Ludhiana, October 3
The Income Tax Department has shot off notices to nearly 3,000 tax payers in the city for scrutiny. While many have received the notices, a few are yet to be served these.

The cases have been selected through Computer Assisted Scrutiny Selection (CASS) from Delhi.

“The notices have been issued as per the guidelines of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). The move aims at zeroing in on tax evaders.

The name which comes in for scrutiny cannot be changed,” said a senior official of the department.

Those, who have received the notices, will have to produce account books, sale and purchase sheets, electricity and telephone bills, details of property investment. The department will scrutinise the income of the taxpayers.

President of the Taxation Young Lawyers Association, Jatinder Khurana, said one should always file the return correctly and never try to hide sources as department has many other sources of getting information about the income.

Tax payers feel that selecting cases randomly through Computer Assisted Scrutiny Selection is not at all a good idea. “The department should issue notices only to those tax payers where tax discrepancies are found otherwise it can cause a lot of harassment to genuine tax payers,” added tax payer, Santish Kumar.

Meanwhile, taking a serious view of undue “harassment” of taxpayers during scrutiny of such cases, the CBDT has asked the IT Department to complete these enquiries quickly and not drag them “unnecessarily”.

Compulsory scrutiny cases have been a matter of concern for many taxpayers, as one has to pay many visits to the office and submit numerous documents in order to prove that he or she has not evaded tax.

The IT Department says it picks up only 2 per cent of the total tax returns cases for scrutiny in an assessment year and these too are selected by a computerised system in order to totally rule out any scope of human intervention.

Ludhiana, October 3
The Facebook posts of Harinder and Jatinder, the two Dalit brothers of Bohapur village who were shot dead by SAD leader Gurjeet Singh in the police presence on September 27, had become the centre of a controversy due to their comments making a mockery of the police and politicians.

According to youngster of Bohapur village, the two brothers ran into trouble due to their comments on the Facebook.

The fact came to light when the villagers supporting Gurjeet Singh showed the Facebook profiles of Jatinder and Harinder and claimed that both brothers were running a gang that charged a fee for carrying out attacks on the given targets.

“Their father was a labourer and his two sons were having high-end mobile phones and swanky motorbikes. Money was not a problem for them as they made enough fortune by attacking innocent residents,” said Gurpreet Singh of Bhattian village, near Machhiwara.

After brutally assaulting Harmanpinder Singh of Takhran Khokran village in August, the two brothers started mocking at the police and SAD leader Gurjeet by posting pictures of the news cuttings wherein it was stated that the police were unable to trace them. Both brothers had been on the run in connection with an attempt-to-murder case registered against them.

The detractors of the two brothers are using the Facebook posts of two brothers as evidence to paint them as hardened criminals. The posters carrying their facebook posts are dotting the town of Samrala and villages surrounding Machhiwara.

“Earlier, we used to get a whiff of brewing rivalry and solve the problem by summoning the two groups at Panchayat. Nowadays, these youths keep doing something on the Internet and we do not get a whiff of it. They form their groups and indulge in fights,” said Sarabjit Singh of Puniya village.

“It is very unfortunate that the government dismissed the station house officer (SHO) and suspended the SSP. If that is the criteria, then why did not the DGP and the Home Minister take moral responsibility of the incident and tendered their resignations,” said Ishwarjot Cheema, a Congress leader.

The case was registered on a complaint of Narinder Singh, who lives in their neighbourhood.

In November 2012, the two brothers were booked for hurting religious sentiments and hurling abuses in gurdwara. The complainant Charanjit Singh, also from Bohapur village, said the two brothers entered the gurdwara wearing sleepers and started pouring milk in a bucket. When Charanjit stopped the duo from doing so, the two brothers hurled abuses at him. Two cases of attempt to murder under section 307 of the IPC were registered against the duo on October, 2013, and August 23 this year.

Ludhiana, October 3
Barely a day after the much-hyped cleanliness drive, “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan”, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the mega city once again presented a dirty look with most of the roads and streets littered with garbage. No effect of the yesterday’s cleanliness campaign, when leaders cutting across party lines and bureaucrats were wielding brooms to clean up the city, was visible at any place.

