HEALTH

Project launched to boost immunisation
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 16
The Central Government has launched an immunisation strengthening project to reverse downward trend in immunisation coverage in most of the states of the country.

Five centres have been identified all over the country by the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, to train district-level medical officers regarding different aspects of immunisation.

According to a press note, the PGI’s Department of Community Medicine, headed by Prof Rajesh Kumar, has been recognised as a regional training centre for North India. The project will continue for two years.

A total of 356 District Health Officers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chandigarh and Rajasthan will also be trained at the PGI.

Four training courses regarding the project have been conducted. The fifth training course is being held in the Department of Community Medicine, PGI. A total of 15 delegates have reported for this programme.

The training programme will also focus on managing injection safety and monitoring of adverse events following immunisation. This is important in the context of a death reported after DPT vaccination in the first week of September in Ram Darbar.

The course was inaugurated today by Dr C.P. Bansal, UT Director, Health Services. It will continue till September 21.

SPORTS

Football tourney
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, September 16
All African Students Club outplayed PGI Club by three goals to nil on the second day of the Senior State Chandigarh Police Shaheed Samarak Football Championship played here at Police Lines, Sector 26. The half time score was 1-0 in favour of the winners. Lasto, Joel and Bashir scored one goal each.

In the second tie of the day, AG, Audit, Punjab, Chandigarh, got a walkover from PU Campus who failed to turn up. In the third tie, Golden Club, Panjab University, defeated Young Football Club, Dadu Majra, by nine goals to nil in a one sided match.

The half time score was 5-0. Narsis scored two goals, while one goal each was scored by Khomba, Mojnath, Kunal, Sheshnath, Ranjan, Baljinder and Sarwan.

ADMINISTRATION

NH-22 widening to cost Rs 436 cr
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 16
The widening of the National Highway- 22 from Ambala to Pinjore and Pinjore-Kalka- Parwanoo bypass would be carried at the cost of Rs 436 crore from the next financial year.

It may be noted that Chandigarh Tribune had reported on September 11 that National Highways branch of Public Works Department has decided to stall the widening of the Panchkula-Surajpur road for the time being. A sum of Rs 8 crore had been allocated for this work in the annual plan and this 8 kms stretch of road was to be widened on priority basis because of heavy traffic flow.

The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, said that work on widening this stretch of the National Highway would now be taken up in the next financial year. Giving details of other important projects under progress or likely to be started in the district, she said that NH- 73 from Panchkula-Shajadpur- Saha road is being widened to 10 meters in a reach of 13.5 kms., besides strengthening of the existing road in a reach of 30. 5 kms. at a cost of Rs 8.45 crore.

She also said that three major bridges on the Rehor link road, Toka village road and Murad Nagar-Bharauli road are under progress at an estimated cost of Rs 4.05 crore.

No housing board decision yet on clause deletion
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 16
The Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) Mr G.K. Marwah, today said the CHB was yet to formalise anything regarding the deletion of a clause regarding the ownership of property in Panchkula and S.A.S. Nagar to be eligible for the ownership of CHB flats.

He said the clause which said the applicant should not own residential property in Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar stood.

Anyone who had to apply for a CHB flat or get a flat allotted through the group housing societies had to give an affidavit saying that he/she did not own property in the three cities.

Mr Marwah said even the clause that required a person’s stay in Chandigarh for a specified period would stay. This did not apply to government servants who kept on getting transferred.

Dispute over HUDA staff resolved
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 16
The dispute over the transfer of the HUDA staff to the Municipal Council, Panchkula , has been resolved for the time being. The Chief Administrator, HUDA , today agreed to transfer two departments to the Council on a conditional basis.

According to information available, the Chief Administrator, HUDA , Mr N.C. Wadhwa, today ordered the transfer of sanitation work and work on the maintenance of streetlights to the Municipal Council within the MC limits here.

However, he said the issue of transfer of staff for these two departments ( a total of 43 ) would be discussed only after the posts for Municipal Council had been sanctioned.

It may be noted that HUDA and the council had been at loggerheads for the past few weeks over the issue of the transfer of staff. While HUDA wanted a total of 37 employees of the sanitation wing and six of the electrical wing to be transferred to the MC, the latter said that no posts had been sanctioned to it and, thus, they could not accept this staff.

Municipal Council officials had also argued that they wanted to privatise the sanitation work and the maintenance of streetlights, so that the staff would not be required.

Moreover, of the 549 posts originally sanctioned for MC by the HUDA authorities, only 104 posts had been given the approval by the Finance Department. MC officials have said that they planned to privatise most works within its limits here so as to make the optimum use of the staff.

It has now been decided to transfer the two departments to the MC , but the terms and conditions of this transfer will be worked out later.