Stinking toilet for patients in General Hospital
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH Oct 16— A toilet for patients, situated in the backyard of the Sector 16 General Hospital, is in a miserable state.

The condition of the toilet is so bad that foul smell emanating from it has engulfed the entire area inside the hospital premises as well as outside it, resulting in inconvenience to employees, patients and those visiting the hospital. Ironically, UT Red Cross is running a canteen, located near the toilet.

During a visit to the area, TNS found that the entire passage to the toilet has been blocked with trash and human excreta with foul smell all over making entry to the toilet impossible.

According to hospital staff and others, the place has been lying in a neglected state for past about four years, during which no effort was made to get it cleaned by the hospital authorities despite repeated requests in this regard. So much so that people even evade visiting the canteen due to lack of cleanliness in the area. "Can you stand and eat at a dirty and stinking place?" questioned a patient at the canteen.

According to Lala Mehar Chand,President of the Rickshaw Union there, the hospital authorities have been requested by them to keep the area clean by posting a 'safai-karamchari' but nothing has happened so far." The problem is so acute that we can't stand even outside the boundary wall of the hospital.

" When contacted, a senior officer of the hospital, requesting anonymity, said the place had been cleaned a number of times but the load of 'outsiders' is so much that it is just impossible to maintain even the minimum level of cleanliness. "The actual problem is created by the rickshawallahs who don't use it properly. However, we will look into the matter soon," said the officer.

Martyr's mother resents Admn's attitude
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA Oct 16 — They are living a nightmare since the death of their only son, Major Sandeep Sagar, who laid down his life in Jammu and Kashmir. Resentment over callousness and casual attitude of District Administration to the sacrifice is beginning to brew.

Mr Harbans Lal and Mrs Raksha Devi, parents of the martyr, have still to come to terms with what life has doled out to them. They contend that the treatment being meted out to war heroes and memorials in their names is blasphemous. Mr Harbans Lal maintains a stoic silence but the martyr's mother, more forthcoming, expresses her dissatisfaction at the handling of memorials, especially after the public contributing to various war heroes funds and lending support to these families.

"The Administration's responsibility towards making the heroes of the city immortal does not end by propping up a board in the centre of a roundabout or naming a road after them. Keeping up the spirit behind the action alive is what matters most and that has been blatantly ignored by the Administration," Mrs Raksha Devi says. She is referring to the poster-smacked board which reads 'Shaheed Major Sandeep Sagar Chowk'.

"Non-maintenance of the board shows the indifference of the authorities and their disrespect towards men of substance who, without a thought to their families and themselves, took the brunt of the Pakistan attack on themselves. Is their sacrifice being reciprocated in this manner and does this behove of officers who spend their hours in their luxurious offices and with their families," she asks.

Terming it as humiliation and insult, she says, "Instead of putting up a defaced board, we will prefer the Administration doing nothing at all. We will appreciate it if they give us charge of the roundabout dedicated to my son's memory and entrust us with its upkeep. What their promises and long speeches on appreciating the valour and bravery of soldiers boils down to is mere paperwork and shallow thinking."

The word 'Shaheed' is misspelt on the board and the writing on the wall is an indication that officers believe in undermining something the whole nation is proud of.

Even as she chronicles events, sympathy has given way to indifference. Mrs Raksha Devi's voice falters as she speaks fondly of her son. She manages to control her emotions and emphatically states, "We have enough to haunt us for the rest of our lives and though the Administration tried to take the edge off our grief, its effort failed. We will learn to live with the wounds but we cannot live with the disgrace the memorial brings."

She says officers and the Administration need to chalk out plans for maintaining these memorials to ensure the heroes and their acts of valour continue to inspire others.

Haryanvi film to be released
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — It is almost after a gap of five years that a Haryanvi film, 'Laado', will be released in cinema halls. This was revealed today by Kumud Chaudhary, producer of the film, at a press conference in Sector 17. Also present on the occasion was Ashwani Chaudhary, director of the film, a city-product who has been associated with Prakash Jha for many years. He also worked as his Chief Assistant in his latest venture 'Dil Kya Kare'.

He said this was the first 35 mm cinemascope film being shot in Haryanavi. The film, which has been partially funded by the NFDC, has reportedly been shot with a budget of Rs 1 crore, making it the most expensive Haryanvi film to be shot so far.

With an impressive cast of Arundhati, Ashutsoh Rana, Arun Bali, Rajendra Gupta, Vallabh Vyas, Sanjay Singh and Amita Udgatha, the film has also roped in renowned cinematographer Ashok Behl, known for films like 'Daddy', 'Fareb' and 'Anjane', and lyric writer Maya Govind.

"We wanted to make this a festival film only. However, we later decided to make it a commercial film. We also plan to dub the film in Hindi and release it throughout the country," said Chaudhary.

The story of the film is set in a contemporary Haryana village and revolves around a woman protagonist in a patriarchal society.

Written by Prof Surinder Chaudhary, professor of direction at the FTII, the film has been co-produced by Harvinder Malik and Satyaveer Huda. Its music is slated for a release in the first week of December. The art-direction is by Chhel-Paresh and costumes by Dolly Ahluwalia. The music is by Lalit Sen of the 'Choodi Jo Khankey' fame.