles category in addition to the mixed doubles in the junior group.

According to a note of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), Pranav will be seen in action in the Li Ning Masters Tournament scheduled to be held in Changzhou (China) from September 11 to 16. His partner will be Akshay Dewalkar.

The Indian contingent will also proceed to Tokyo in Japan where the prestigeous Yonex Open Badminton Tournament will be held between September 18 and 23.

"The pair of Pranav and Akshay is a medal hope for the team as they have already represented India in the Thomas Cup and Sudhirman Cup," said general secretary, District Badminton Association, Anupam Kumaria.