Rats rules the roost in a Lahore bakery
A footage received that show rats running on all the bakery items in a reputable bakery in Lahore. The said bakery has rush of customers all the day but in the night when it shuts up, only rats are seen ruling over it.
The said bakery is located at Karim Block area of Iqbal Town at Lahore. Other outlets of the same bakery also seem to be following the same hygienic rules. The deplorable fact is that the authorities concerned are seem to be indifferent regarding the hygiene of their items and the health of the consumers in general.
The food inspectors of city district government and the quality control department sound to have no concern about the issue, while the consumers are being befooled by the big name of the bakery chain.
Strike over fuel prices hits India
NEW DELHI: Police came out in force in cities across India on Monday for an opposition-led national strike over fuel price rises that disrupted flights and train services, and closed schools and businesses.
The strike was called by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and leftist parties in a concerted show of strength against the Congress-led government”s reform programme.
The unlikely alliance of the right-wing BJP and leftist groups broadened the strike”s impact, disrupting normal life in a large number of states with non-Congress administrations.
Flights to and from Mumbai airport were severely disrupted, with domestic airlines canceling 45 departures and 39 arrivals.
The Indian capital, which is controlled by a Congress administration was relatively normal, but with a heavy police presence on the streets.
Nepra gives KESC go-ahead for tariff hike
ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) gave green signal to Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) to raise a total of Rs2.79 per kilowatt, Geo News reported Monday.
It should be mentioned here that the Company is already charging Rs2.18 per kilowatt in bills.
According to sources, the Nepra allowed the Karachi power company to transfer to the consumers the extra cost of fuel and line losses.
Under the scheme, the extra cost of fuel and 25 percent of line losses from July 2009 to May 2010, have not been included in the bills.
Gas prices lowered for domestic consumers
KARACHI: The gas prices have been slashed specially for small and domestic consumers, Geo news reported.
According to details, there were previously seven slabs – the categories of gas consumers as per prices, which have been revised to only four slabs now.
The gas prices have been lowered by Rs.4 to Rs.5 for first and second slabs of consumers – the small consumers of gas, while the bill of third and fourth slabs of consumers have been increased to Rs.800 from Rs.498 and to Rs.1006 from Rs.806 respectively.
Federal Minister for Petroleum Naveed Qamar has issued notification of billing system for gas consumers on Thursday, which will be applicable with effect from July 10, 2010.
According to him, the reduction in prices of gas slabs is aimed at relieving small and domestic gas consumers.
According to notification, Rs.5 per unit have been slashed for domestic consumers within consumption of 100 units, it means their gas bill will be lowered from Rs. 99 to Rs.95.
Those domestic consumers who consume 300 units will get Rs.190 bill while as much as 60 percent increase has been added to the bill on consumption from 301 to 500 units.
Likewise, on consumption of more than 501 units, the consumers will receive Rs.1006 bill, which would previously be Rs.860.
Nepra hikes power tariffs by 20 paisa per unit
ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) sanctioned to the power distributing companies to raise the power tariffs by 77 percent under fuel adjustment, Geo News reported Saturday.
The Nepra has issued a notification in this regard. According to the Nepra notification, the power consumers will have to bear 20-percent raise in the power tariffs to be in force from April 2010.
According to the notification, a 57-paisa hike was approved in March 2010 under fuel adjustment; but under new adjustment, 77-paisa raise has been approved for April 2010. Thus, consumers will have to pay additional 20 paisa per unit in April’s power bills as compared to March.
The hike will be applicable to all sorts of consumers. However, the consumers using electricity upto 100 units would not be burdened with this additional billing.
The Nepra said the new bills would have the ‘additional adjustment’ written quite conspicuously and separately.
According to the Nepra notification, the raise will be applicable to the consumers utilizing over 100 units per month.
Nepra okays 9.28 cents/unit for sugar industry
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday expressed satisfaction on “visible improvement” in power supply situation and reiterated his government”s resolve to mitigate load shedding in the shortest possible time.
He apprised the review meeting that Nepra has recently approved an up front tariff of 9.28 cents per unit for co-generation projects of the sugar industry.
He said that the sugar industry had indicated possible addition of 2000-3000 MW and invited the industry to come forward and upgrade their existing plants and make available maximum possible capacity to the national grid.
Addressing the review meeting on energy here at Prime Minister Secretariat, PM commended support and constant follow up by the chief ministers to implement the aggressive conservation measures taken at the last meeting to make the campaign a success. Gilani particularly thanked CM Punjab for assuming a lead role in the campaign in Punjab.
