The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Dental care camp
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 8
The Lions and Lioness Clubs of Panchkula organised a dental care, dental hygiene and dental OPD camp at Government Model Secondary School, Mani Majra today.

The camp was attended by Dr Vimal Kalia and his team of 10 doctors from BRS Dental College and Hospital Kotbilla. Two senior doctors visited various classes and made students aware of dental hygiene and care. Senior class students sought solution to personal problems.

As many as 200 students were examined by doctors. The students needing further care and examination were advised to visit their city hospital on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm for free treatment. The president of the Lions Club, Dr Pawan Kamra, said More such dental check up camps would be shortly organised”.

SPORTS

Sports bodies mushrooming in city
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, January 8
While on the one side India has been craving for medals in international sports meets, on the other there are so-called sports managers or officials who in one way or the other try to manipulate to grab coveted positions in sports federations. Furthermore, there are others who stick to their respective sports bodies but show no sincere effort. Consequently, one can notice a large number of bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen at the helm of affairs in these associations.

In the city and nearby areas like Panchkula and SAS Nagar, three different types of status for associations come into play. In Chandigarh, due to its unique status, a sports association gets the benefit of direct affiliation with its national body, while in Panchkula a district body gets affiliated with its state unit, and in SAS Nagar only a club-level body (micro level) is possible since it has to get affiliated with the Ropar District Association first.

During the past few years, city has seen an increase in number of sports associations.

City has seen the formation of new associations for softball, korfball, ball badminton, wushu, tennisball cricket and federations in karate for different styles. Surprisingly, parallel associations have sprung up in sports like football, athletics, etc., while three associations for cricket exist in the UT, out of which none has been given direct affiliation with national body.

In the past few months various associations have sprung up in sports which are not very popular among people. Last week, a national meet by Rugby Football Federation was held at Punjab University without any state meet to its credit.

Sports experts unanimously feel the need for a restriction on new associations so that sports persons are not mislead. They opine that unless basic infrastructure for any sport is made available, local sports council should not recognise any such association.

Cricket tourney

The Punjab Financial Corporation XI defeated Oriental Bank of Commerce XI by two wickets while United India Insurance Company Limited defeated Canara Bank by 44 runs in the 8th Inter-Financial Institutions Cricket Tournament, which began here today at the Gursagar grounds. In other matches, HSIDC outplayed LIC XI by 91 runs while Central Bank of India got the better of OIC XI by six wickets.

Sports meet

The Shahid Rajpal Singh Memorial Sports Tournament in volleyball and kabaddi was held at Government Senior Secondary School, Barwala. In this meet, 16 volleyball and 12 kabaddi teams took part. Budhanpur (Karnal) won the volleyball title while National Jat Sabha, Chandigarh, won first place. In circle kabaddi, Barwala won first position. Mr O.P. Godara, Joint Director, HUDA, gave away prizes to the winners. International coach Raj Dahiya, among others, honoured.

Wushu championship

The city Wushu team bagged one gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the 11th Senior National Wushu Championship held at Meerut from January 2 to 6. The medal winners were, Ramesh Singh — gold medal (45-48 kg) and Virinder Kumar — silver (60-65 kg). The bronze medal winners were Chandermohan (70-75 kg), Vishal Budania (75-80 kg) and Kalpana (spear).

Ball badminton

Sonika of Dev Samaj College, Sector 45, and Mukesh Sharma of SD Public School, Sector 32, will lead the Chandigarh ball badminton team in the 47th Senior National Ball Badminton Championships at Coimbatore from January 12 to 16. The team is: women— Sonika, Monika Panjla, Ekta, Anisha Bhatti, Jagdeep, K. Smiti, Monu, Monika and Gurjeet; men — Mukesh Sharma, Amit Chaudhary, Arun Kumar, Lakhbir Singh, Shiv Kumar, Vikrant, Harsimran, Jatinder and Navdeep.

ADMINISTRATION

PUDA’s bid to clear legal web for new sectors
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, January 8
As the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) is trying to clear the legal web entangling the proposed of five new sectors (76 to 80), an additional 200 acres of land will be acquired by the authority for Sector 81, proposed to be located on the southern fringe of the town. A clearance from the Punjab Government has been sought before the case is forwarded to the State Land Acquisition Board (SLAB) for approval.

The proposed sector has been earmarked next to Sector 80 which is being developed by PUDA.

The feasibility study of the project was done before forwarding the case to the Financial Commissioner Revenue, Punjab. The Housing and Urban Development Department would issue a notification after the SLAB clears the case.

Sources in the PUDA said since the land in Mauli and Chilla villages was more than five acres, the approval of the SLAB was required before notifications under Sections 4,5,6,7,8, 9 and 11 of the Land Acquisition Act were issued.

Earlier, the Land Acquisition Collector of PUDA had acquired 1272 acres of land of Sohana, Mauli Baidwan, Lakhnour and Raipur villages for the five new sectors (76 to 80).

However, 61 petitioners had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the dispossession of land and a stay was granted. According to information available, 35 petitioners had withdrawn their case.

Meanwhile, PUDA is learnt to have forwarded the papers to a senior Supreme Court advocate, Mr Venugopal, for filing a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court to challenge the interim orders of the High Court, which had stayed the dispossession of land owned by some petitioners. The Chief Administrator of PUDA, Mr KBS Sidhu, said the SLP would seek deciding of the case on merit.

PUDA has sought delinking of the case from the Anandgarh case, as done by the High Court while hearing the case of the 61 petitioners. Earlier, PUDA had decided to file an SLP after the Punjab Government withdrew its SLP in the Anandgarh case.

Last date for filing returns extended
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8
The Central Board of Direct Taxes has extended the last date for filing returns to March 31, 2002.

The Income Tax Department has taken a decision to implement its one by six scheme in 4989 more cities during the current financial year.

Last year the scheme was made applicable to 133 centers.

Keeping in view the fact that due to lack of awareness many could not file their income tax returns by November 30, 2001.

However, no penalty would be charged if the return was filed by March 31, 2002.

Under Section 271-F of the Income Tax Act, there is a provision for imposition a penalty of Rs 5,000 in case of failure to file the return.

Parties join residents against house tax
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 8
Even though the municipal council has released its formula for calculating the house tax to ease out the resentment among residents over the issue, the dissent continues with more welfare associations and political parties joining the residents.

The municipal council clarified that the house tax had to be calculated in accordance with the collectorate rate of the house and not in accordance with the rate of property at the time when it was bought by the residents. He said the rate of the house and the expense incurred in constructing the house would be taken into consideration.

The district president of the BJP, Kanwar Sen Singla, flayed the decision of imposing house tax and appealed the MC authorities to withdraw the decision. “All development works of the areas falling within MC limits are to be taken by HUDA. So let HUDA bear the expenditure”, said Lt. Col. Brij Mohan Talwar (retd.), block president of the BJP, Panchkula. Under the leadership of Mr Singla, a delegation of BJP workers also met Ms Jyoti Arora, DC, and appealed her to take the decision back.