HEALTH

PGI committee meeting on March 7
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — The Standing Purchase Committee (SFC) of the PGI will meet on March 7 to discuss purchase of some equipment for the institute. The SFC agenda includes 42 items.

Besides the discussions on purchase of two new CT machines and a high-powered X-ray for the Department of Radiology, routine items for the central store and dispensary, equipment for the Advanced Eye Centre, buying new buses for the institute is also part of the agenda. Some items from the SFC meeting held in December last year, which includes equipment for the Advanced Paediatric Centre, would also be discussed.

The meeting chaired by the Director of PGI, Prof S.K. Sharma, will be attended by the Joint Secretary Finance, Ministry of Health, Prof S.B.S. Mann, Director Principal, GMCH, Sector 32, Mr R.K. Jain, Chief Engineer, UT, Mr Ketan Desai, President, Medical Council of India, Mr Bakshi Ram, Financial Advisor, PGI, and Dr A.K. Gupta, Medical Superintendent, PGI.

Health hazard for residents
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, March 4 — An expensive exercise by the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) to check erosion by a seasonal rivulet, carrying sewage discharge of Chandigarh and this town, is telling on the health of the people living along it. Channelising of the rivulet has resulted in an uneven bed, leading to stagnation.

Accusing the PUDA and the State Pollution Control Board for playing with their health, the residents are taking legal recourse against the PUDA, the local civic body and the state pollution board for doing nothing to check the environment hazard. The plight of the residents of Phase IX is pathetic as nauseating smell from the sewage chokes their lungs.

Many of the affected persons are seriously thinking to sell their property in the area and move out. They lament that the government agencies have never been serious about the hazard posed by the stagnating sewage. Progress on a sewage treatment plant for the town has been tardy.

Enquires reveal that lakhs have been spent by the PUDA on channelsing the embankments of the seasonal rivulets and stone-pitching apparently without carrying out a proper study. Instead of flowing downstream the sewage is moving towards the embankments — attracting unhygenic conditions.

Highlighting the plight of the residents, Mr B.S. Tej, president of the council, says it has been decided to drag the government agencies concerned to court under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The council is issuing a two-month notice to the government agencies to take appropriate steps to check flow of domestic and industrial discharge in the rivulet. Mr M.D.S. Sodhi, general secretary of the council, claims that no steps are being taken to check the discharge of the sewage from Chandigarh.

PANCHKULA, March 4 — Over 500 school children were examined at a two day dental check-up camp at New India School, Sector 15, which concluded, here on Saturday. The Superintendent of Police, Dr C.S. Rao, was the chief guest at the function. A team of doctors from Bhojia Dental College, Baddi, examined the students.

SPORT

Amandeep, Moj Nath best athletes
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — Amandeep Kaur and Moj Nath were declared best athletes among girls and boys sections respectively, of the 54th annual athletics meet of Punjab Engineering College which concluded this evening on the college premises.

Vikram Kaul secured first place in the 100m event. Kartikey Misra bagged second place while Maninder Singh came third. In tug of war competitions, the Old Students Association overpowered present students. In women section, ladies team outplayed girls team. In obstacle race, Vivek Lohcheb was declared first followed by Sandeep Malik who was second. A march past was also held.

Mr Puran Jit Singh, Chief Engineer, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, was the chief guest and gave away the prizes. Rahul Gupta, PCS and Assistant Commissioner, Patiala, was the guest of honour.

Athletics meet

Tina Kochhar and Amit Kansal were declared best athlete among women and men, respectively, on the concluding day of the 8th annual athletics meet of the Government Medical College and Hospital here today at the Sector 46 sports complex. Mr Raj Kumar Goyal, Mayor, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, was the chief guest and gave away the prizes. Earlier Mr S.B.S. Mann welcomed the chief guest and highlighted the importance of sports. Also present on the occasion were Dr J.S. Chopra and Dr V.K. Kak former Director Principal of the college.

The other winners in various section are; 100 m — Gurbashish Singh; shot put — Basant; 4x100 m relay — Ritu, Manpreet, Ikjot and Ekta; 4x 400 m relay boys — Veerish, Anoop, Amit and Gurbakshish. Triple jump (boys) — Amit Kansal; high jump (girls) — Ritu Kondo; 800 m (boys) — Gurbashish Singh;100 m (girls) — Tina Kochhar; 50 m (Kids) (2-6 yrs) — Bratish; 6-12 yr — Amanpreet; girls (below six) — Ipshita.

Wrestling competitions

In the weekly wrestling competitions organised today at Bhim Dangal Akhara, here, Balkar was declared best wrestler. The other winners were, Pras Ram, Deen Dyal, Shiv Narain, Ram Nagina, Nirmal and Balkar.

Sports day of school
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — The Sector 31 Kendriya Vidyalaya celebrated its annual sport and prize-distribution function yesterday. Air Commodore Ambrish Kumar (VSM), AOC 3 BRD AFS, presided over the function.

Dr S.P. Shergill, principal of the school welcomed the chief guest and told him about various sport activities of the school in this session. The programme began with a welcome song by children of Class I, followed by various races. A dance item in the cultural programme was well appreciated. The skit programme also received a good response from the audience. A yoga performance by children was a graceful.

Air Commodore Ambrish Kumar urged children not to neglect sport.

Body-building selection trials
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — The Chandigarh Amateur Body Building Association today held body-building selection trials for the ‘Junior North India-2001’ and ‘Mr North India-2001’ events which will be held at Karnal on March 11. According to Mr Sunil Walia, president of the CABBA, the trials were held today at association’s office at SCO 62-63, Sector 17.

