Chandigarh, November 14
After advertising the controversial post of the Director-Principal for HSJ Dental College here more than five times, saying it was looking for “quality”, Panjab University has ultimately proposed putting a professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences as in charge of the post.

What makes the case “intriguing” is the fact that the list of the earlier applicants to the post had witnessed leading names in the field. The university did not even conduct the interviews on all occasions.

Interestingly, the matter has been hanging fire for the past more than two years. “I don’t believe that the university tried for two years and was not able to find even a single person who could even be interviewed for the post,” said a senior senate member.

What has raised many eyebrows is the item number 51 of the Panjab University Syndicate agenda which has listed allowing Dr Karan Vashishst of Pharmaceutical Sciences to look after the working of the Director-Principal of the college. The job profile has made a special mention of the financial powers that he will be handling. While Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti was unavailable for comments, a senior official clarified that “the appointment was a short-time arrangement. The interview for the regular post cannot be held because of the election code for the forthcoming MC elections. He, however, agreed that going by the fact that elections were scheduled for December 17, the argument of a short-term arrangement did not hold merit. “On the last five occasions, the applications of at least six renowned dentists, including some from the PGI, were screened but no interviews were conducted. What has left us baffled is why can’t we let any senior faculty of the college look after the work till we hire a director. Will the Vice-Chancellor put a senior official from accounts to look after the work of the VC office next? The appointment is nothing more than a mockery of the university handling,” said a syndic.

Mohali, November 14
Almost a year after taking the “populist decision” to constitute Municipal Corporation (MC) for Mohali, the Punjab Government has taken a U-turn in initiating the maintenance and new development works through the headless civic body.

Now, it is looking towards the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to carry forward basic jobs such as putting up sector guide maps, carpeting of roads and providing high-mast lights in the commercial markets of the town, as the civic body has insufficient funds to carry out the works.

With the elections round the corner and the code of conduct likely to be enforced next month, the state government has fixed deadlines for completing various new development works. But it has failed to expand the boundaries and hold elections to the MC. The term of the councillors in the previous municipal council ended abruptly 10 months ago after the council was dissolved, leaving the elected representatives fuming.

As per the proposed budget for the year 2011-2012, the total expenditure on establishment and development works was around Rs 50 crore against a proposed income of about Rs 44 crore. Some additional funds through VAT collection were also expected. With limited funds, there were hardly any resources to carry forwards major development works, said sources in the MC.

Catering to the basic needs of the residents apart, the authority has been burdened with an expenditure of Rs 1,467 crore to carry major infrastructure development works. Justifying the allocation of the works to GMADA, NK Sharma, Chairman of the District Planning Committee, said with better machinery the authority was in a better position to carry out the works. “The MC has carried out development works worth Rs 50 crore,” he claimed.

On the contrary, GMADA has been entrusted with putting up sector guide maps across the town at a cost of Rs 4 crore. Recently, the engineering wing of GMADA spent around Rs 3 crore on the re-carpeting of the road from Phase 8 to Phase 11, a job that should have been done by the MC. The job of providing additional parking in commercial belts at a cost of around Rs 3 crore was also being looked after by GMADA. The job of maintaining the green belts has already been entrusted to private agencies through GMADA.

Chandigarh, November 14
It’s a coincidence that in India the World Diabetes Day and the Children’s Day fall on November 14. So what would life be for young school-going children suffering from diabetes (Type I), living without all sweets and chocolates and surviving on daily shots of insulin and a disciplined lifestyle, devoid of minor luxuries like even sleeping late on holidays? Boring and difficult, one would say so.

 

Parents should worry if the child has Excessive thirst Excessive urination Excessive hunger Sudden weight loss Wounds that don’t heal for a long time

There are about 500 children with Type I diabetes registered at the PGI, the youngest being a six-month-old baby. On this “twin day”, Chandigarh Tribune spoke to some of these children and their concerned parents to find how they cope up with their condition.

For 13-year-young Jasseerat, life hasn’t been very carefree ever since she was detected with Type I Diabetes six years ago. Dosages of two or three insulin injections have become part of her daily life, which is much more disciplined and routine compared to other children of her age.

