The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

GMCH in telemedicine project
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — Government Medical College and Hospital Sector 32 joins the list of premier institutions like the PGI, Chandigarh, the AIIMS, Delhi and SGPGI. Lucknow to be linked to the prestigious telemedicine technology project for optimising medical resources.

Besides, the health care delivery in the city, which includes peripheral hospitals and polyclinic will also be networked during the next couple of years, revealed Dr V.K. Kak, Director, Principal GMCH, here today.

The proposal, which had been pending with the Ministry of Information Technology since 1999, was given a go ahead at the recently held steering committee meeting. According to Dr Kak, members of the committee were impressed by the project report, included GMCH for the initial trials which begin on November 15.

The project sponsored by the Ministry of Information Technology has been jointly developed by the Centre of Electronics Design and Technology of India (CEDTI) , SAS Nagar and C-DAC, Pune.

Telemedicine is the use of advanced telecommunication technology to exchange health information and provide health services across the time, social and cultural barriers.

It is developed to provide quality health care to people more efficiently and effectively. The new facility will enable doctors to maintain electronic patient records of their patients refer them to any expert in the connected hospitals for specialised treatment or seek expert medical opinion regarding latest techniques..

The project has been devised with a view to linking the entire medical set up in the country. Whereas major cities will be linked up via satellite, the second rung cities will be connected by the ISDN lines.

SPORT

Shivalik School win volleyball tournament
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — Shivalik Public School, Sector 41-B, Chandigarh, won the under-19 volleyball title, defeating SD Public School, Sector 32, 3-0 in the UT Inter School Volleyball Tournament final here.

The following are the results: Under 19: Shivalik Public School-41 beat SD Public School, 25-13, 25-17,25-17. SGGS School, Sector 35. finished third.

Under 17: GMHS, Sector 26 beat GMSSS, 16 by 25-9,25-14,25-8. Ajit Karam Singh International School-41 finished third.

Under 14: GHMS, 26 beat GHS 41-A 25-16, 25-20, 24-26, 25-21. The third was won by GMSSS-16.

YPS beat Xavier’s

YPS, Mohali beat St Xavier’s School, Sector 44, Chandigarh by 45 runs in the final of the under-16 group of the 3rd Blessed Edmund Rice Cricket Tournament here on Thursday.

Brief Scores:
YPS Mohali: 172 for 8 in 30 overs; Sangam 39, Bikramjeet 25, Simrandeep 23, Prabhjot 22, Bhoopvir 14, Yadavinder 13, Sahil 1 for 7, Dhruv 1 for 23, Bhavya 1 for 28, Girish 1 for 25, Amit Malik 1 for 32.

St Xavier’s School 44: 127 all out in 26.5 overs; Ripudaman 63, Girish 12, Atif Zia 5 for 22, Simrandeep 2 for 17, Sukhmani 1 for 16, Harneet 1 for 24, Bikramjeet 1 for 22.

ADMINISTRATION

Panel to discus sewerage plant’s shifting
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — The coordination committee of the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh Administration will meet on October 24 to consider the feasibility of shifting the sewerage treatment plant, after abandoning the existing one, and constructing a combined sewerage system for Chandigarh and SAS Nagar.

The meeting is being convened following a communication by Punjab Principal Secretary in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mr A.K. Dubey keeping in view PUDA’s long pending demand.

Chief Administrator of PUDA had earlier pointed out that the sewerage treatment plant, constructed in the early sixties, now falls in the centre of Sector 66 in SAS Nagar and the foul smell was causing inconvenience to the residents of the area, thus causing health hazards.

The meeting will be chaired by the Adviser, Mrs Vineeta Rai and will be attended by senior officials of the Administration, Municipal Corporation and PUDA, besides other officials.

Senior officials in the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation revealed that the shifting of the existing plant would not be viable and technically sound proposal.

The existing treatment capacity of the plant covering 47.8 acres, is 30 MGD for treating up to the secondary level and 10 MGD up to the tertiary level. At present 45-48 MGD of sewage comes to the plant. This further requires the augmentation of the plant by additional 15 MGD capacity, for which funds have already been provided in the Ninth Five Year Plan. Officials maintain that sufficient land is already available for the proposed augmentation of secondary treatment as well as tertiary treatment.

The corporation officials who are opposed to the idea of shifting maintain that the existing infrastructure for treating sewerage to tertiary level and re-cycling treated water back to the city for irrigation will become highly cost intensive and un-economical as going further down by 6 km will involve pumping at much higher head and laying of extra length of pipes. The recurring cost will also increase considerably, in addition to the capital cost.

The use of recycled water for irrigation will make available more drinking water for the city. Similarly, the project to supply bio gas for domestic use to Sectors 31 and 47 will become unviable and will also have to be abandoned.

The Administration has already spent Rs 1.6 crore on this project. Moreover, the existing plant is functioning properly and the dense plantation in the area do not pose any major health hazard for the population, they claim.

The minutes of the water supply and sewerage disposal committee meeting also reveal that they had not agreed to the shifting of the plant.

They had pointed out that either the plant should be retained as such and if PUDA insists then an alternate site of about 100 acres of land should be earmarked for setting up the plant on the east of Sector 48 and 55 nearer to Chandigarh.

The officials further disclose that PUDA should in this case also be asked to bear the entire cost upto the existing level of service at the treatment land, which would cost approximately Rs 80 crore at the present day pricing.

At present, SAS Nagar has no sewerage treatment plant and the raw sewage is being drained into a choe near Sector 63. Hence, they need to have an independent sewerage treatment plant.

Special teams to check octroi theft
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Oct 19 —— Special teams have been constituted by the local municipal council to check pilferage of octroi fee. The Executive Officer of the council, Mr K.S. Brar, said the main focus was to check the evasion of octroi fee as the movement of freight increased during the festival season.

As part of the special drive, the Additional Executive Officer (AEO), Mr Charanjit Singh and the Superintendent, Mr Tarlochan Singh, would supervise the special teams. The decision was taken at a meeting called by the Administrator of the council here today. The officials said three teams, each headed by an Inspector, would be on the round throughout the day. The teams would work in three shifts. A Gypsy which in the past was mostly used for sundry jobs, would now be permanently with the enforcement staff.

MC employees hold rally
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — A rally-cum-torchlight procession was organised today by the coordination committee of government and MC employees and workers near the Sector 17 housing board chowk to protest against the non-implementation of demands, which were decided between representatives of workers and the Chandigarh Administration at a meeting on November 13, 1999.

A large number of workers and employees, who gathered at the venue in procession, shouted slogans against the indifferent attitude of the Administration towards their demands. They appealed to the Administrator, UT, to direct the Adviser to implement the agreement.

While addressing the rally, Mr Ramesh Kant, convener of the committee, appealed to the workers to unite under one banner and prepare for next phase of action. The procession later went to Sector 22.

Their demands include all transferred employees from the Chandigarh Administration to corporation be treated on deputation with the Municipal Corporation; release of bonus; release of TA and DA and regularisation of services of work charged and daily wage workers.