October 19, 2002	Saturday	Sha'aban 12, 1423

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GUJRANWALA, Oct 18: The increase in power tariff and POL prices would spell more disaster for the cottage industry.

This was stated by local chamber of commerce and industry president Khawaja Tahir Hassan during a meeting of the chamber here on Friday.

The participants said the ‘mini-budgets’ every now and then would render the industry incompetitive.

Protective measures: Unprecedented protective measures have been adopted in the general and other post offices throughout the district following parcel bomb incident in Karachi.

The measures taken so far were discussed at a meeting of the postal department high-ups on Friday.

The meeting warned that punitive action would be taken against those officials who would fail to observe measures prescribed by the department while booking a parcel.

Later, the district superintendent paid surprise visits to a number of post offices in and around the city.

INQUIRY: An inquiry has been ordered by the Water and Sanitation Agency managing-director into misappropriation of revenue by five tax clerks.

The clerks are; Muhammad Shakil, Rana Maqsood Ahmad, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Muhammad Sarwar and Fakhar Javed.

They received water bills from consumers and allegedly embezzled the amount instead of depositing it in the treasury.

BEATEN UP: A Wapda checking team was thrashed by three people on Friday.

The Wapda team went to Ali Park to check the meter installed on the premises of one Noor Muhammad on receiving information that he was stealing power. As the checking team reached there, the accused and his accomplices beat them with fist and kicks.

Police have registered a case.

CAUGHT: A team of the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) raided villages Hasan Bhattian and Jastiwala and caught a two-member gang of electricity conductor thieves when they were stealing conductors on Friday.

They were identified as Shah Nadim and Akber Ali.

Youth killed: A young man was shot dead during a dacoity bid in Lohianwala here on Friday.

Three robbers entered the house of Maulavi Abdul Majid by scaling boundary wall. They held the family at gunpoint and started collecting valuables.

In the meantime, Azeem, the nephew of Maulavi Majid, overpowered one of the outlaws. His accomplice opened fire on him to rescue his colleague. Azeem died on the spot.