HEALTH

Docs fail to get ultrasound centres registered
Kulwinder Sanga

SAS Nagar, September 27
Doctors in the town are adopting a casual approach to the law on the compulsory registration of ultrasonography centres. So far, only four out of the 20-odd centres here have got registered with the Ropar Civil Surgeon, while three others, including one on the premises of a gurdwara, have applied for registration.

Apart from this, the Civil Hospital itself has sent the relevant documents to the office of the Ropar Civil Surgeon for its own registration.

On May 4 this year, the Supreme Court, disturbed over the misuse of technology for effecting female foeticide and the sharp drop in the male-female ratio, had directed the Centre and the state governments to strictly enforce the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT Act), and even amend it, if necessary, to remove the shortcomings. On the same day the Union Health Minister, Dr C.P. Thakur, had in a statement in Delhi warned doctors that their names would be struck off from the register of the Medical Council of India if they were found guilty of indulging in female foeticide.

Vide a Punjab Government notification dated June 20, 2001, the registration of all ultrasonographic centres, including portable USG sets is mandatory under the PNDT Act. But most of the doctors here have not taken the notification seriously. As per the records of the Civil Hospital there are at least 17 centres in the town using the ultrasound facility.

It is learnt that on the directions of the Ropar Civil Surgeon the local Civil Hospital had written letters to seven medical centres on September 19 asking them to get themselves registered under the Act.

However, replying to the letter, a doctor of one of the medical centres in Phase VII stated that his hospital was basically a clinic for general patients. And in emergency cases a qualified registered radiologist for ultrasound was called. And as he was not having the facility at his hospital it would be unfair to ask for the payment of a registration fee.

Mr Sat Pal Singla, Appropriate Authority, PNDT Act, and Senior Medical Officer in charge of the local Civil Hospital, said today that those hospitals which did not have their own ultrasound machine but a radiologist was coming to do the work there with a portable machine also had to get the premises registered along with the registration of the radiologist. The registration fee was Rs 3,000.

Dr Singla said the appropriate authority under the Act could inspect any premises where pre-natal sex determination tests were being conducted and initiate appropriate action against the offenders.

Dr Singla said that letters to all those medical centres using ultrasound facility who had not got themselves registered were sent today. They all should get themselves registered by October 15 failing which punitive action would be taken against them.

SPORTS

DAVSSS-8 shuttlers excel
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, September 27
DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, shuttlers clinched two titles in under-19 and under-17 sections of the UT Inter-school badminton tournament ( boys) concluded here today at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 23. The under-14 boys title was bagged by Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35.

In under-19 final, DAVSSS-8 outplayed Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, at 2-1 while third place was bagged by GMSSS-23. In under-17 final, DAVSSS-8 defeated GMSSS-16 at 2-0 while third place went to MRASSS-27.

In under-14, GMSSS-35 outclassed Bhavan Vidyalya, Sector 27, at 2-0 and third place was taken by MRASSS-27.

Results: (U-19) — DAVSSS-8 b GMSSS-35, 2-1 (Akash b Robin; Paras b Puneet; Akash and Puneet b Robin and Paras); (u-17) — DAVSSS-8 b GMSSS-16, 2-0 (Narinder b Anurag; Mandeep b Arvind); (u-14) — GMSSS-35 b BV-27, 2-0 (Gurkiran b Manish ; Ankur b Aman Sethi).

Meanwhile, in the Inter-School Lawn Tennis Tournament, St Stephens’ School, Sector 45, won the under-14 boys title when they outplayed Bhavan Vidyalya School, Sector 27. The winning team players included, Simerveer Singh, Rohit Malhotra, Akshit Chaudhary and Tanveer Sandhu.

Swimming meet

The MCM DAV College for Women bagged the Panjab University Inter-college Swimming (women) Championship with 65 points while in men section, Government College, Ludhiana, clinched the championship. In women section, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, secured second place while DAV College, Hoshiarpur, third and Panjab University campus was placed at fourth place. In men section, DAV College, Chandigarh, bagged the second place, Punjab Engineering college, Chandigarh got the third place while Panjab University campus team was placed at fourth place.

In waterpolo section, DAV College, Hoshiarpur, was placed at first place while DAV College, Chandigarh, got second place and Panjab University campus get third position.