The results of the above trials are:

Junior North India; below - 60 kg — Nishant and Rabinder Singh ; 60-65 kg— Mohinder and Ajay Kumar. 65-70 kg — Rajnish.

Mr North India: below 60 kg — Gopal Baru; 60-65 kg — Ranjit ; 65-70 kg — Anurag Pandey; 70-75kg — Hari Narayan and Sukhwinder; 75-80 kg —Jaswinder and Prem Chowdhry; 80-85 kg — Rupinder; 90 kg and above —Satwinder Singh.

Cricket match

The visiting Delhi Police XI today defeated the Chandigarh Police XI by 54 runs in a cricket match played this morning at Police Lines, Sector 26.

Earlier Mr B.S. Bassi, IG Police, UT, inaugurated the meet.

Batting first, Delhi XI scored 164 (all out) in 24.2 overs. Harish Handa was the highest scorer for Delhi. He contributed 34 runs. Rajesh Sharma scored 28 runs followed by Rajesh Tyagi, Sanjay Verma and Gajendra Singh who made 22, 18 and 15 runs, respectively. For the Chandigarh Police XI, it was Pardeep who bagged three wickets for 26 runs, followed by Parminder and Vishal Sharma both taking two wickets, each, for 25 and 33 runs, respectively.

For Chandigarh XI, Vishal Sharma opened the innings and scored 31 runs. He was followed by Suresh Bakshi and Parminder, both crossing double figures. The Chandigarh police could score only 110 runs for the loss of six wickets in the stipulated 25 overs. Mr Sukhinder S. Bawa and Mr Surinder Singh ‘Baijee’ umpired the today’s match.

Later Mr Bassi told that soon a sports complex for police personnel would come up near Dhanas village.

PATIALA

PSEB lift TT trophy:
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) annexed the title in the All-India Inter-State Electricity Board Table Tennis Tournament which concluded at Cudappa (Andhra Pradesh) recently, according to the information received here today.

In the final PSEB scrapped past the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), 3-1, to retain the title for the tenth year in succession

ADMINISTRATION

HUDA technocrats submit memo
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, March 4 — The HUDA Technocrats Association has submitted a memorandum to the Chairman, Town and Country Planning, on the issue of creation of post of the Chief Vigilance Officer-cum-Enforcement Officer in HUDA.

Challenging the appointment, the memorandum said it had been made by ignoring claims of a handful of officers in the grade of the Assistant State Officers, ADOs and the Superintendents.

It was added that the post had been created essentially to monitor the growing encroachment on HUDA land, which the association contends can be done without any additional burden by promoting one of the officers to the post on the basis of experience and seniority.

It has demanded the redesignation of the post of the CVO as Enforcement Officer (Land) and withdrawal of duties of the Controlling Officer.

MC finance panel to meet on March 7
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — Various important and pending issues pertaining to the development of the city will be taken up during the next meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation, scheduled for March 7.

The Mayor, Mr Raj Kumar Goyal, said these would include renovation of the slaughter house in the Industrial Area at the cost of Rs 27 to 28 lakh, privatisation of streetlights and the controversial issue pertaining to the relocation of nurseries, which are functioning on the MC land on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road and fixing ground rent for cable operators. He said he would try to get most of the developmental works passed through this committee, till the other sub-committees were duly elected and started functioning.

Meanwhile, the Mayor, visited Colony No. 4 yesterday as part of “Mayor aap ke dwar programme” and heard the problems of the residents and personally assessed the situation. He directed the officials to put eight stand posts and make the defective hand pumps functional before the onset of summer. He further assured that basic facilities will be provided for better management of the cremation ground in the Industrial Area.

Residents pointed out the problems of water shortage and non-functional streetlights in the area. Besides this, the Mayor also asked the officials to make road gullies and change the broken tiles in the by-lanes.

With a view to provide better facilities at the cremation ground, he directed the officials to provide 6-7 water taps, a hand pump and streetlights.

Two watchmen will also be deputed at the cremation ground for security purposes.

The Mayor later visited Mauli Jagran and assured that all pot holes on the main road will be filled immediately and the community centre would be completed this month.

Fire dept to buy machine worth 3.5 cr
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 4 — The Chandigarh Fire Services of Muncipal Corporation is now geared up to purchase a hydraulic platform cum-turntable ladder at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 crore with a view to control fire and for carrying out rescue operations in the high-rise buildings of the city. The proposed amount was allocated for the equipment in the annual budget of the corporation for the year 2001-2002, which was passed by the House recently. Formalities to procure the same will start after necessary approval in this regard comes from the UT Administration, which in turn will sanction special fund for the same.

According to sources, the MC had passed a proposal to purchase this modernised fire fighting equipment in 1998-1999, following directions passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard. A major fire broke out in the civil revision branch of the High Court building on the night of January 5, 1996. The High Court issued a criminal contempt notice to the MC.

Sources in the fire department revealed that the ladder had not been purchased since the Chandigarh Administration had not provided any funds and MC on its own had no funds to do so. But the purchase of the ladder would be taken up this year’s. The allocation for the same had also been made in last year’s budget.

A senior official of the department disclosed that there were about 300 high-rise buildings in the city and the department is not well equipped to handle any major fire incidents in such buildings. But once the hydraulic ladder was purchased, the employees would be able to extinguish fire and rescue people trapped inside with ease even upto a height of 110 feet.

The House had also passed a proposal sanctioning 21 additional posts, including one sub fire officer, two drivers, six leading firemen and 12 firemen for operating the said hydraulic ladder. But since the machine was yet to be purchased, no posts had been created.