Kharar tense after clash
From Our Correspondent
KHARAR, July 22 — Tension prevails in Kharar following the clash between local traders and employees of the local municipal committee over the anti-encroachment drive on the second day here as the traders observed a complete bandh and kept their shops closed and on the other hand employees of the municipal committee resorted to an indefinite strike outside the office of the committee.
A press note issued by the Beopar Mandal here today have alleged that they would intensify their struggle if justice was not done to them. They have demanded that all those officers and employees of the committee who have misbehaved with the nominees of the traders should be brought to book and cases should be registered against them.
The traders have formed a joint action committee comprising the representative of all the trade unions to chalk out the further action plan. The traders today took out a protest march through the main markets before reaching in the tehsil complex. They raised slogans against the government, the municipal committee and the local administration. They held a rally in the tehsil complex which was addressed by leaders of various political parties and traders.
Meanwhile, employees of the municipal committee have refuted the charges levelled by the traders and have alleged that, in fact, they were attacked by the traders. They have threatened to intensify their struggle if the traders responsible were not arrested.
The Kharar DSP and SHO were not available for comments but police sources revealed that a case under section 452, 506, 323, and 148, IPC, has been registered against some local residents and traders on the complaint of Mr Ranbir Singh, president of municipal committee for allegedly attacking his residence last night.
The traders have alleged that the police had registered a false case and no trader had gone to his house.
The traders blocked vehicular traffic here on Kharar-Chandigarh road last evening for about one and a half hours and the blockade was lifted after an assurance by the senior officers that necessary action would be taken against the guilty employees.
The controversy was caused by the anti-encroachment drive started here by the local committee in accordance with the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

DC visits 'land of scarcity'
From Our Correspondent
GURDASPUR, July 22 — Mr S.K Sandhu, Deputy Commissioner, along with Deputy Executive Engineers of the Drainage and the PWD (Rural Roads) Division visited Mammi Chakranga and Bharial villages yesterday.
Talking to newsmen here today Mr Sandhu said a committee headed by a tehsildar and comprising senior medical officer, veterinary doctor, assistant food and civil supplies officer, SDOs of drainage and PWD departments had been constituted to redress the grievances of the residents of the area. The committee will visit the area on Wednesday and Saturday.
The area has been visited by a Deputy Commissioner after one and a half years. The last Deputy Commissioner to visit the area was Mr T.R Sarangal who was transferred after three months.
The area has a population of 3250 and comprises 11 villages, including six of Gurdaspur sub-division and five of Pathankot sub-division. It has Pakistan border on one side and the Ravi on the other side and the Beas on the third side. This island has been aptly called a land of scarcity, the area of government apathy and an island of deprivation.
Mr Sandhu said most of the well off residents of the area have built houses at safer places. Near Dhussi Bundh, residents of Mammi Gharranga have built mud thatched huts to keep a vigil on their lands. The people of the area have shifted their valuables to safer places. However the population has been provided with tents and tarpaulins.
Two patwaris have been stationed in the area to make revenue assessments. One of the patwaris is a native of the area.
The area remains cut off from the rest of the district for about six months in a year and the situation is the worst during rains. Mr Sandhu said adequate stocks of kerosene, wheat, pulses, medicines have been procured for the area.
Mr Sandhu said the district administration was in touch with the Army and the BSF. A police post with a wireless set has been set up at Lassian. The telephone authorities have been asked to make five telephone connections in the area operational. The connections have been lying out of order for many months.
Mr Sandhu said roads in the area were in a bad shape. He said an executive engineer rural roads, has been directed to survey the area and implement the report after the rains.
Mr Sandhu said 200 acres in Mammi Chakranga village have already been washed away. The Central Water Commission has sanctioned Rs 1.25 crore for flood protection measures in the area. The work will be started in October, he said.
Mr Sandhu said the approach road to area from Jhabkara-Marara to Kamaura Pattan was in a bad shape. Several potholes can be easily spotted on the road. The executive engineer concerned has been directed to undertake earth work on the road and fill up the potholes. He said funds would be provided from the District Planning Board for constructing pavements of the road in October. He said one more boat has been ordered for ferrying people of the area from Makaura to Bharial.