Residents from city localities claimed that the so-called cleanliness drive seemed to be a political gimmick as no worthwhile or special effort had apparently been made to improve the sanitation level. Even if the safai workers occasionally sweep the roads and streets, the garbage is left in big heaps along the roads and streets. During the day, it gets scattered on the road again, said Kulbir Singh, a resident of Sarabha Nagar.

The official functions held on October 2 at a school and at the Mini Secretariat here to mark the commencement of the Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan were just window dressing. It is evident from the assertion of eyewitnesses that the VIPs wielded brooms just for photo sessions.

A member of the sanitation staff of the Municipal Corporation said the school premises as well Bachat Bhawan in Mini Secretariat were thoroughly cleaned by the safai workers before the commencement of the functions.

A round through several residential localities and commercial hubs of the city revealed that the sanitation level at most places was pathetic. Heaps of garbage, waste material from shops, houses and eateries remained scattered along the roads, in front of the shops or at vacant places while overflowing garbage dumps continued to pose a big nuisance to the public.

Parminder Mehta, spokesperson for the Congress councilors, asserted that sanitation was not even among the last priorities of the civic body, which is reeling under severe resource crunch. With work for door-to-door collection and disposal of garbage entrusted to a private company in the city already being under the scanner, safai workers and the supervisory staff were also not taking their duties seriously, he said.

Meanwhile, while launching the cleanliness drive at Mini Rose Garden in Kidwai Nagar here, the state president of the BJP Yuva Morcha, Mohit Gupta, exhorted the workers to take up the cleanliness campaign in their respective areas earnestly and also motivate people to join hands in this noble cause. The drive should not just be a photo session to gain publicity,” he said.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission has failed to yield good results. School and college authorities, who pledged to maintain cleanliness, have not taken the drive seriously. It seemed that enthusiasm exhibited by the crusaders was simply a ritual and an obligation as a part of Modi’s mission.

Heads of institutes and teachers who had administered oath to the staff and students were no exception to the tendency.

Most of the teachers and students ignored contents of the pledge taken by them during formal functions and did not hesitate in littering their surroundings. They were seen throwing wrappers, tins, disposable glasses and waste papers.

Naresh Kumar, a resident of the Amarpura area, acknowledged that enthusiasm about cleanliness among schoolchildren had faded away after they returned home on Thursday.

Rajesh Sharma, a social activist, regretted that a majority of the teachers and students had failed to imbibe the idea behind the mission launched by the Prime Minister. Referring to information collected from various educational institutes, Sharma lamented that a large number of organisations had failed to even buy brooms.

Jagraon, October 3
The entire town is fast turning into a garbage dump due to the non-removal of garbage by Municipal Council employees on a regular basis. One can easily see heaps of garbage lying in each and every corner of the town.

Local residents have termed the apathetic approach of the Municipal Council officials responsible for the issue.

These heaps of garbage not only present a bad image but also emit foul smell, making the lives of residents difficult. There is not even a single area in the town where such heaps were not visible.

“One can easily gauge the casualness of the local civic body in lifting the garbage from the fact that huge heaps of garbage keep lying just in front of the office of the Municipal Council. If the place near the MC office is a bad shape then what to talk of the other localities of the town,” says Sunil, a local resident.

Besides, there are several other areas in the town from where garbage is not being lifted on a regular basis and one could witness huge heaps of garbage always. Similar is the situation at the Raikot road, Shubash Gate and Disposal road where huge heaps of garbage can be seen lying on roadsides. The foul smell emitting out of garbage has made the lives of residents as well as commuters difficult.

Residents said though they have reminded the MC officials about the issue a number of times, nothing had been done in this regard so far.

Executive officer of the Jagraon Municipal Council was not available for comments as he was on a trip to abroad.

Ludhiana, October 3
Two senior citizens have pledged to carry out a cleanliness drive every Sunday.

Retired Superintendent of Police Gurmail Singh and advocate PR Goel, both residents of Malkiat Avenue on Barewal Road, will clean the city every week. “The Prime Minister has showed us the path. We will maintain cleanliness and ensure that garbage is not dumped in the open. We will motivate other residents also. We are hopeful of getting support,” said Gurmail Singh. “We should keep our surroundings clean,” he said. “We can’t expect things to fall in place overnight, but we can put in efforts to bring about a change,” he said. They urged the residents to come forward and be a part of the campaign launched by the PM.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 3
While a majority of residents switched from “cleanliness mode” to routine, office-bearers of certain organisations remained in a sustained approach towards the Swachh Bharat Mission launched yesterday.