With no sweets, chocolates and a restricted diet, Jasseerat misses out on the fun that her peers have but that has not deterred her spirit to lead a healthy life. A keen badminton player, she has already won two bronze medals in the under-13 category and has learned to live a happy life with her condition.“I know why I’m not allowed sweets and why I have to take injection shots daily,” she says bravely, adding that she enjoys whatever she does. Her father, Lavinder Singh, said, “Initially, I could not believe that my daughter had this disorder even though I suffer from diabetes.” He said he was very worried how life would be for her, but she had surprised him by being so cooperative and strong. “I’m proud of her and confident that she’ll do well in life,” he said.

Som Prakash is another concerned parent. His son Abhishek, a student of class VI, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was only three and a half years old. “We try to ensure that he doesn’t feel out of place in his class by not making it obvious that he has a problem. We treat him as normally as possible except for the necessary diet changes,” explains Som Prakash, adding that sometimes we feel bad for restricting him for taking sweets, fatty and oily food which most children consume it at his age.

Karanpreet’s mother Paramjeet Kaur still does not believe that his son is suffering from Type I diabetes. “He is just a class IV student and there is no family history of diabetes,” she says, adding that she is always worried about him. “We have to give an insulin shot everyday and the thought that he’ll have to live with this condition throughout his life worries me a lot,” she says.

Dr Sanjay Bhadada, endocrinologist at the PGI, says the biggest challenge faced by juvenile diabetics is that they can’t be as free as other children when it comes to eating, and travelling. They don’t have the luxury of getting up late on Sundays as their daily dosage is set and so are the meal timings.

According to Dr Bhadada, the need of the hour is to realise that there are many children in our midst who are suffering from diabetes and have an open discussion on it rather than being coy about it.

A concern that Dr Bhadada shares is that parents are more shattered than the children. They go into a denial mode despite knowing that diabetes is not so difficult to manage nowadays.

Chandigarh, November 14
A gentle teacher who was kind to her students, Prof Saudamini Bambah — who died here today just a few days before she would have been 85 — was known in recent years for her continuing social work, especially with the Blood Bank Society, of which she was one of the founders.

One of the few women doctors of her time, she did her Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (MRCP) from Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and MBBS from Patna. She met India-bound Dr RP Bambah, a Cambridge-educated mathematician, on a ship back from the UK and soon, they were married.

Dr RP Bambah joined Panjab University in 1952 and Saudamini served in the pharmacy department briefly, but the couple soon went to the United States for some years. Saudamini joined the Physical Education Department in 1968 directly as Reader, recalls her colleague Prof Gurbaksh Singh.

She helped the department by focusing on subjects that needed special inputs like sports medicine and exercise physiology. She also supervised PhD candidates, became professor, and then chairperson of the department, besides serving on various university bodies. Her role in collecting money for a school in the university, Ankur, is remembered widely. She retired in 1988.

Saudamini Bambah was the daughter of one Vice-Chancellor and the wife of another. Her father, Dr P Parija, was the first Vice-Chancellor of Utkal University, and her husband headed Panjab University.

After retirement, she became even more active and served various institutions. She was the president of the Chandigarh Chapter of Indian Society of Blood Transfusion, member, UT Adviser’s Advisory Committee, and was on the PGI Ethics Committee, Child Welfare Committee, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, et al.

Most of all, she is remembered for her helpful nature and humane qualities. “She was a remarkable person, practical, down to earth and one of the most helpful people I have met,” recalled Prof BN Goswamy, the art critic, who had a long association with the couple. “She had the extraordinary quality of being detached, yet feeling for the person who was in pain,” he said.

Saudamini Bambah is survived by her husband, two daughters, Dr Bindu Bambah, and Sucharu Neelima Khanna, and three grandchildren, Dhananjay, Dhruv and Vidhur. Her cremation will take place at the Sector 25 crematorium at 3 pm tomorrow.

