GUJRANWALA, June 29: Police registered a case against three Wasa officers as a boy drowned in an open manhole in Thaker Singh Gate area on Thursday. Mitho, 7, son of a rickshaw driver, was on his way home from a mosque. When he reached near his house, he fell in an open manhole. The body was taken out after a struggle of two hours.

The family, residents of the area and Shabab-i-Milli activists staged a protest demonstration against Wasa and blocked the road. They raised slogans against the agency.

Later, Kotwali police registered a case against Wasa MD, SDO and deputy director on the complaint of the family. However, no arrest has so far been made.

Traders: Industrialists and traders organisations criticised on Wednesday income tax department for issuing notices for audit to recover income tax despite government offer for depositing it under self-assessment scheme and demanded that notices should be withdrawn immediately.

Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry former president Haji Murad Ali and others said the government had offered the business community to deposit income tax under self-assessment schemes and it would not issue any notice for audit. But the department issued notice to industrialists who had deposited Rs200,000 or more tax to the department, they added.

They said these notices were spreading harassment in the business community. They demanded immediate withdrawal of the notices. When contacted, income tax officers said notices were issued on their high-ups’ directive. — Correspondent