HEALTH

Stay on shop reallotment causes loss to GMCH
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 21
With the issue of reallotment of a chemist shop at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) under arbitration, efforts by the authorities to generate more resources has been stalled, resulting in loss to the institute.

It was in April this year that the GMCH authorities readvertised a shop allotted in 1997 as they felt that the rent it was fetching was very less compared to the market rent. “Since another shop, one-third the size of this shop allotted to Kumar Brothers, had been leased out at Rs 3.33 lakh per month, we decided to readvertise it so that the institute could get more money,” explained a GMCH official.

At present, the rent of the shop measuring 652 sq feet is fixed at Rs 1.38 lakh per month, while the other shop measuring 193 sq feet is fetching Rs 3.33 lakh.

The Director Principal, Dr S.B.S. Mann, could not be contacted as he was on leave. The Medical Superintendent, Dr Raj Bahadur, was also not available for comment, as he was busy in the operation theatre.

However, after the shop was readvertised, the occupant, Kumar Brothers, made an appeal before the Arbitrator, who granted a stay. The Arbitrator in this case is the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Virender Singh.” The matter is still pending in the court of the Arbitrator though the GMCH authorities have filed their reply, citing reasons for readvertising the shop,” said sources at the GMCH.

The sources said even though at least six persons had submitted their tenders for taking the shop on lease, the entire process of reallotment had been stalled as the stay was granted on May 14 and the tenders, which were to be opened the next day, could not be processed.

“As per the terms and conditions in the notice inviting tender, though 10 per cent increase after every 11 months is being done but when the shop can easily fetch more than Rs 5 lakh, why should the GMCH incur loss,” opined a senior official.

The sources said Kumar Brothers had in their appeal cited a number of cases where government property leased several years ago was still fetching rent far less than the market rate. They also pointed out that the chemist shop at General Hospital, Sector 16, was leased out almost 10 years, ago and the authorities had made no efforts to get it vacated.

It is learnt that Kumar Brothers alleged that they were being singled out as the administration was not applying the same yardstick for cases similar to theirs.

On the other hand, the GMCH authorities feel that had the matter not been in arbitration, they would have been able to get enhanced rent, which would have resulted in lakhs of profit to the institute. They deny charges of a pick and-choose policy, pointing out that the only objective is to protect the interests of the institute.

SPORTS

Football tourney begins today
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, August 21
The ICSE inter-school football tournament for the Chandigarh region will be held from August 22 to 24 on the Panjab University football grounds. The first tie will be played between St Kabir School, Sector 26, and St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School, Sector 44, at 10 a.m. tomorrow. The meet is being organised by St Stephen’s School, Sector 45.

Football trials

Two football players of St Stephen’s Soccer academy, Sector 45, Aita Ram and Amit have been invited by the All-India Football Federation to participate in the selection trials for the national sub-junior team which will be held at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. They have been asked to report on September 9. Aita Ram is a striker and has represented India in the SAF junior football championship held in Nepal in October last year. Amit, a goalkeeper, and Aita were spotted by the AIFF during the national sub-junior football meet in Haldwani (Uttaranchal) last month.

Softball body chief

Mr S.S. Dhillon, a senior IAS officer of Haryana, has been elected president of the Chandigarh Amateur Softball Association. Mr Dhillon, who had earlier served in the Haryana Sports Department as its Director from 1994 to 1997, will also visit the USA later this month. He will meet Don Pottoer, president of the World Softball Federation. Mr Dhillon will remain in the USA for one year for official training. He will invite Mr Potter to visit Chandigarh next October when the city will host the national softball championship.

Mr Chander Sekhar, HCS, who has been made senior-vice-president of the federation, will look after the affairs of the body in the absence of Mr Dhillon.

Mr R.L. Sharma, secretary of the federation, said the 16th Chandigarh sub-junior and junior softball championship would be held at Home Science College, Sector 10, on August 28 and 29.

Medal winners

Nine athletes of Chandigarh secured medals in the North Zone Junior athletic championship, which concluded in Delhi on August 19. Stating this, Mr Ravinder Chaudhary, secretary of the Amateur Athletic Association, Chandigarh, said Sakshi Sharma won the gold medal while Hardeep Kaur, Pawandeep Kaur, Demango and Jatinder Singh each won a silver medal. The bronze medal winners were Pawandeep Kaur, Demango, Harminder Pal Singh and Joginder Singh.

Meanwhile, the local association has asked its athletes to contact the coaches, Mr SK Joshi and Mr Gurmeet Singh, if they wish to take part in the inter-state athletics championship to be held at Jamshedpur from September 5 to 7. Mr Chaudhary said the athletes should secure the minimum marks for each event.

Basketball meet

Sri Guru Harkishan Model School, Sector 38, will organise the Sri Guru Harkishan basketball invitational tournament-2003 for boys in the under-14 section from August 22 to 24. Six teams from various schools of the city willl take part . The matches will begin at 6 a.m.

Back from his stint in Czech Republic
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, August 21
Surinder Mahajan, who is employed with the Sports Authority of India as a badminton coach and posted at Panjab University, Chandigarh, reached today from the Czech Republic after imparting training in badminton for three weeks to various players from middle Europe.

Mahajan, who had visited the abovesaid country earlier also in the past two years, said apart from the top ranked players from the Czech Republic, youngsters from neighbouring countries of Slovakia, Germany and Slovenia also attended the training camp held at the Olympic Sport Centre, Nymburk, one of the biggest sport centre in that country.