Gilani directed Ministries of Water Power, Finance, Petroleum Natural Resources and all provincial governments ensure that the measures are enforced.
The prime minister said according to his feedback unscheduled load shedding has almost been eliminated and there has also been some relief to the consumers in the scheduled load shedding.
He reiterated that industry and agriculture remain first priority of his government and the load shedding schedules where necessary were being enforced in consultation with the representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry.
The premier pointed out gaps in implementation in some areas and mentioned that markets and shopping centres in many cities continue to remain open after 8 pm and notified timings for marriage halls were not being enforced completely.
PM Gilani appealed to businessmen, traders and other segments of the society to come forward and extend their support for the conservation measures in the greater interest of the nation.
Steps taken to ensure cash availability at ATMs in off days
KARACHI: Special arrangements have been made to provide cash at ATMs during two weekly holidays, Link1 said Sunday.
In a statement from Link1, which provides ATMs network to banks, the spokesman said the electronic banking is expected to be on the rise, as the decision relating two weekly holidays is applicable to banks as well.
31 banks associated with Link1, have been directed to ensure the cash availability and care of their ATMs during these two weekly off days, so that consumers may be benefited from this facility.
The Link1 said the consumers may use the ATMs for paying their utility bills including other facilities in addition to cash withdrawal.
Nato oil tanker blown up at Pak-Afghan highway
PESHAWAR: A Nato oil tanker blew up on the Pak-Afghan highway near the Jamrud bazaar on Monday.
Official sources told Geo News that the tanker immediately caught fire and the fireball engulfed the other one as well. The road was blocked for traffic, as the law-enforcers put a security cordon around the tanker. The tankers had been completely destroyed in the explosion.
The Pak-Afghan highway has been blocked after the explosion and supply to Nato forces has also been suspended. However, no causality has been reported in the incident. The fire fighters have doused the fire.
Govt set to impose VAT from July
ISLAMABAD: Government of Pakistan is all set to enforce the Value-added Tax (VAT) regime from July 1 across the country amid widespread concerns among economists and traders.
The traders said the Tax would directly hit the common man.
The FBR is planning to enforce the GST Amended bill as a part of Plan-B under which the existing tax exemptions will be waived off as it seems reluctant to enforce VAT, because its staff is not so far given training on VAT and retailers are also not in a mood to pay VAT, as they have not been educated by the FBR on how to maintain their documents after the VAT is enforced.
The VAT would be received in proportion to the value hike in the products and services; thus, the Tax would be included in the price of a product from its production phase to the phase of supply to the consumers.
Only the consumer would be bound to pay the price of it all.
If 15 percent VAT is enforced, it would entail Rs125 billion in additional revenues in the first year of its promulgation; the Tax would not be applicable to the business that sells less than Rs7.5 million.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said the VAT would not push up the prices of edibles, as General Sales Tax (GST) is already imposed on them and some essential commodities i.e. daal and atta would be exempted from it.
The economic analysts said VAT is also an indirect tax which would affect common man; contrarily, the government should impose tax on the direct income to receive the revenues.
Besides, burden of price hike should be shifted from the poor to tax-evaders by widening the tax net, they urged.
Saif and Bipasha roped in as brand ambassadors for Wynn Mobiles
They say that, in Bollywood, history and success repeats itself at frequent intervals. Well, we would like to add a bit more to that. We would like to say that, in Bollywood, its not just history and success, but also a successful jodi that repeats itself at frequent intervals!
After ‘Race-ing’ ahead of everyone, the successful pair of Saif Ali Khan and Bipasha Basu will now be seen in a different avatar. This time round, they will be seen promoting the to-be launched mobile handsets called ‘Wynn Mobiles’, as they have been roped in as the brand ambassadors. Sources close to Bollywood Hungama say that the said brand will be having a grand launch by mid 2010 as they feel that it’s the right time to hit the market and reach the consumers. As far as the reason why they zeroed down on Saif and Bipasha, our source says, “The company was scouting for every single hit actor. But they chose to zero down on the Saif-Bips pair as they felt that it’s a safe bet to bank upon, as this pair has already delivered celluloid hits like Omkara and also Race. When asked about the commercials involved, our source added that it was indeed a practical way of saying ‘Sky is the limit’.
Repeated attempts to reach Saif and Bipasha and also their spokespersons proved futile.
