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| Tuesday,
June 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Need to create awareness of rights among disabled Chandigarh , June 18 The awareness programme organised at the State Resource Center of the GMCH, Sector 32, is being attended by the VRWs, many of whom are also suffering from severe disabilities. Speaking on the occasion, the GMCH Director Principal, Prof SBS Mann, expressed his happiness at the hospital being accorded the status of State Resource-cum-District Rehabilitation Center. Lauding the work done by the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded and the WHO-sponsored workshops by the Orthopaedics Department, he said efforts put in by other departments including Eye, ENT and Psychiatry, in particular, were responsible for the upgradation, he added. The Head of the Orthopaedics Department, Prof Raj Bahadur and the nodal officer of the State Resource Center said more than five crore Indians were suffering from one or the other disability. Magnitude of the problem was multiplied by the scarcity of resources said Prof Raj Bahadur, while stressing upon judicious use of available funds. He said the State Resource Center would be funded by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment through the UT Social Welfare Department. And the money would be utilised to upgrade the existing infrastructure and facilities at the GMCH, training programme of the VRWs, transport facilities for the disabled and developing a database on the disabled persons in the UT. Elaborating on the training programme, Prof Raj Bahadur said 45 rehabilitation workers from 17 villages of the UT would be trained for one month on the basic principles, including early identification of the disabled. The stress would be on directing them to the center to obtain maximum benefits, he said. Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Prof Sunandan Sood, Head of the Psychiatry Department, Prof B.S. Chavan and Dr Nitin Nagarkar from the ENT Department also talked about disabilities in their respective fields of speciality. Dr VJS Vohra from the Navedec Centre elaborated on the role of the NGOs on successful implementation of the programme.
Chandigarh, June 18 The members of the team include Prof Ummareddy Venkateshwaralu, Chairman, Mr Maheshwar Singh, Mr G.M. Banatwala, Ms Sheela Gautam, Mr Anant G, Mr Vinod Khanna, Mr N.N. Krishnadas, Mr C. Krsihnan, Mr A. Krsihnaswamy, Dr Ram Krishna Kusum Arya, Prof R.S. Rawat, Mr G Gangareddy, Mr Absdul Rashid Shaheen, Mr Kodi Kunnil Suresh, Mr Shanker S. Vaghela, Mr Ravi Prakash Verma, Mr Cyeil John, Under Secretary, Mr J.S. Chadda, Senior P.S to Chairman of the committee, Mr M.K. Madhusudan, Committee Officer and Mr Tarvinder Singh and Mr Bhupinder Singh, Liaison officers. The committee has already sent a 51 point questionnaire to which the PGI Administration will give a reply. Besides during its visit, the committee members will review the ongoing medical education and research work in the institute besides observing the most essential patient care. Meanwhile, the PGI Medical Technologists Association (MTA), in a letter to Prof Ummareddy Venkateshwaralu, has demanded a revision of pay scales as per qualifications, nature of duties, responsibilities and the risk involved. According to the President MTA, Mr R.K. Khanchi, medical technologists in the PGI are given pay scales at par with diploma holders and at times even lower. The MTA has also demanded all allowance granted to the AIIMS employees be extended to the non teaching faculty of the PGI. These include hospital patient care allowance, transport allowance, conveyance allowance among other benefits. Medical technologists have also asked for cadre restructuring of technical staff, backlog promotion implementation of the second cadre review report and assured career progression scheme. |
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Garbage