Cricket championship

St John’s High School, Sector 26, outplayed St Joseph’s School, Sector 44, by eight wickets while St Kabir Public School, Sector 26 defeated St Anne’s Convent School, Sector 32, by 37 runs in the under-10 section of the 4th Blessed Edmund Rice Cricket Tournament played here today at St John’s School grounds. In under-16 section, Army School, Chandi Mandir, beat New Public School, Sector 18, by a narrow margin of eight runs.

Squash tourney

Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu of YPS, SAS Nagar, made it to the semi-finals of the Australian Junior squash championships, in progress at Sydney. As per fax message received the 12-year-old Harinder Pal got the better of sixth seed Zac Alexander at 9-2, 9-1 (conceded) and he will now meet seventh seed Nathan Kam who defeated second seed Tim Cowell.

Jr Golf set for exciting finish
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
Jaskirat Singh Dullet of Black Elephant Golf Club played a one-under card of 71 today to draw level with the leader, Harinder Gupta, in Category A on the penultimate day of the Chandigarh Open Junior and Subjunior Golf Tournament here today. Both had a score of 220 after the third round.

The play became more interesting since players were playing after the cut had been applied. The course was playing exceedingly well.

Jaskirat Singh scored three birdies and had 14 pars. Harinder Gupta of Chandigarh Golf Club also had three birdies.

In category ‘B’ (13 to 14 years) Karan Vasudeva of Delhi Golf Club continued to lead on the third day. He played a 7-over card. Following him was Madhav Verma, again of Delhi Golf Club. He also played a 7-over. After the third day Karan Vasudeva was on 236 and Madhav Verma on 239.

In category ‘C’ (11 to 12 years) local favourite Ajeetesh Sandhu continued to lead with a three-day total of 260. He played to a total of 87 and scored a birdie on hole No 2. Viraj Gadhoke of Delhi Golf Club played a card of 86, one less than Ajeetesh Sandhu. With a difference of one stroke between Ajeetesh Sandhu & Viraj Gadhoke, tomorrows’ match is going to be exciting.

In category ‘D’ (under 10 years) Young Kanshik Madan of Delhi Golf Club continued to lead with a two-day total of 184, Rahul Bakshi of Chandigarh Golf Club produced a card of 95 and had a total of 195 after two days.

Among the girls Manali Talwar continued to lead. She had a score of 84 and a total of 248 for three days. Neha Mafithia was second with a three-day score of 253.

Scores:

Category ‘A’: Harinder Gupta 220, Jaskirat Singh Dulle 220, Shaurya Singh 233, Lakhan Singh 235, Deepak Kumar 236.

Category ‘B’: Karan Vasudeva 236, Madhav Verma 239, Aditya Singh 244, Anirban Lahiri 246, Nitin Mittal 252.

Category ‘C’: Ajeetesh Sandhu 260, Viraj Gadhoke 261, Raghav Vahi 265, Fatehbir S Dhaliwal 267, Sidharth Seth 287.

Category ‘D’: Kanshik Madan 184, Rahul Bakshi 190, Madhav Soi 192, Abheyjit Chada 197, Madhav Bal 198.

ADMINISTRATION

UT gets rap on road projects
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
The Union Ministry of Surface Transport has taken the Chandigarh Administration to task, saying it has been slow in carrying out major works relating to new roads and double-laning of the existing ones despite getting Rs 3 crore for specified projects from the Government of India.

The Union Surface Transport Minister, Major-Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd), has written a letter to the Chandigarh Administration virtually rapping the Administration on its knuckles for the slow progress. In the strongly worded letter, the minister says the Union Ministry of Surface Transport (MOST) has sanctioned Rs 3 crore for double-laning and repair of the national highway passing through Chandigarh.

Out of this amount, Rs 1 crore was sent in April this year and nothing has moved for five months. The minister goes on to tell the Administration that despite the initiatives taken by the ministry no funds have been utilised and that no utilisation certificate has been sent. “Had the available resources been utilised, some of the roads in the Union Territory could have improved,” Major-Gen Khanduri adds.

Interestingly, the minister’s rap comes at a time when no work has been carried out on double-laning the outer Dakshin Marg despite sanction of the money from the MOST. Residents have been feeling that works have slowed down and the MOST letter makes it virtually official that no progress had been made.

Sources said in the past five months one needless issue after the other has held back the work. First, it started with the appointment of the Chief Engineer.

The contractors were not shortlisted. And till date the tenders have not been finalised. The Engineering Department’s middle level officials have been waiting for their promotions, while the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting has been postponed several times.