Professor Bambah was a specialist of repute in sports medicine and an administrator and teacher par excellence as a member of the faculty in the department of physical education. An epitome of grace and kindness, she continued to be actively involved in various charities well into her retirement. Promoting the cause of blood donation was particularly close to her heart. She will always be remembered for her values.~

— RC Sobti, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University

She was privy to the Durga Das Foundation’s growth and always took pride in being associated with our activities. She was always on the forefront of bringing a social change. She will continue to guide us with her professed values.~

— Atul Khanna, director, Durga Das Foundation

She was probably one of the best medicos we had on the campus. She was not at the health centre, but still, everybody would go to her for minor ailments. We once remember that she cured a persistent coughing problem of a student by just changing the brand of the cough tablets he would chew while well-known doctors were suspecting tuberculosis.~

— Prof BS Brar, Dean University Instructions, PU

Saudamini Bambah was the epitomised strength of woman teachers. At times when men dominated policy decisions, she had the courage to speak her mind firmly. She was a great supporter of women’s education. Despite being a PU faculty member, she was a regular visitor to local girls’ colleges, where she would voluntarily help out young teachers, students and principals at times~

— Vijay Laxmi Sharma, former principal, GCG-11

Chandigarh, November 14
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on the request of councillors has spent crores of rupees on laying of paver blocks in the last three years, but ironically they are “clueless” about its quality, as the authorities have no yardstick to monitor its quality.

The authorities seem inclined to fritter away public money on laying of paver blocks in those sectors also where the existing footpaths are in a perfect condition and were laid short time ago.

In a classic example of plundering public money, paver blocks were laid in Sector 22 by replacing old solid tiles, which were laid only one year ago.

In fact the quality of paver blocks can be judged from the fact that they have broken down at various places. Similarly, in Ram Darbar, the authorities had decided to replace the old tiles, which were laid only two years ago with the paver blocks.

Interestingly, the authorities have no data about how many works are monitored every month by the department concerned. As per the corporation’s manual, once the work is completed the officials of the department concerned have to visit the site and issue a certificate of satisfaction to the contractor. But it seems that this norm is lying buried in the files of the corporation.

During the visit to various sectors, including 19, 22, 28, 29, 34 and 51 and Industrial Area’s Phase I and II, it was found that paver blocks, which were laid a year ago, have either broken or caved in. In some sectors, the contractor had laid paver blocks of different sizes. As per the MC manual, the compressive strength of paver blocks has to be checked by the registered institutions with the MC.

Even the policy recently framed on the laying of paver blocks is merely an eyewash as it does not clarify as to how much distance has to be left around the tree while laying the paver blocks. This policy has been framed recently by the MC, as there was great resentment among the residents of the city that concrete paver blocks were affecting the life of trees.

Records of the corporation show that in the last three years, about 10 to 15 old trees had fallen because of weakened roots as their growth has hampered due to laying of concrete paver blocks near to the roots. In some areas, even young trees had failed to grow properly because of haphazard laying of paver blocks by the MC’s engineering department.

Chandigarh, November 14
A sizeable majority of city residents will not have to pay the arrears on electricity bills in the next bill, as announced earlier. The UT electricity department has divided the list of consumers into different groups and will issue bills in a phased manner.

After completing the recovery of arrears from the first group, the department will move on to the other groups for charging arrears on electricity bills.

The decision has been taken following shortage of staff as also to manage the rush at collection counters.

UT superintending engineer MP Singh said they had divided consumers into four categories and would collect arrears in a phased manner. In every group, arrears would be added into two consecutive bills, he added.

There are around 2.5 lakh domestic and commercial electricity consumers in the city. The UT electricity department had decided to collect arrears from April 1 to July 15, after their review petition was rejected by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) — the body constituted to decide on power tariff in the union territories.

Following the directions of the JERC, the administration had announced a steep hike in electricity tariff, ranging between 27 and 31 per cent for domestic consumers and 22 per cent for commercial users, on August 3, with effect from July 16.

While the JERC had recommended the power tariff hike from April 1, the administration had announced the implementation of the new power tariff from July 16, with a decision on the period from April 1 to July 15 kept pending.

In the meantime, the administration had filed a review petition before the JERC for deciding on the three and half months, which was rejected and then the administration had decided to recover arrears from April 1 to July 15.