Besides continuing the cleanliness work on and near the premises of their offices and establishments, they also performed puja on the occasion of Vijay Dashmi and sought blessings of the almighty for overcoming problems and multiplying achievements.Office-bearers and activists of the Petro Chemical Dealers’ Association, led by Rameshwar Sharma, undertook a cleanliness drive at their respective petrol pumps and surroundings. Owners and managers of these establishments persuaded members of their staff to maintain personal hygiene while on duty. Staff of the local branch of the State Bank of India at Chhapar road was seen removing garbage dumped by residents near their office.

Volunteers of the Social Welfare Organisation, led by its patron Tarsem Garg and chairman Rajinder Mittal organised an awareness drive to educate shopkeepers and vendors about causes and consequences of an unclean environment. Dr Sunit Hind and Dr Rajinder Pal Singla, chairpersons of the Hind Group of Medical Sciences and Kundal Lal Memorial Hospital and Medical Institute, said they had directed in charges of various wings to ensure that the movement launched on Thursday should be continued uninterrupted till the completion of the cleanliness mission.

Mandi Ahmedgarh/Raikot/ Malaudh, October 3
The region today boomed with the sounds of exploding crackers when it celebrated Dasehra to mark the victory of good over evil.

Effigies of Ravana were burnt at MGM Senior Secondary School, Mandi Ahmedgarh and Dasehra grounds in Dehlon, Malaudh, Kup, Sudhar, Pakhowal and Sanduar villages. Effigies of Meghnath and Kumbhkarna were also burnt with the Ravana’s effigy at various places.

However, it was witnessed that the size of effigies noticeably shranked due to the increased prices of commodities and labour charges.

In the evening, roads were crowded as people were seen going to venues of Dasehra celebrations. The roads leading to the venues were filled with vendors selling eatables, toys, balloons and other items. The police had to make additional arrangements to prevent eve-teasing and pickpocketing.

A function organised by the Ram Lila Club to mark the celebrations at MGM Senior Secondary School was presided over by former vice-president of Municipal Council Jagwant Singh Jaggie. The MLA, Amargarh, Iqbal Singh Jhoondan was the chief guest, while Jatinder Sharma Happy Baba, patron, Sidh Salakhan Guga Peer Committee, was the guest of honour. SHO Amandeep Singh Brar was the chief guest during the function held at Dehlon.

The Ram Lila and Dasehra Committee and Punjab Mahavir Dal, led by former councillor Bimal Sharma, also organised an elaborate cultural programme on the occasion.

Doraha, October 3
On the day when the victory of the good over the evil is celebrated by burning effigies of Ravana across the country, Dubeys of Payal village conducted an elaborate worship of the 10-headed demon who is in every way a god form for them and protects them throughout the year from all difficulties and calamities.

The statue of Ravana at a temple in Payal. a tribune photo

The residents regard him as their mighty god who, if worshiped and revered on Dasehra, shall stand by them through all thick and thin or the result may be otherwise.

Despite criticism and disapproval from many, they continue to offer prayers to the demon king. They have erected a permanent statue of Ravana so that nobody can meddle with it as they cannot bear any harm to it at any cost. The mighty style in which the colourfully embellished idol of Ravana stands speaks of Ravana’s grandeur and the place of hour and reverence it occupies in the hearts of those who view him as their god.

A senior member of the Dubey family said once a man who tried to demolish the structure of Ravana had an unpleasant experience. He was not restored to normalcy till he came and confessed his sins in front of the Ravana’s statue.

The Dubeys show Ramleela through a projector and then worship him in the temple. The statue at other times is looked after by the temple priest.

Dubeys not only launched a cleanliness drive around the place but also decorated the idol, guarded the place with ropes all around, so that nobody should harm it in any way. They began their prayers in the wee hours today.

“Mighty Ravana was mighty in every way. He was a great scholar who no doubt possessed immense power. We place some crackers on the head of the statue and offer goat’s blood to it on Dasehra,” a members of the family said.

They said once they forgot to worship him and that year they encountered various problems.

The Dubeys are now residing in Patiala, but on Dashera they reach their native Payal village to offer prayers to Ravana so that they may not encounter any difficulties throughout the year.

