The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Burn treatment centre planned
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
While the much-awaited Artificial Limbs Centre at the Western Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir, is expected to become functional next month, it will have an independent, full-fledged burns treatment centre and CT scan facilities only by the year-end.

The Hospital Commandant, Maj Gen Partap Dayal said a state-of-the-art Artificial Limbs Centre (ALC) would start functioning from next month. He added that the facilities for treating burn injuries, presently being run on an ad hoc basis in another department, would be upgraded to form a new, independent department which was expected to be operational by the year-end.

The centre will benefit a large number of battle casualties as well as ex-servicemen in the region who require artificial limbs. The ALC at Pune has been meeting requirements of affected persons, requiring them to travel long distances or wait for long periods. The artificial limbs, to be manufactured here as per individual requirements, will be patient-friendly and light weight with better aesthetics, requiring practically no maintenance.

Equipment for manufacturing artificial limbs has already been received and technology for the purpose is being made available by the ALC, Pune. The centre will have a manpower of 22 personnel, including two civilians. A new building for the ALC on the hospital premises has been approved and is expected to be complete by August 2002. Till then, the ALC will function from a temporary location.

Besides, ALCs are also being set up at Base Hospital, Delhi, and the 152 Base Hospital. The estimated cost of each ALC is stated to be around Rs 2 crore, which is being made available from the National Defence Fund.

Meanwhile, the paperwork for setting up an independent burn treatment centre has been completed. Though facilities to treat burn injuries are already available, efforts have been made towards establishing a full-fledged, independent centre for this speciality.

The reason for this, doctors say, is that treating burn injuries is a long-drawn, multi-speciality process. A patient suffering from severe burn injuries requires treatment for shock, loss of body fluids, toxins and other harmful residues resulting from charred flesh and, in cases, skin grafting or reconstructive surgery.

Requisite staff, including classified specialists, are already available at the hospital, doing away with the need for additional postings at the centre.

SPORT

Greening the greens
Golf Club goes hi-tech
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
After the Health Club and Driving Range the Chandigarh Golf Club will now concentrate on improving the greens and fairways.

According to Mr Bobby Sandhu, Captain of the course, the Golf Club will now use the latest equipment to improve the course of the country. The club has developed a “leaf collector” attached with a tractor which like the “golf ball retriever” will pick up the leaves thereby cutting down on manual labour and giving a neat look to the grass, especially in the forthcoming autumn season.

Sand required for the greens used to be seived manually. Now with the “sand seiving machines” which are being operated electrically, this process will become very fast.

Out of 18 greens, 12 are having Bermuda grass. This year two more greens having Calcutta grass will be replaced by Bermuda grass.

A special “thermometer” to check the ground temperature has been procured. In case the temperature goes down during the winter, fertilisers like phosphate are added immediately to increase the temperature so that the grass may not be affected.

There was a problem of water-logging near the sprinklers due to an increase in sudden water pressure inside the pipes. Now with the installation of the two pressure release valves on both pumping stations, seepage has been stopped as whenever there is an increase in pressure of more than 6 kg. The water is automatically released from these valves.

ADMINISTRATION

Mani Majra office to issue certificates
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
Residents of Mani Majra, Mauli Jagran and nearby areas will no longer have to come to the Sector 17 office of the Registrar of Births and Deaths to procure birth and death certificates. The same can now be obtained from the sub-office of the Municipal Corporation in Mani Majra where two officials have been deputed for issuing the same.

The necessary permission to this effect was granted by the UT Finance Secretary, Mr Rakesh Singh, who is also Secretary, Local Bodies, today and the same will start functioning in a day or two. This takes care of a long-pending demand of the residents of the area, who had to come all the way to the Sector 17 office to get these certificates. Many a time, due to heavy rush there was a lot of delay in issuing these certificates and people had to return disappointed.

BSNL’s directive
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has urged all offices to furnish correct information about the names, designations and telephone numbers of their officers to the commercial officers concerned immediately.

According to a press note, data for publishing the new directory of the Chandigarh Telecom District was being updated and the printed.

House tax to be discussed
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, March 26
A proposal to impose house tax on commercial property within the SAS Nagar municipal limits is expected to be discussed in the next meeting of the civic body. However, there is no move to impose a house tax on residential property as the Punjab Government has already issued orders in this regard.

The move to impose house tax on commercial property at a rate of 10 per cent of the rental value of the property follows a Local Government directive to the civic body, asking it to take its own decision in this regard.

Sources in the council said, as the period of the notification exempting levying of house tax on commercial property expired on March 31, 2000, the Executive Officer had sought a clarification from the Local Government Department on this issue. The Executive Officer wanted to know whether the government was trying to exempt the commercial property from house tax or not. The Local Government had left the decision to the civic body.

Once the tax is approved by the civic body, an intensive survey would be conducted to find the number of commercial properties in the town and the rental value of these. Though the civic body has powers to decrease the rate of the house tax, income from this is expected to be in crores as it was fast-developing commercial centre.

MC carries out anti-encroachment drive
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
The anti-enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation today removed a series of encroachments in various sectors of the city.

More than 100 challans were issued to shopkeepers in Sectors 7, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22 and Industrial Area -I for encroaching upon public corridors and the MC land.

According to information available, 10-15 mechanics were today removed from behind the Sector 15 market and their `petis’ were seized by the staff.

Nearly 25 other shopkeepers, including ice-cream vendors, cigarette sellers and others were also challaned during the drive in Sector 15.

The rehri market in Sector 11 was once again cleared off of encroachments by dhaba owners for the third time.

Two trucks and 20 odd labourers were used during the drive led by Inspector Enforcement, Mr Kashmira Singh.

F&CC meeting not held
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26
The meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee (F and CC) of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh was not held today. The new date for the same is yet to be decided, but will most probably be held a day or two after the House meeting on March 28.

Source reveal that the same was postponed since the Mayor and other senior officials of MCC were to attend the inauguration of the four lane Chandigarh-Panchkula bridge by the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lt Gen (retd) J.F.R. Jacob at 11.30 a.m. This would have clashed with the timing of the scheduled F and CC meeting at 11 a.m.