Doctors urged to work with missionary zeal
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, October 10
Doctors and the paramedical staff in government hospitals should change their attitude and start working with missionary zeal to win back the confidence of the people.

This was stated by Mr R.C. Dogra, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, after inaugurating the extension block of the Civil Hospital here yesterday. He said it was unfortunate that the staff in hospitals had no will to work and as such people had lost confidence in government hospitals.

Stressing the need to provide good services to the people, the minister said most patients should be treated in the hospital here instead of referring them to the PGI or GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

Talking about the privatisation of government hospitals in the state, Mr Dogra said poor persons could not afford to get themselves treated in private hospitals. He said even if the government laid down certain conditions on the working of private hospitals, it would not be able to help the needy.

He said in government hospitals, free treatment was allowed for certain categories like those possessing yellow cards etc. Now the government had decided to give more powers to SMOs who were incharge of hospitals to help the poor persons. If a patient could not produce a yellow card or any other proof of being a needy person the SMO and the DMC could decide whether he deserved to be given free treatment.

Mr Ramesh Dutt Sharma, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, said the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) had improved 154 hospitals in the state. They have been provided better equipment. He said except the CT scan, all other facilities were available in the hospital here. There was a need to provide more doctors.

He said doctors and politicians had opposed the setting up of the PHSC in 1996 and termed it as an anti-employee step. But now hospitals in the state had been provided with better facilities by the PHSC.

SPORTS

Sole Punjab girl in national team
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, October 10
Meet the wonder girl on wheels from Patiala, who is the only girl from Punjab in the 10-member Indian team for the World Women’s Roller Hockey Championship being held in Portugal. The championship will conclude on October 12. The girl, Heena Bharti, was recently interviewed by Parikshat Sahni for the programme ‘Ubharte Sitare’.

Heena was also honoured by the Vice-President of India in February. She has done exceptionally well to be the sole skater from her state to don the national colours.

Earlier, Heena, a Class X student of Patiala’s St Peter’s Academy, was also in the Indian women’s roller hockey team for the Asian Skating Meet held in Chinese Taipei in October 2001. She has performed well in the last two Senior National Skating Meets, earning two gold medals and one silver in the 39th nationals at Visakhapatnam and one gold medal and two silvers in the previous essay at Faridabad in 2000.

Four silver medals came her way in the 46th National Skating Meet at Panchkula in 2000. Besides, she has won various tournaments in Punjab over the past five years.

This wonder girl gives the credit of her success to her parents, who have been supportive and motivating. Be it sport, studies or co-curricular activities, she is a success.

Special Olympics begins
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, October 10
‘Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me brave in the attempt.’ With this oath, Thursday marked the beginning of the three-day Special Olympics in badminton and table tennis at two different venues. Earlier, the torch run was flagged off by Flying Sikh Milkha Singh from Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, and finally it was culminated at Sector 42 Sports Complex. Mr G.K. Marwah, Chairman, Chandigarh Housing Board, was the chief guest at the function.

About 200 students from various schools of the city, took part in the run. The meet has been organised by the North West Zone Special Olympics Society, which is affiliated to the national and international Special Olympics, dedicated to the promotion of sports for mentally-challenged children in this region.

A cultural programme was organised today where Rajasthani dance was performed by students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, and bhangra by Government Model High School, Sector 44.

Later in the various events for the table tennis played at Sector 23 TT hall, the results were: (22-29 years): Prashant Kadan (Maharashtra)1, Viral Shah (Mah) 2, Dheeraj Dhawan (Pb) 3; mix group: Sagar (Mah) 1, Pooja Tulsankar (Mah) 2, Shashank and Sukhbir Sekhon (Pb) 3.

16-21 yrs: (male) Harshit (Mah)1, Inderpal Singh (Har) 2, Vijay Rao (Guj) 3; 12-15 yrs: (male) Pankaj Behal and Pankaj Pasrija (Har) 1, Himanshu (Guj) 2, Harish Pujari (Mah) 3; and 16-21 yrs: (female) Jayshree (Mah) 1, Choti Shama (Mah) 2, Neha Bansal (Har) 3.

St John’s win: St John’s High School, Sector 26, outplayed Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar, by five wickets in the PCA Parle-G School Cricket Tournament played today at SAS Nagar. Earlier, YPS won the toss and elected to bat first. YPS made 96 runs and were all out in 29.5 overs while in reply, St John’ school players achieved the target in 22 overs.