bins health hazard for students Chandigarh, June 18 The bins have been installed in the ground adjacent to DAV Model School in the sector, causing problems for children, who have to bear the stench all the time. The problem aggravates when ‘Apni Mandi’ is held on the ground every Wednesday. Vegetable sellers never bother to remove the garbage from here after they pack up. Rotting vegetables and the other waste intensify the foul smell and adds to the insanitation. The issue of developing this land was brought up before Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, local MP. He had agreed release Rs 3 lakh from his local area development fund for developing a playground here. The land was indeed levelled and swings were also installed for children, but the situation has worsened again. Now, the MCC has placed garbage bins close to the school. The Principal of the school, Ms Rakesh Sachdeva, said, “Garbage bins near the school are a health hazard for students. It is not possible for them to study and bear the stench at the same time. The Residents Welfare Society of Sector 15 has written a letter to the UT Administration in this regard.” When contacted, the head of the society, Mr Satpal Sewak, said, “The decision of the MC to place the bins near the school is not wise. The society is converting the ground into a playground for children and the placement of the bins has made its task difficult.” Inmates of a girls’ hostel of the school say that it is difficult for them to live with a foul smell all around. They want that the bins should be placed at a place which is not near their school. |
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'Upgrade homoeo dispensary’ Chandigarh, June 18 In an appeal to the UT administrator, Lt Gen (retd) JFR Jacob, Mr Jand has said that since creation of Chandigarh, not much attention has been given to homeopathic treatment . The building of sector 47 dispensary is spacious enough to be upgraded into a hospital and if the need be, can also be expanded, added Mr
Jand. |
Golf Club to hold periodical
camps Chandigarh, June 18 According to the club president, Mr G.S. Sandhu, the club has produced international golfers like Jeev Milkha Singh, Aman Deep Johal, Irina Brar etc. Even a caddie of the Golf Club, Harinder Gupta, is a top ranking golfer in the junior category. There may be some Tiger Wood in the making amongst these youngsters. When asked regarding giving membership to up-and-coming golfers, Mr Sandhu said “in case we find some golfer with a single handicap has the potential to play for the country then certainly his case will be considered”. In the recently concluded junior golf camps for juniors subjuniors, the results were as under: Girls (Putting and chipping): Juniors — Jaskirat Matharoo 1, Ishika 2. Subjuniors — Ishita 1, Gyatri 2. Boys: Under 8 years — Sumaer Sandhu 1, Pranav 2. Under 10 years — Sultan Singh 1, Uday 2. Under 14 years — Shabez 1, Angad Matharoo 2. Under 15 years — Harkaran Virk 1, Vikram 2. |
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132-run victory for Godrej Cricket Club Chandigarh, June 18 Winning the toss and electing to field, Bedi Cricket Club struck two early blows. Gurinder Saini played a brief knock of 35 runs in 29 balls. It was, however, Arun Tuli (105 n.o.) and Bagheswar Bisht (61) who laid the foundation of the innings with a solid partnership of 140 runs. Tuli completed his century in just 54 balls of which the second fifty came off just 19 balls. Godrej Cricket Club scored 272 runs in the allotted 25 overs. Bedi Cricket Club got off to a flying start through openers Navtej Singh (42) and Ajay (39). The duo scored 100 runs off 72 balls. However, the introduction of left arm spinner Arun Tuli changed the completion of the innings as he took four wickets for 21 runs and broke the backbone of Bedi Cricket Club. Arun Tuli was declared ‘Man of the Match’ Brief scores: Godrej Cricket Club. 272 for 4 in 25 overs ( G Saini 35, Arun Tuli 105 n.o., Bagheswar Bisht 61); Bedi Cricket Club: 140 all out in 21 overs (Navtej 42, Ajay Disodia 39, Arun Tuli 4 for 21, Umesh 2 for 20, Krishan 2 for 38). |
MCC panel decides to privatise streetlights Chandigarh, June 18 The committee recommended that sealed tenders be invited for auctioning the parking sites adjoining Piccadily, Neelam, Batra, KC and Nirman cinemas. Taking up the issue of privatisation the maintenance of streetlights, the members decided to undertake privatisation in one-third of the city to begin with. Highlighting the comparative figures of expenditure, it was pointed out that MC will benefit to the tune of Rs 23 lakh, as one-time maintenance cost of the same will be Rs 22.21 lakh if maintained by a private agency instead of Rs 45.21 lakh if maintained by the department. Further, the recurring cost of maintenance will be Rs 65.67 lakh if maintained by the department and it will be Rs 47.50 if maintained