“We think that this festival brings us closer. Hence, it is all the more auspicious for us. Otherwise we may have been separated forever but this festival has the immense power to keep us intact and get closer with every passing year,” they added.

Ludhiana, October 3
Dasehra, the festival of reverence of good and its power to subdue evil, was celebrated throughout the city.

Depicting the triumph of good over evil, effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhakarna were consigned to flames in various parts of the city.

The tallest effigy of Ravana (85 feet) was burnt at Daresi Ground. MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was the chief guest. Those residing on the outskirts also flocked to the ground.

Minutes before the effigies were burnt, artistes were seen enacting a scene in which Lord Rama killed Ravana.

Kids were seen buying trishul and teer kaman. They also relished sweets.

“I love to eat jalebis on Dasehra and Diwali. This is that time of the year when I enjoy the most,” said an excited nine-year-old Trishla at Daresi Ground.

The effigies were burnt at Urban Estate, Jamalpur, Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Rajguru Nagar, Sarabha Nagar, Aggar Nagar and Model Town.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 3
Puja, Manjot Kaur, Manpreet Kaur, Sandeep Kaur, Amandeep Kaur and Hina of the Shanti Tara College for Women, Akbarpur Chhanna, were declared best volunteers in their respective categories during a seven-day NSS camp that was organised at Timberwal village.

The function was presided over by secretary Arvind Malhotra while executive magistrate Malaudh Harcharan Singh was the chief guest.

Convener Charan Preet Singh Dua said the volunteers undertook various activities during the camp. Apart from taking part in a cleanliness drive, the volunteers educated rural women about causes and consequences of social evils, including female foeticide, dowry system, domestic violence and illiteracy.

A cultural programme was presented by the volunteers. Giddha and folk dances were appreciated. Singh urged the students to focus on achieving excellence in studies. “One should try to achieve highest targets and not fall prey to the deliberate exploitation,” Singh said.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 3
Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Academy, a socio-religious organisation, working from Gurdwara Sant Ashram, Bhaini Baringa, has announced a programme to propagate teachings of Guru Granth Sahib through formal courses. Any individual having faith in the Sikh religion can undertake regular courses irrespective of his or her caste and creed.

The organisation has its headquarters in Malaysia and has taught about Sikh history and Guru Granth Sahib to over 35,000 youth.

Baljit Singh, chief organiser, said a local branch was established at Bhaini Baringa village two years ago. A comprehensive programme was also launched to teach students from India and abroad about Guru Granth Sahib, said Baljit.

Baljit, a graduate in Sikh religion studies, said a team of over 20 teachers was imparting training to the students at various schools.

The organisers claimed that the comprehensive Gurmat education syllabus was tailored to suit the modern lifestyle. Refresher course for adults, three-month Gurmakhi learning course, reading, understanding and illustrating Gurbani, were among many courses being offered free of cost in India and abroad, Baljit added.

Painting exhibition
The Kalpana Fine Arts Society organised the 17th painting exhibition at Dr M S Randhawa Art Gallery. It will conclude on October 7. More than 30 artists are participating in it. The paintings, including canvas painting, craft working, wall decoration, pencil sketch and mirror painting, have been displayed there. The artists whose paintings have been displayed include Amar Singh, Hari Mohan, Gopal K Sharma, Ravinder Singh, Jaswant Singh, Sulaxan Garcha, Sonia Kumar, Hardev Kaur, Rupinder Rupa, Ambika Nayyar and Gobinder Sohal.

Dasehra celebrated
The Bharatiya Dalit Sena celebrated Dasehra here by worshipping King Ravana here on Friday at the Bhagwan Valmiki Library and Research Centre at Azad Nagar. The celebrations took place under the leadership of Sonu Vaid, secretary of the Bharatiya Dalit Sena. Addressing the gathering, Arun Sidhu said Ravana was a great scholar and had knowledge of four vedas. We should honour him. He also announced that a temple of Ravana will be constructed.

Prof Mohan Singh Mela
For the first time, Prof Mohan Singh Yaadgari Antarashtriya Mela is being organised in America. Jagdev Singh Jassowal has left the town to attend the event. The two-day mela will begin on October 4.

Ludhiana Tribune invites feedback from its readers on issues of public concern relating to Ludhiana, Jagraon, Khanna, Mandi Ahmedgarh and the nearby areas. Readers can email their views to

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Dehlon, October 3
The local police has initiated a probe into the alleged incident of suicide by a resident of Mehma Singh Wala village on Wednesday.

