The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

PGI technologists to get higher pay scale
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 13
The demand of PGI medical technologists for grant of higher pay scale has been accepted by the institute’s governing body (GB), headed by the Union Health Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj.

More than 300 junior medical technologists working in various laboratories, X-ray, radiotherapy and anaesthesia units will get revised pay scale of Rs 5000-8000, with effect from January 1, 1996. The minutes of the governing body meeting, held on May 12, were received at the PGI two days ago.

The general secretary of the PGI Medical Technologists Association, Mr Ashwani Munjal, while thanking Ms Swaraj for accepting the demand of the association, said Mr Suresh Chandel, MP and member of the governing body, had helped in getting the matter cleared.

The executive members of the association said the decision would go a long way in removing the feeling of discrimination among medical technologists as their counterparts at AIIMS had already been granted these pay scales.

Doctors’ negligence, patient’s trauma
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, July 13
Mr Inderjit Singh, a 35-year-old agriculturalist from Morinda, has had one of the most harrowing experiences of his life. Claiming to have been operated upon in Mumbai in February this year for a spinal problem, Inderjit says he suffered through pain and infection for over four months before it was found that Mumbai doctors had left a gauze piece inside his body during the operation. The 12-inch-long gauze was then taken out from his body at a private nursing home here this month.

Inderjit, who had gone to visit his sister in Mumbai in December last year, started having some nerve-related problem in his lower back.

He was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on February 5 and operated upon. Discharged on February 28, with his stitches still bandaged, Inderjit returned to his house in Morinda in March. “But the wound never healed. It would pain and bleed constantly. The stitches remained wet for over two months.

Then we visited some other doctors who told us to come to Mohali and get a scan done. The scan was done and it showed that there was a long piece of the gauze inside the wound,” relates Inderjit.

Inderjit, whose sole source of income is from a small agricultural land at Datarpur village in Morinda, said he pawned his wife’s jewellery to pay for the second operation.

SPORTS

St Stephen’s players excel
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, July 13
St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, and Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22, excelled in the roller hockey event in the Rollerbones Open Skating Tournament played here today at the Sector 10 skating rink.

In the sub-junior roller hockey finals St Stephen’s boys overwhelmed Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, by four goals to one. In the girls’ roller hockey finals, St Stephen’s School, beat Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22. The star performer for the winners was Noor Kataria. In the junior boys’ roller hockey finals Shishu Niketan School downed Guru Harkishan Public School, Sector 38.

In the rink race-II finals the winners in various age groups are Devanshu Garg, Sidharth, Isha Goyal, Rahul Mittal and Shubham Narang.

The road race winners in various age groups are Jaspreet Singh, Gautam, Harjabjee Kaur, Rinshika, Anant Vidur Puri, Ojas Chauhan, Veenus Tandon, Taniya Chopra, Parth Mittal, Bandhul Hans, Roopan Dhillon, Karan and Alsiha Puri.

Grappler brings glory

Patiala-based wrestler and Commonwealth Games-2002 medalist Palwinder Cheema was adjudged the best grappler in the below 120 kg section in the Canada Cup Wrestling Tournament, which concluded last evening at Guelph.

According to information received by the Wrestling Federation of India, Palwinder won two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal in the meet which saw participation of 14 countries.

Other wrestlers who cornered glory are Kirpa Shanker in below 55 kg, Sujit Mann in 74 kg, Sushil Kumar in 60 kg and Yogeshwar Dutt in below 55 kg.

ADMINISTRATION

Admn decision on RCs worries traders
Manoj Kumar
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 13
Traders in the city have apprehended that UT Administration’s move to “harass” thousands of vehicle owners in the city by slightly varying the interpretation of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 may discourage investors from investing in the city. They are worried that if the administration fails to revert back to its earlier to position, it would affect the city’s investment-friendly image, which has recently been declared as one of the best cities in the country for investment.

The Mohali Industry Association and other industrial associations have feared the move would deter investors and traders from investing in the city. It may affect the flow of tourists travelling on private vehicles as they would be worried about challans.

Mr Gurmeet Singh, president, Mohali Industry Association, claimed: “Apart from creating problem for thousands of city residents it would force thousands of traders and employees working in the city and residing in SAS Nagar and Panchkula and vice versa to again get their vehicles registered. It seems that the administration is bent upon breaking the economic linkage of these towns with the city’s economy.”

The association has lamented that hundreds of employees working in offices of major banks, financial institutions, corporate houses like Reliance, Bharti, Spice, BBMB, PGI, university and colleges had come from other towns with their vehicles registered in their hometown. According to the latest interpretation of the Motor Vehicle Act, they would have to again get their vehicles registered after getting NOC from their hometown. And after their transfer, they would have to again get their vehicles registered in other cities.

Mr Rupinder Singh, a dealer in the car bazar in Sector 7, claimed that they are already witnessing a decline in their business. Earlier, Chandigarh registration number used be treated as a premium, he said, and a stamp of credibility. Now no one is ready to purchase a vehicle with Chandigarh registration number.

Mr S.K. Nayar, president, Indian Citizen’s Forum, said: “The administration seems to have forgotten that Chandigarh is also the capital of Punjab and Haryana. Thousands of employees of these two state governments, with transferrable jobs reside here. Around 50,000 vehicle owners in the city are working in the Central Government offices who can be transferred anytime anywhere. Now with the limited interpretation of the Act, they are being simply harassed.”

A senior economist with the Department of University Business School, Panjab University, felt that the objective of the administration to get proper identification of vehicle owners was genuine, but the way it was going about implementing it was wrong. He said: “It would send a wrong signal to the investors and traders who would think twice before investing here. They would be worried that in future also the administration might take such decisions that would create problems for their employees coming from other cities.”

Pension scheme for senior citizens from today
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 13
The wait of millions of retired persons would be over tomorrow when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee launches “Varishtha Pension Bima Yojna” in New Delhi. It would enable senior citizens with minimum age of 55 years to earn 9 per cent return on their savings with an upper limit of Rs 2,77,490.

The pension plan was announced by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh during the Budget session in his Budget speech. This would be a government subsidised scheme with a guaranteed return of 9 per cent and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has been given the sole charge to administer the scheme.

The scheme would prove to be a great investment tool for the senior citizens who depend on fixed and periodical returns for their livelihood in old age. Particularly in view of the constantly falling interest rates in banks and financial institutions, LIC’s Varishtha Pension Bima Yojna, table No. 161 would have the edge over all prevailing market instruments and benefit a large number of senior citizens.

As per the scheme, one member of the family could invest in the scheme through a single premium. They would have to deposit money through a local cheque/DD in lumpsum with a minimum investment of Rs 33,335 and would get monthly, quarterly, half yearly or yearly pension. The minimum pension would be Rs 250 per month and the maximum pension would be Rs 2,000. The pension would be paid during the lifetime of the pensioner. In the event of his death, the purchase price would be returned to the nominee.