through the private agency. It has been decided that all the sectors north of Udyog Path, excluding the Industrial Area, Sector 26 and beyond Udyog Path, will be privatised in the first stage and will be divided into four blocks. The revised estimate of Rs 1.26 lakh was passed for undertaking pending electrical installations work in the MC building, which includes replacement of burnt wires and additional fans and other fittings. The members also approved a balance sum of Rs 25,732 for providing and fixing LAN for computerisation of various functions of the corporation. The estimate of Rs 15.37 lakh for improvement of intersection of V-3 and V-4 road between Sectors 36 and 37 by providing automatic traffic signal control was also passed. A sum of Rs 5.26 lakh was passed for constructing a pipeline coming in the alignment of newly proposed road near Raen Basera and Gobindpura, Mani Majra. An estimate of Rs 5 lakh was passed for constructing four toilet blocks, including public health services and internal electrification in the markets of Ram Darbar Colony, Industrial Area, Phase-II. The item pertaining to granting permission to sugarcane juice sellers of Mani Majra to sell juice along roadside was deferred since the members proposed that the sites be visited before permission is given. The members also passed an estimate of Rs 13.59 lakh for providing sump and booster in Mauli Jagran Colony, Phase-II, to meet the increased demand of water. Another tubewell is being installed. Besides this, the committee passed the estimates of Rs 4.46 lakh for providing external electrification at the Sector 26 Waterworks, Rs 2.99 lakh for the Sector 12 Waterworks, Rs 4.21 lakh for the Sector 37 Waterworks and Rs 4.87 lakh for the Sector 32 Waterworks. The estimate of Rs 19.97 lakh for construction of a fire station in Sector 26 was also passed. While estimates of Rs 6.42 lakh and Rs 6.12 were passed for the recarpeting of the internal roads in rehabilitation colony, Ram Darbar, the members proposed that due attention should also be paid to the repair of roads in other rehabilitation colonies. since they
happen to be in a very bad shape. It was also decided to hand over the maintenance and operation of cattle pond, Sector 45, to Mr Mahender Pratap Singla. As per the terms and conditions, he will maintain the building of the cattle pond, supply fodder and drinking water to the animals; provide medical care and treatment to the animals, cleaning of the pond, etc. However, the bill for water and electricity will be paid by the MC and that he will not transfer the work to any other agency or use it for some other purpose. Further the fine and feeding charges in respect of the impounded animals will be collected by the MC. It will be given on an annual lease for a period of three years. Estimates of Rs 13.85 lakh, Rs 13.42 lakh and Rs 14.15 lakh were passed for boring and installing tubewells in Sector 22, 18 and Ram Darbar, Industrial Area, Phase-II, in lieu of an un-economical tubewell and two abandoned tubewells. The auction of condemned vehicles at revised reserve prices was approved. The members gave their consent with regard to the MC Commissioner going ahead with the payment of ex-gratia payments to the employees. Even for an item pertaining to recently approved Ganguwal project, the members suggested that sealed tenders be invited. The meeting was attended by F and CC members, Mr R.K. Aggarwal, Mr R.S. Kailey, Ms Ranjana Shahi, MC
Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, and officials. |
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Will encroachments be legalised
or villagers shifted? Panchkula, June 18 A meeting of the government-constituted committee to decide the matter is scheduled to organise a public-hearing in the village on June 23 while the district revenue office has been asked to provide the collector rate in three days to the committee members. With absenteeism dominating the earlier meetings of the committee, nothing concrete could be achieved in the six rounds of closed-door talks amongst the officials. This time the committee has decided to approach the affected villagers and hear their pleadings against being displaced. The problem of encroachment by villagers dates back to 1963 when 69 acres of land was allotted for defence and the rest of it, 341 acres, was declared as Protected Forest Area, not in possession of any individual according to the jamabandi of 1970-71. However, with the establishment of Chandi Mandir which displaced the village of Darra Kharoni, local people entered this land and constructed temporary huts. From a record of seven families, the list, now, has grown to 927 illegal houses in the forest area. Unable to remove encroachments, the Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, was informed and a report was submitted to the Forest Minister in 1982 which specified the existence of 268 houses in 