While narrating his experience, he said the daily schedule usually was spread to more than seven hours with two hours in the morning, two hours in the noon and three hours in the evening.

When asked about the fitness level of the players, Mahajan said the players were no doubt very hardworking but the schedule was different for them. He said the players were dedicated, committed and disciplined towards their workout and had the acumen to learn the finer points of the game.

He added that some prominent badminton players who attended the training camp included Irka, Hanka(who is ranked 34th in mixed doubles) and Marketa, national women champion of the Czech Republic. P. Floria and Pavella, who had visited Chandigarh in December, last year, Luka from Slovenia and Peter from the Czech Republic, who had earlier attended the World Badminton Academy camp in Bulgaria, also attended the camp.

Mahajan was honoured by the Czech badminton authorities in this regard.

CM inaugurates athletic stadium in Sports Complex
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, August 21
Panchkula is all set to become the hub of sports activities with the coming up of a Sports Complex in Sector 3. The Sports Complex, located on the banks of the Ghaggar, boasts of all possible sports facilities.

The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, inaugurated the athletics stadium in the complex today. The stadium has been constructed at the cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Mr Chautala directed the state Sports Department to explore the possibility of holding an event here during the forthcoming Afro-Asian games to be held in India from October 24, this year.

Built by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the complex is named after former Deputy Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Devi Lal.

Residents here were the worst sufferers as far as sports facilities were concerned. Badminton players were earlier confined to playing in the Sector-7 community hall, where only one badminton court was available. Similarly, in the absence of a proper athletic track, athletes too faced a tough time.

Cricket players too were restricted to playing in the Sector-5 cricket ground. Whenever any tournament of state or national-level was held in the city, organisers had difficulty organising accommodation for outstation players in the absence of a hostel.

The complex has got three badminton courts. It has also played host to the All-India Tara Chand Memorial Prize Money Badminton Meet.

The cricket ground is as per latest standards with a spectators’ gallery. It also hosted the National Women Cricket Meet a few months back and more than 100 children practice here daily.

Om Prakash, who was recently nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Life Time Achievement Award for excellent coaching in volleyball, said modern facilities in the complex would give a thrust to sports activities in the state.

Om Prakash, a Senior Manager, Sports, with the HSIDC, said all key volleyball players of the corporation, occupying a place of pride in the national team, also practice here. He said players gets motivated when all sportspersons practice together and a complete sports environment is created.

ADMINISTRATION

Recarpeting of roads after rains
Monica Sharma

Chandigarh, August 21
The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has decided to go ahead with the recarpeting of roads in the city soon after the conclusion of the rainy season. New roads will also be laid in slums and colonies and narrow roads, causing chaos and traffic jams, widened.

Even though a budgetary allocation of Rs 4.80 crore has been made for the project in the current financial year, as much as Rs 9 to 10 crores is actually required for the purpose. Though MC officials admit paucity of funds, they say the UT Administration will provide assistance.

The decision to go in for recarpeting is significant as several roads in the city were full of potholes, resulting in major and minor accidents. The worse affected were two-wheeler riders. As per a rough estimate, every other day one or two commuters are rushed to hospitals after falling from vehicles while avoiding the potholes.

According to sources in the MCC, the total length of the roads in the city was 1500 km. “A substantial portion” of these have been damaged over the years due to continuous use and vagaries of weather, they said.

Though officials do not comment the sources maintain that summer was the best time to recarpet the roads. Off the record they add that the work was delayed as labour was not available.

All the while, some MCC officials insisted that the development work had virtually come to a standstill because the labour was involved in the construction of plinths.

Denying any delay, the officials said the work of recarpeting the roads had actually started before the rainy season commenced. “It was suspended because of rains, but we have now resumed the work,” they said.

Agreeing with the officials, city Mayor Subhash Chawla said the work was carried out an the pre-monsoon and the post-monsoon season. “Otherwise also, the work normally begins around August 20”. He added that first on the priority list were roads in the southern sectors, besides roads in Sectors 20, 23 and 24.

Confirming the information regarding the recarpeting of the roads in the city, MCC Chief Engineer V.K. Bhardwaj said modalities were being worked out. He added a meeting in this regard was scheduled to be held on Monday when a team to carry out the project would also be constituted.

Stormwater drainage system for city
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 21
Areas where rain water gets accumulated in the city will get new re-designed storm water drainage system. The project costing Rs 10.89 crore and spread across three years was approved today by UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd). During this year, around Rs 2 crores will be spent on improving the system.

The Commissioner, municipal corporation, today gave a presentation on the basis of survey done by the municipal corporation during this rainy season regarding the problem being faced in different pockets of City. The commissioner informed the Administrator that except highways all roads in city had a storm water drainage system. The Commissioner informed the Administrator that conversion process has already started in certain sectors and during the last two months, 300 water gullies had already been converted. The new designed road gullies would be constructed on road dividing Sectors 19-27, 20-30, 32-33, and 45-46 at the cost of Rs 9.45 lakh.

A storm water system will be provided at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. Moreover, for strengthening and supplementing the existing storm water drainage system in southern Sector, Sector 25 and parts of Sector 19 would cost of Rs 4 crores. An additional storm water drainage pipe would be provided in areas of Sectors 28, 27, 7,8,41 and 38.