Chandigarh, March 14
Critically and terminally ill patients, who have no hope for survival, will now be looked after better in the last stages of their lives as the UT Administration today tied up with a Sohana-based charitable trust, near Mohali, to run a Hospice centre.

The Administration will provide its building, while other services will be provided by the voluntary body. A formal letter was issued to the Sri Guru Harkishen Sahib Charitable Eye Hospital, Sohana, that a dispensary in Sector 43 had been allocated for this work. The dispensary can take in 10 patients at a time. This is a temporary arrangement till the Administration allots land and provides funds for the building. A provision will be made in the budgetary allocation for the next financial year commencing April 1.

A team from Sohana hospital has also approved of the place as fit for a temporary arrangement. The Administration wanted a voluntary body to do the work, as nursing such patients require a lot of care. And also, had the Administration taken up the project on its own, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would not have given clearance for the posts. The MHA is the controlling ministry for the Chandigarh matters and the Government of India has put a freeze on new posts and recruitment unless cleared by the Ministry of Finance. This would have taken several months.

The idea to run a Hospice was floated a few days ago when the UT Administrator, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) went to Sohana for the inauguration of the eye centre. He broached the subject and the same was accepted by the Sohana centre.

Chandigarh, March 14
Dr Kuldip Singh, honorary secretary, Indian Association of Laparoscopic Surgery, has been invited to the 8th World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery to be held in New-York from March 13 to March 17, 2002.

He will chair the scientific session and deliver his talk on “Complications in laparoscopic surgery” and how to avoid bile duct injuries in difficult gall bladder cases. He has innovated his techniques of performing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in difficult cases by which the incidence of complication is almost negligible.

Chandigarh, March 14
The rural sports tournament being organised by the Sports Department, Chandigarh Administration, began here today at the Dronacharya Stadium, Dadu Majra. It was inaugurated by Dr P.C. Kashyap, Regional Director, Sports Authority of India.

The various results are: kabaddi: (men) — Dadu Majra b Dhanas 38-28 (half time 16-18); (women) — Palsora b Dhanas 34-31 (half time 8-19); wrestling (45 kg) — Baljinder b Gurprit; (55 kg) — Davinder b Anil; (60 kg) — Balbir b Money and Narinder b Rakesh on points: (66 kg) — Jatinder b Ved Pal; (74 kg) — Charanjit b Satnam; and (85 kg) — Naresh b Jaipal.

Chandigarh, March 14
The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) here today set up two separate committees to look into problems of parking and rates to be levied on taxi stands. It also asked 19 institutions in the city to set up their own sewage treatment plants and levied a Rs 30,000 rental on city ahatas.

In a marathon five-and-a-half hour meeting, the committee disposed of all agenda items before it.

The committee invited the paid parking contractor to hear his grievances and asked him to pay the instalment amount before the committee goes into the problems of all sections of society, including the contractor. Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioner-I extended the time of the contractor to deposit money by tomorrow.

Members expressed their dismay at the information provided by officials on the differences of terms of contract during different periods.

The committee on paid parking will be formed out of five non-official members of the F&CC, which will file its report within a week if the contractor deposited the amount due in due course.

The committee will also hear the viewpoint of the contractor who today said that there had been arbitrary changes in the conditions causing him loss.

The committee on taxi operators will be formed by the Mayor in couple of days to individually fix parking fee on them at different rates considering their needs. The report of the committee will be submitted by the end of the month.

The PGI, Panjab University, Pfizer, MCM DAV College, SD College-32, DAV College, Chandigarh Bottling Company, Institute of Microbiology and Technology, Punjab Engineering College, Government Medical College and Hospital, Housing Board. Government College for Girls, Sector-46, and Government College for Men, Sector-46, GCG Sector-11, GCM, Sector-11, Home Science College and The Tribune will have to set up their own sewage treatment plants worth around Rs 20 lakh.

The F&CC decided that these institutions and the new ones in the future which are using 200 kilolitre will have to set up these plants in lieu of relaxation to them in sewerage charge for saving the city water and lessening pressure on the sewerage treatment arrangements of the city.

These plants will result in less bills of these organisations as out of 200 kilolitre, 100 kilolitre will be treated and will cost them no charge.

The committee also decided to slap a rent of Rs 30,000 on ahatas and increased the rent from Rs 10,000 per month to Rs 20,000 and from 15,000 to 30,000 on those 17 liquor vends which are functioning from municipal land.

The committee approved to pay Rs 25,000 to an expert from Bangalore on vermi-compost to give a demonstration on managing solid waste of the city.

Sanitation contracts, purchase of 100 garbage bins, bus queue shelters and BOT toilets on a private basis were approved by the committee, along with other agenda items with an increase in the rates of BOT licences.