13.56 acres on the basis of a survey. In 1994, at a meeting under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, it was decided that the villagers be resettled at panchayat land available nearby or market price be charged for the prime land in case of legalising of the encroachments. Between warding off political pressure and a failed attempt to initiate eviction proceedings against villagers, a fresh survey was conducted in June 1998-2000 by the Forest Department which found the number of houses had risen to 807, 124 at Gate number 1 near Chandimandir and 687 in Julamgarh. Also, despite directions for demolishing the houses on forest land, the matter has been kept on the backburner for fear of a law and order problem and extension of facilities like panchayat ghar, water and electricity to the villagers by the state government. At one meeting of the Departments of Forest, Town and Country Planning, Revenue, Panchayat and the Administration, chaired by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests in July, 2000, it was decided that the villagers could not be ``thrown out’’ after being provided with facilities. However, the Punjab and Haryana High court had ordered demolition of the unauthorised structures while the villagers are pressing for regularising the encroachment. A hitch in regularising the settlement has come by way of the ``encroachments’’ being unable to fulfill eligibility criteria evolved for the forest land by the state for settlements before 1980.
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Enforcement
staff remove jhuggis Chandigarh, June 18 The MC Enforcement wing, meanwhile, issued 124 challans. These included in 34 in Mani Majra, nearly 26 in northern sectors, including Sectors 14, 15, 16, 17, 22 and the PGI and about 64 in the southern sectors of 23, 35 and 46. Among those challaned in the southern sectors were two big sweet shops owners in Sector 46 who had made major encroachments in the area and were issued four odd challans for various offences. The staff also seized their goods lying on the MC land. These routine drives are supervised by the Enforcement Inspectors along with three sub-inspectors on daily basis in their respective areas. Both the northern and the southern sectors are divided into three subdivisions to ensure proper survey of these areas. |
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Govt decides to decontrol
sugar Chandigarh, June 18 According to informed sources, the only hitch in the implementation of the decision is lack of a consensus among the state governments over the issue of sugar being supplied through the public distribution system(PDS). The Union Food and Supplies Ministry has convened a meeting of the Food Secretaries of the states in Delhi on June 20 to discuss the modalities of the scheme. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance Government has already diluted the PDS to a large extent. First, the government made income tax payees ineligible for drawing sugar and other essential commodities from the PDS. Later, it excluded all above poverty line(APL) families from the purview of the PDS, which now caters to only the below poverty line(BPL) families, which get about 500 gm of sugar per member of the family per month. According to the Lakrawala Committee, about 25 per cent of the Indian population still fall in the category of the BPL. The state governments are apprehensive of annoying the vote banks by withdrawing subsidy on sugar to these families. They want that a mechanism should be evolved to cater to the needs of this section of the population, without putting any financial burden on the states. A proposal has been mooted that the Centre should buy sugar from the open market and supply it to the BPL families on subsidised rates. The sources say the Centre is not averse to the proposal because it feels that given the quantum of corruption and misappropriation in the PDS, the new scheme would benefit the BPL families more than the present system. The new scheme, it feels, would also entail less financial burden on the public exchequer because after the decontrol of the sugar, there would not be much difference in the price of the commodity in the open market and that being charged under the PDS. At present the issue price of sugar for the PDS is about Rs 13 a kg against about Rs 17 a kg in the open market. The sources say after sugar is decontrolled, the sugar mills will have a free hand in chalking out their marketing strategies as no levy would be imposed on them. |
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