The man identified as Jiwan Kumar (32) had allegedly ended his life by jumping before a speeding truck. Though no arrest has been made, the police has booked the deceased’s wife as the main accused in the case registered under Section 306 of IPC.

Investigations revealed that Jiwan Kumar had allegedly committed suicide by jumping before the speeding truck at the local town. While the police is yet to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the extreme step taken by the deceased, preliminary investigations revealed that the tragedy followed a meeting of members of the deceased’s family at an office of a deed writer situated near the office of the joint sub registrar.

Following disharmony with his wife, the deceased had agreed to sign a conditional compromise with the members of his family, including his wife.

Jiwan came out of the deed writer’s office when heated arguments were exchanged between them and took the extreme step. His head was crushed badly under the rear tyres of the truck. Unable to comprehend the situation, the driver of the truck walked to the local police station and informed about the incident to the officials.

During investigation, the deceased’s brother accused Jiwan’s wife of abetting him to commit suicide.

A police team, led by SHO Amandeep Singh Brar, got the autopsy conducted. Later, the body was handed over to his parents.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Sikand said a special investigation team, led by Amandeep Singh Brar, had been constituted. It would initiate further action after verifying allegations levelled by the complainant.

Bhaini Sahib, October 3
SAI Centre, Lucknow, and SAIL, Odisha, remained tied at 2-2 in the stipulated time during the second Junior Hockey Championship being held in memory of Satguru Jagjit Singh. 

Ludhiana, October 3
As sports lovers across the country are jubilant over Indian hockey team’s excellent 4-2 victory over arch rivals Pakistan to clinch a gold medal in the Asian Games at Incheon in South Korea, sports associations and sports promoters have urged the Punjab Government to honour the players.

Showering praise over Team India on winning the gold in South Korea, they have asked the state government to announce incentives for Punjab players.

Surjit Sports Association, Batala, has urged the state government to give cash prizes to the players from the state who have won gold medals, adding that they should be given Class 1 government jobs. The association members said the step would help in reviving sports culture in the state.

The team has seven players from Punjab — Rupinder Pal Singh (Faridkot), Dharamvir Singh (Khairabad village, Ropar), Manpreet Singh (Mithapur village, Jalandhar), Gurbaj Singh (Malsian village, Ferozepur), Gurwinder Singh Chandi (Guru Nanak Pura, Jalandhar), Akashdeep Singh (Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran) and Ramandeep Singh (Meekey village, Gurdaspur).

Mandeep Kaur Cheema won a gold in 4X400 m relay race today. In a press note issued today, Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill, chairman, Surjit Sports Association, said the Punjab government should honour the eight gold medallists by awarding them with respectable cash awards and government jobs. “Earlier, the Punjab Government had honoured the Asian Games gold medallists in 1998. If our gold medallists are given jobs, it will help boost their morale and the state will produce more such sporting heroes,” said Professor Gill. Pirthipal Singh Batala, president, and Nishan Singh Randhawa, general secretary, Surjit Sports Association, Batala, congratulated Khushbir Kaur (20km walk silver), Abhinav Bindra (shooting bronze), Swaran Singh Virk (rowing bronze) and Henna Sidhu (shooting silver) on their achievements. Teja Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary, Punjab Basketball Association, Balraj Sharma, vice-president, Swimming Federation of India, Jagbir Singh Grewal, a former hockey player, and sports promoter also congratulated Team India. 

Dehlon, October 3
Manjot Singh has done the town proud. The boy has been selected for the 15-day cricket camp to be held at Johannesburg in South Asia on October 7.

Manjot gave the credit to his teachers and coach Amrik Singh Nagra.

As many as 200 players had participated in the trials. Manjot was picked up by star cricketer Yuvraj Singh during a training camp organised at the Centre of Excellence in Chandigarh four months ago.

Forty-three young cricketers from various parts of India have been selected for the camp.

Manjot will be given tips on the highest ranking game by international coaches during the exchange programme.

Extending gratitude to his teachers, coaches and parents, Manjot said he would leave no stone unturned in fetching laurels.

Amrik Singh Nagra, chief coach, Ludhiana Academy, said Manjot, along with three other players of the academy, had made it to the camp.