The administration had announced a steep hike in electricity tariff, ranging between 27 and 31 per cent for domestic consumers and 22 per cent for commercial users

Chandigarh, November 14
Convicts at the Model Jail Burail today got a unique opportunity to display their talent during a cultural programme held on the jail premises this evening. Hardcore criminals sang emotional songs, expressing their deep desire to meet their loved ones and feeling guilty of committing the crimes that landed them behind bars. The theme of most of the Hindi, Punjabi and folk songs that were sung by jail inmates was loneliness.

The performers, including murder convicts, drug-peddlers, robbers and thieves, among others, also presented a variety of dances and mimickries.

Israeli national Lior Avi Ben Moyal, a drug-peddling convict, was the main attraction of the colourful evening when he sang an old Israeli song while simultaneously playing a guitar.

Interestingly, Lior was assisted by a local drum and harmonium player during the performance. In all, 25 jail inmates participated in the event.

The programme began with a bhajan by Gurinder, who is facing a life term in a murder case. Apart from folk songs, Hindi songs, one Israeli song, Punjabi bhangra, mimicry and ragni were also played during the programme.

IG (Prisons) Alok Kumar said the aim was to reduce frustration, depression among the inmates.

The department of prisons has also taken the assistance of a professional music teacher and volunteers of a local NGO for training the inmates.

A four-member delegation of prison department of Bhutan was also present during the function.

Chandigarh, November 14
While the city was busy celebrating Children’s Day with usual gusto, the children of Dhanas were a disheartened group as most of their playgrounds had been encroached upon by the local milkmen.

In a novel way of putting forth their dissent, children sent a missive to UT Administrator Shivraj Patil and MC Commissioner Prerna Puri seeking a Children’s Day gift in the shape of evicting encroachers from their playgrounds so that they could play outdoor games.

In a letter, the children complained that four of the open sites, earmarked for playgrounds, in the area had been encroached upon by milkmen.

Earlier, these sites were used as playgrounds by children, but for the past one year, these have been under encroachers’ occupation and the authorities had failed to take any action against them.

Stating that children were aware of the fact that they had no say with the elected representatives, as they were not the voters, they said they still had the right to play in open spaces for their all-round growth.

In the complaint, they have also mentioned that local milkmen were using these parks for commercial purposes like tethering their cattle and dumping cow dung.

Heaps of cow dung lent foul smell in the air and acted as a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, which resulted in the spread of diseases.

Chandigarh, November 14
In order to get closer to general public, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, launched its website — www.chdmausam.org — here today.

Director General of Meteorology Dr Ajit Tyagi launched the website, which will enable people get instant real-time updates and other related information on weather and impending disaster situations.

The website will provide updates on weather forecast for select cities of Punjab and Haryana, time of sunrise and sunset, tourist information from climate point of view, climatological data, forecasts from NWP models and links to other important websites of the IMD and other organisations.

Besides, Web pages for meteorological glossary have also been included to familiarise people and students with the science of meteorology.

A user conference on “Weather and Climate services in Haryana and Punjab Emerging Issues and challenges” was also organised on the occasion.

The objective was to have a retrospective of the services provided by the department and discuss its future plans on the basis of the inputs received from the participants.

Dr OP Singh, deputy director general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, New Delhi, and senior scientists of the IMD, besides leading scientists of various state and centre departments, were among those who participated in the conference.

A book “Climatology of Chandigarh” was also released by Dr Tyagi.

The book presents the four seasons of Chandigarh by analysing a number of climate-time series, giving a detailed account on the data and the associated climatological conditions.

The website will provide updates on weather forecast for select cities of Punjab and Haryana, time of sunrise and sunset, tourist information from climate point of view, climatological data, forecasts from NWP models and links to other important websites of the IMD and other organisations

Residents sans good quality life

Even as stray cattle and dogs are a menace here, residents are also being deprived of a good quality of life in the absence of basic amenities. There is wild growth all around the sector and snakes have been spotted on roads several times.

Most residents of of Pushpac Complex at Sector 49 are retired Panjab University officers. Right in front of the complex is wild growth of grass, which poses a threat to life as it houses snakes.

The entry to the complex is full of garbage thrown by its residents, which emits a stink all the time.

This foul smell can prove a health hazard and an epidemic can take break out any time.