Shortage hits health services
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service
BATHINDA: Inadequate strength of medical staff has adversely affected health services in various government hospitals, dispensaries and sub-centres in this district.
Official sources said that medical staff in most hospitals and dispensaries located in the towns was posted in full strength while in the rural areas the strength at primary health centres (PHCs) was thin.
The sources said that 58 posts of doctors, including specialists, were vacant against the total strength of 189 doctors sanctioned for this district. There were only seven dental doctors against the sanctioned strength of 12 in the district.
According to official data, there are total 255 government health institutions having a capacity of 906 beds in the district. These institutions serve about 11 lakh people in the district.
Official sources said apart from doctors, 71 posts of staff nurses were lying vacant against the total sanctioned strength of 140. Twenty-seven posts of radiographers and laboratory technicians were lying vacant. About one-third of the total sanctioned strength of multi-purpose workers were serving the whole district. About 40 per cent posts of multi purpose supervisors were short.
Dr Bawa Ram Gupta, Civil Surgeon, said he had been sending repeated representations to the higher authorities for getting full medical staff in the district. He had also raised this issue at a number of meetings of civil surgeons with the state health authorities.
Sources said in absence of adequate medical staff in the rural areas, quacks were having a field day and they were virtually minting money at the cost of the rural population's health. Hundreds of such quacks in this district had been identified by the state health authorities.
Apart from it, since the creation of the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) with the help of the World Bank loan in the state, the problem in government hospitals had increased manifold.
In big hospitals of this district new machines were being installed by the corporation for treatment, but there are no trained staff to run the imported machines.
Hospital sources said if the machines were run by the untrained staff then these were prone to any defect and the machines would be lying idle for months together till the trained staff were posted to run them.

School principal suspended
Tribune News Service
PATIALA, July 22 — The DAV College Management Committee has placed Mrs P. Lal, Principal of the local DAV Public School, under suspension following serious charges levelled against her.
Mrs Lal has been directed to hand over the charge of the school to the seniormost teacher, Mrs A. Kataria, immediately. She has also been directed to hand over the entire school property, including official cars, to Mrs Kataria against the latter's acknowledgement in writing to this effect.
The suspension order also states that Mrs Lal will not enter the school premises during her suspension or operate any bank account of the school. The order, which is signed by Mr T.R. Tuli, president of the management committee, says a charge sheet is being prepared against Mrs Lal and will be handed over to her.
According to school sources, Mrs Lal has, however, not handed over charge as Principal to Mrs Kataria. Talking to TNS, Mrs Lal claimed certain teachers were "indulging in mischief" against her for their own vested interests.
While admitting she had not handed over charge of the school to Mrs Kataria, Mrs Lal said she had explained her position to the management committee president after returning back from a two-month trip abroad. She said a one-sided decision had been taken by the management on the basis of false allegations and she had not been given any opportunity to explain her viewpoint.
The suspension of Mrs Lal comes after an agitation against her by some school teachers as well as the Parents Association of the school.

Plea to verify affidavits
From Our Correspondent
PHAGWARA, July 22 — Dr Raman Aggarwal, secretary of the legal cell of the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, has urged the chairperson of the selection committee for admission to the MBBS course in the medical colleges of Punjab to verify the affidavits submitted by candidates before putting up the final selection list.
In a written representation sent to the chairperson yesterday, Dr Aggarwal reminded her that she had cancelled counselling on July 14 of students selected for the PMET following complaints by students and their parents that some students appearing for counselling were getting the benefit of residence certificates in states other than Punjab. Fresh counselling of candidates placed in the merit list of PMET, 1998, was held on July 20 with students producing affidavits that they had not availed themselves of the residence certificates benefit in any other state than Punjab. However, some of them had submitted false affidavits.