HEALTH

Tributes paid to psychiatrist guru
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — Had there been a muse governing psychiatry in today’s “mad, mad world”, it would have felt a sense of pride here at the weekend. For, on that day Dr N.N. Wig, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the PGI, turned 70 and his span of patient-care came around 45 years.

Prof Wig’s illustrious students and friends from India and abroad presented him with a research volume titled “Mental Health in India —1950 to 2000: Essays in Honour of Prof N.N. Wig.”

Dr R.S. Murthy, Professor and Dean at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, has edited the six-part work which contains articles by specialists like Dr N. Sartorious, Dr David Goldberg and Dr Timothy Harding.

Prof P.N. Kulhara’s stamp of excellence was evident on the book as well as the celebration. Prof Ajit Awasthi’s contribution seemed immense.

The septuagenarian servant of the mentally ill was warmly felicitated by his former colleagues from the AIIMS (New Delhi) and the PGI.

SPORT

Basketball tourney

The 2nd Ishwar Shriman Memorial Basketball Tournament for girls was inaugurated here today at IS Dev Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, by Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Joint Secretary, Finance, UT. Earlier, Lt Col R.K. Singh, President of the society, welcomed the chief guest.

In the matches played today, Carmel Convent School, Sector 9 defeated YPS, SAS Nagar, at 27-11 with half-time score of 20-3. IS Dev Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, outscored Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, at 39-12 (half-time score of 25-4); and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, defeated Shivalik Public School, Sector 41.

In other matches of the day, Bhawan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, defeated Blue Bird School, Sector 16, Panchkula; Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, defeated YPS, SAS Nagar, at 57-24 with half- time score of 27-12 in favour of GGSSS-8 and finally Shivalik Public School, SAS Nagar, defeated DAV School, Sector 8, Panchkula.

Cross-country contest

Puran Chand of SGGS College, Chandigarh, in men’s and Amarjit Kaur of Ramgarhia Girls College, Ludhiana in women’s section secured first place in the Panjab University Inter-College Cross-Country for men and women competitions held today.

In the men’s section Anjeev Kumar of SGGS Khalsa College, Mahiur won second palce, while Sunil Yadav of GGD SD College, Chandigarh, third. In the women’s section, Paramjit Kaur was placed second and Jasvir Kaur of Saini Bar College, Bulhowal third.

In team events, SGGS College, Chandigarh, bagged first place, while in the women section it was Ramgarhia Girls College, Ludhiana, which cornered glory.

In the PU Inter-College Inter-Zonal Basketball Tournament being played on league basis, Government College for Women, Ludhiana, beat Government College for Girls, Sector 11, at 44-11 with half-time score of 29-02 while in another match, DAV College, Hoshiarpur, outplayed MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh at 44-30 with half-time score of 19-11.

Football tournament

The 13th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Football tournament will be held from October 18 to 22 at railway grounds, Kalka. Entries close on October 8 with Mr Lal Chand Sharma, organising secretary, at 479, Karari Mohalla, Kalka.

ADMINISTRATION

Admn to merge cadres
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — The Chandigarh Administration has proposed the merger of the cadre of employees of building branch of the Estate Office, with the cadre of the Engineering Wing of the Administration. This is to bring about a system of rotation in postings among the staff and bring about a change, said sources.

The proposal is to be cleared at the level of the Home Secretary. The building branch has six Junior Engineers, but they have a separate cadre among themselves. Presently, this means that these six JE’s can never be transferred out of the branch, despite any change. The need to expand the building branch was being felt and expanding the cadre would has served no purpose.

This is the first step towards merging various small cadres of the Chandigarh Administration. Due to this, resentment prevails among the building branch staff, who have reportedly petitioned the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking a stay on the merger.

Under the overall merger planned by the Administration in the long term, the entire cadre of engineers working for the Administration, the Corporation, Chandigarh Housing Board or other offices will be treated as one. Same will be true for clerical and other levels of officials. At present, cadres of all employees working in various wings of the Administration are different . Thus, a clerk in some office remains there, even if he or she is incompetent or happens to face any charges.

Even if some wing of the Administration is facing understaffing, it is herculean task to seek clerks from other departments, where the work-load may have lessened due to some reason.

PUDA third-time unlucky
From Our Correspondent

SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — The efforts of the PUDA authorities to give “something new” to the town backfired for the third time today as the auction of the “millennium plaza”, a freehold commercial site in Phase III B2, failed to attract bidders even though the reserve price was reduced by around Rs 2 crore.

The first two auctions were organised in February and March this year when the reserve price was fixed around Rs 9 crore. No bidder turned up today, as on the earlier occasions, leaving PUDA officials waiting in disappointment at the auction venue.

A shamiana was set up and other arrangements made for the auction at the actual site in Phase III B2. Earlier, auctions were held in a shed in front of the PUDA office building in Phase I. It is estimated that between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000 in PUDA funds were wasted as the Additional Chief Administrator (Projects), Mr J.S. Sekhon, wanted the auction to be held at the site itself. Around Rs 50,000 was spent on advertisements linked with the auction.

Certain persons who had come to merely witness the auction said perhaps only an NRI could afford to purchase the 4757.81 sq yd site. “It may be difficult for persons here to produce the large amount in white money,” said one of them.

A four-member committee with the Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, SAS Nagar, as presiding officer was set up to conduct the auction. One of the committee members, Mr G.S. Ghuman, Estate Officer, PUDA, said if the area was sold in parts in the form of showroom sites there could have been no problem. However, PUDA wanted that something new should be set up at the “millennium plaza” site which was ideally located.

Under the rules formed for the auction the intending bidder was required to deposit Rs 2 lakh as earnest money deposit. The purchasers could use the site for setting up a shopping mall, a super market, a hotel, offices, a video game parlour, bowling alley, a billiard facility or an eating house. The maximum ground coverage permitted was 50 per cent with the height of the building being six storeys. The construction of the basement was compulsory which was to be used for parking, services and storage. The residential component fixed for the site was up to 5 per cent of the total covered area.

Jacob to hold meeting daily
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 4 — It will be now a daily meeting for 30 minutes of senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration to review work on a day-to-day basis. The Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), will hold this meeting at 9.40 a.m.

The Adviser, the Finance Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Inspector General of Police will participate in the meeting, according to sources. Already a meeting of senior officers is held on every Tuesday and is chaired by the Adviser. 

Violations right under PUDA nose
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Oct 4 — In utter disregard of the building by-laws commercial premises in different markets of the town are being used for running different trades right under the nose of the local estate office of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA). The violators have made alterations in the showrooms and booths, especially in the markets of Phase 1 and 2, 3B 2 and 5.

The violations continue to exist even after the Finance and Accounts Committee of PUDA at its meeting held in August decided not to allow compounding the violations in commercial premises. A survey of the town revealed that such violations in the rear courtyard were not restricted to the shop-cum-offices (SCOs), alterations had been made even in the booths. For example alteration in at least three booths in the Phase 2 market (as seen in the picture) have been carried out.

Similarly the rear courtyard of a showroom in Phase 2 market is being used to run a chemist shop. Such examples can be seen in other markets of the town too. It is pertinent to mention that PUDA had recently decided to regularise certain violations of building by-laws subject to certain conditions after the payment of a fee of Rs 1500 per sq feet. However, the violations in the backyards of the commercial premises would not be regularised.

Meanwhile, PUDA at its recent meeting of the regional planning and design committee has decided to frame guidelines to check unauthorised constructions at the basement level and at the ground level.

It was also decided to check the tendency of raising the plinth of SCOs and SCFs which resulted in encroachments on pavements and berms.