There is an urgent need to place garbage trolleys along the entry to the complex, remove the garbage and take appropriate steps to maintain the jungle nearby. The Chandigarh Administration should not wait for an epidemic to act.

Ujagar Singh, Sector 49, Chandigarh.

Mail your letters to voiceofthepeople@tribunemail.com.

Mohali, November 14
Students of The Millennium School, Sector 67, had a feel of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ as the staff of the school organised a special quiz and a show for them to celebrate Children’s Day today. The participants in the quiz were thrilled while sitting on the ‘Hot Seat’ to give answers to simple questions. The recorded voice of Amitabh Bachchan was used during the quiz, which attracted applause every time.

On the pattern of ‘Kaun Banega Croroepati’, three lifelines, ‘50-50’, ‘Ask a friend’ and ‘Flip the question’ were also given to the participants. For each correct answer, students were given prizes.

The contest was followed by a musical show, presented by teachers, which included a ‘shabad’, a group song in English, a semi-classical dance and a performance of ‘Sami’ dance by 20 teachers.

“It was the Children’s Day and so, our staff performed to make them feel special on the day,” said Komal Singh, principal of the school.

With the zeal to compete and win, students of Anee’s School celebrated Children’s Day. The day started with a special speech and a poem on Jawahar Lal Nehru.

The campus was filled with fervour and cheer. The students participated in games and an entertainment programme. Students participated enthusiastically in frog race, one-legged race, spoon and lemon race, banana race and hurdles.

At Smart Wonders School, educators became entertainers for students and put up a great show. The young ones were thrilled and enjoyed every bit.

It was a unique celebration as the students of Grade IV distributed sweets and gifts among children of ‘Sikhya School’. ‘Sikhya School’ students were overjoyed to receive toys and gifts donated by students.

At St Soldier School, Phase VII, a captivating puppet show about four friends enthralled the students. Mandeep Khurana and Sangeeta Nanda organised a game of translating popular Hindi songs into Punjabi.

At Golden’s Bells School, Sector 77, the students celebrated Children’s Day with great enthusiasm and exuberance. Teachers and students delivered inspiring speeches to encourage children to follow teachings of Jawahar Lal Nehru.

At Shishu Niketan School, a colourful and entertaining programme was held on the premises. Palak of class IX told students about Nehru. It was followed by the group song ‘Hum honge kaamyaab ek din’ by students.

Panchkula: ‘Child is the Father of Man’. With this theme, a declamation contest was organised for students of Hallmark Public School. Kindergarten students spoke on the topic ‘Myself’.

Junior students spoke on ‘Chacha Nehru’. Students of classes IV to VII expressed their views about the popular phrase ‘Child is the Father of Man’.

At Blue Bird High School, Children’s Day was celebrated with fervour. The celebrations started with the song ‘Bachche man ke sachche’. Speeches were read out to students.

Junior classes had events like dressing up like ‘Chacha Nehru’, monkey race, kangaroo race, frog race, rabbit race, fill the pot and skipping race. Classes VI, VII and VIII had basketball matches.

Children’s Day was celebrated with great festivities and innovation at The British School. Tinker bell and foundation year children had a party time all through the day.

The children were welcomed by ‘Minnie Mouse’ and ‘Donald Duck’. Children enjoyed fun rides and fun games. Candies were distributed among children. A magic show and a puppet show were enjoyed.

Jainendra Public School organised a special programme. The programme started with a welcome song. Saurabh of class V briefed students about the life of Jawahar Lal Nehru.

A show was presented by the junior section. They displayed the cultures of different states. This was followed by pageants and dancing troupes.

Children’s Day was celebrated at Satluj Public School. The celebrations began with students’ speeches on the significance of celebrating the day.

Students recited poems in English and Hindi. Students sang songs, cracked jokes, danced and performed. A painting competition was also held for students.

Chandigarh: The UT education department organised a cultural programme to commemorate Children’s Day. The celeberation started almost an hour late as students from Singapore, on a visit for three days, missed their flight.

The show put up by UT school students left all enthralled. The team from GMSSS-16 started the programme with an invocation to God.