Volleyball meet: DAV Senior Secondary School, Surajpur, defeated Brahmrishi Mission School, Kulu, 2-0 to enter the semi-final of the under-16 years section of the CBSE Cluster XI Volleyball Tournament which began here today at PML SD School, Sector 32. In other matches of the day, Manav Mangal schools in Sector 21, Chandigarh, and Panchkula in Sector 11 along with Dalhousie Hill Top School, Dalhousie, also made it to the last four of the event. In the under-19 section, the teams which won their matches include, Patel Public School, Rajpura, Hill Grove Public School, Shimla, Gyan Jyoti Public School, SAS Nagar. Later in the day, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, outplayed Patel Public School, Rajpura 2-0.

Selection trials: The Netball Association of Chandigarh will hold the selection trials for the UT junior netball teams for boys and girls for participation in the National Sub Junior Netball Championship going to be held at Gondia (Maharashtra) from October 21 to 25. The players must be below-16 years on October 1, 2002. The selection trials will be held tomorrow at 4 pm at Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 27.This was stated by Mr R Sharan, Secretary of the association.

TT tourney: DAV Public School, Sector 8, will organise the CBSE Cluster XI Table Tennis Tournament for the first time in the city. This three-day tournament will be inaugurated by Mr Vivek Attray, Director Public Relations, UT, at 10 am on October 12 on the school premises. The closing function will be held on October 14 at 11.30 am where Mr Suraj Prakash, Joint Secretary (Affiliation), CBSE, New Delhi, would be the chief guest.This tournament will have the participation of schools from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and parts of Punjab.

MCC cuts rates for Divali fair sites
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10
The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation today drastically reduced the reserve prices for holding Divali fairs in Circus Ground in Sector 17 and Nehru Park in Sector 22.

The decision has been taken in the wake of the corporation failing on October 8 to auction the two sites at Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 5.49 lakh, respectively. The exhibition ground in Sector 34 has already been auctioned.

The reserve price for the Circus Ground was fixed at Rs 4 lakh and for the Nehru Park Rs 3 lakh.

These were the rates proposed by the Municipal Corporation before the F&CC at the last meeting on October 7 but the committee hoped to get a higher return in the auction the next day.

Official observers, Ms Harpreet Kaur Babla and Mr Surinder Singh, had also supported the rates. The committee slapped a ground rent of Rs 11,345 per day on the dandia programme in the Sector 17 Piaza. The organisers of dandia had sough a permission for running the programme free of charge terming it a religious function.

Parking fee by the hour likely
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10
The Municipal Corporation is planning to introduce parking fee by the hour by using technological solutions. It has made Punjab Engineering College its consultant for suggesting structural changes for having better parking lots here.

This matter were discussed in a meeting of the working group on paid parking led by the Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi. The group did not approve in its present form the single-pass system, on which, discussions had been held with parking-lot contractors. The group took a serious note of officials calling contractors for this consultation without taking it into confidence.

It decided that, in future, such matters should be brought before the group. The group also decided that the Finance and Contracts Committee should hold a meeting with the Chief Architect to sort out structural problems in the design of lots where paid parking had either been introduced or was likely to be introduced.

The group also said social bodies, the NGOs and traders should be involved in making the parking system people-friendly.

7 Inspectors shifted
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, October 10
The UT Inspector-General of Police, Mr B.S. Bassi, has ordered transfer of seven Inspectors, including four Station House Officers. The transfers are in effect with immediate effect.

The SHO of Sector 3 police station, Mr Hardev Singh, has been transferred to the Women and Child Support Unit of the police. He is being replaced by Mr Parmod Kumar, who was earlier posted with the CID wing. Mr Ajaib Singh, who till yesterday was SHO of Sector 36 police station, has been sent to the CID.

As per the orders, Mr Vijay Kumar, SHO of Sector 17, will be the new SHO of Sector 36 police station. While the SHO of Sector 26 police station, Mr B.S. Negi has been sent to the police station (central) as SHO.

Inspector Bishwa Lal, who was posted with the Women and Child Support Unit, has been transferred to the Economic Offences Wing.

Mr Tirath Singh has been transferred from the Economic Offences Wing to the police station of Sector 26 as Station House Officer.

Shops to remain open till 10 pm
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10
Shops in the city may be allowed to remain open till 10 p.m. until Divali.

This offer will be only for those shopkeepers who are keen on it and is not binding or mandatory.

The Chandigarh Administration today agreed in principle about opening of shops till late evening.

The UT Administrator, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), yesterday asked his Adviser, Ms Neeru Nanda, to explore the possibility of allowing the shops to open upto 10 p.m. keeping in view the festival season on the pattern followed in New Delhi . 

Under Secy inspects gaushalas
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 10
An under secretary of the Union Environment and Forest Ministry, Mr Chandershekhar, yesterday visited gaushalas in Sectors 25 and 45.

He also visited an under construction gaushala of Maloya to monitor the progress after the release of the first installment and before the second one. The Under Secretary is working with the Animal Division of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.

Mr Chandershekhar was accompanied to the spots by Municipal Commissioner M.P. Singh.