This was followed by a skit by Ryan International School. Rajasthani folk, Gypsy dance, ‘bhangra’ and an action song mesmerised the audience. Amit of GMSSS-MHC, a runner-up in a teleshow, stole the show.

The British School, along with the NGO Global Environment Concern, organised Children’s Day celebrations.

These were aimed at involving underprivileged children in activities along with school students. A drawing competition was organised, in which 20 children took part.

Children’s Day was celebrated in St Anne’s Convent School, Sector 32, with great fun and fervour. An assembly was organised and the importance of the day was highlighted.

This was followed by various events like rock band, face painting, drawing and colouring, paper tearing, solo dance, dumb charades and puppet show.

Sweets were distributed among students. The principal, Sister Gracy, said children were the real strength and the foundation of our country.

Saupin’s School, Sector 32, celebrated Children’s Day with enthusiasm. The children welcomed Rosalie Gore, teacher-coordinator, Moor Hall Primary School, Birmingham, UK.

There was a promising magical hour of complete entertainment for all. A dance show was choreographed by Yachika, along with other teachers, to foot-tapping numbers. A game was organised between students of class X and teachers.

Children’s Day was celebrated at Delhi Public School, Sector 40. It was a joyous occasion for all. Various activities were organised for the students.

A special assembly was organised by the senior wing. The school rock band enthralled everyone with the rendition of various popular numbers.

The highlight of the assembly was a dance performance, which was a fusion of salsa and ‘bhangra’. To make it more eventful, the teachers sang a medley of songs.

Children's day was celebrated at Stepping Stones Senior Secondary School by organising a fete on the school premises. The event was a hit with schoolchildren.

It was organised by teachers and students and the returns would be donated. The school wore a festive look, with stalls of various snacks and skill-testing games being put up.

During Children’s Day celebrations, the premises of KBDAV-7 were filled with patriotism, togetherness and love for Jawahar Lal Nehru.

The colourful presentation of cultural items by primary school students touched the hearts of the audience. Senior students discussed global issues by participating in debate and declamation and speech contests.

Indoor activities like salad making, tattoo making, flower arrangement, poster making and rangoli making were held etc. All 2,750 students participated in some activity.

School principal Madhu Bahl addressed the students. Each child should contribute by becoming a responsible citizen for the progress of the nation, she said.

The library department of the Postgraduate Government College, Sector 46, organised an exhibition of books and charts on the college campus.

Various books written on Jawahar Lal Nehru were displayed. Dr. Shamlata, principal of the college, applauded the efforts of the library staff for organising the exhibition.

On the occasion of Children’s Day, the school of communication studies, Panjab University, began the hunt for the ‘Chhota RJ’ for its community radio 91.2 Jyotirgamaya.

The department took the initiative to groom children from Bapu Dham Colony for a period of time. They would be trained by the students.

Chandigarh, November 14
Naval wing cadets from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate have bagged the second position at the All-India Nau Sainik Camp (NSC) held at Visakhapatnam, in which cadets from all 17 directorates across the country participated.

The team, which returned here today, comprised 40 cadets, including 10 girls. They participated in 10 different competitions bagging a total of 21 medals, including 12 gold medals, one silver and eight bronze besides trophies in boat-pulling and shooting.

At least 32 cadets were from Chandigarh, with the remaining five from Nangal and three from Bilaspur.

They were imparted extensive training in boat-pulling, sailing and other subjects at camps held at the Gobind Sagar, near Una, and the Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.

Lieut HS Dhanoa (associate NCC officer, CPO MS Grover, PO RK Saini, GCI Mona from the Chandigarh Naval NCC unit and PO Anil Kumar from Nangal accompanied the contingent for the NSC.

Extending his felicitation to the team, NCC Additional Director General Maj Gen Mohabat Singh Virk distributed gifts to the cadets and encouraged them to maintain a positive attitude and strive for excellence in all spheres of life.

Commanding Officer, No 1 Chandigarh Naval NCC Unit, Capt (IN) GM Singh said the cadets had put in a lot of hard work and had started preparations from July itself, even on Sundays or other holidays.

The cadets are expected to be honoured by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on November 26, when he is scheduled to inaugurate another naval NCC unit Bathinda. This will be the sixth naval unit under the directorate and the third in Punjab.