HEALTH

Two docs found absent in Deputy Speaker’s raid
Our Correspondent

Mohali, May 6
Both doctors working at the Government Ayurvedic Dispensary in Phase III BI were found absent from duty during a surprise check conducted by the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, here today. The Deputy Speaker recommended suspension and chargesheeting of both the doctors.

No leave application of the doctors was available and neither had any entry been made in the movement register. After the checking of attendance register it was found that while one doctor, Ms Kritika Bhanot, had been absent from duty for the past three days, the other, Ms Suman Sharma, who is in charge of the dispensary, absent for the past two days.

Mr Bir Devinder Singh, while talking to mediapersons, said he had received complaints that doctors had been irregular in their attendance. According, he carried out a raid today and found both the doctors absent. He later called the SDM, Mr M.L. Sharma, to the dispensary, who checked the attendance and other registers and found that no proper entries had been made.

The Deputy Speaker said according to entries in the registers, six patients had visited the dispensary yesterday and three patients till noon today. All of them had been issued medicines by a pharmacist, as doctors were absent from duty.

The SDM said the entry of patients in the OPD register on a number of days had not been made by the doctors themselves, which showed that they were absent from duty. Both doctors were drawing a salary of more than Rs 15,000 per month each but were not taking their work seriously, he added.

Dr Sharma, who reached the dispensary after 11 am, while clarifying told the Deputy Speaker that yesterday she had gone to Ropar to collect the salary for the staff and today again she had gone to Ropar to get medicines for the dispensary. However, she had no answer when asked why no proper entries had been made in the movement and other registers.

The Director, Ayurvedic, Dr K.K. Sharma, who was informed about the raid, also reached the dispensary around 11.30 am. He said he would recommend suspension of both the doctors. He said the in charge of the dispensary should be chargesheeted for indiscpline and “intentional negligence”.

After going through some records, the Director found that only two leave applications for the entire staff were available since January. Some overwriting had been found in the attendance register and the casual leave taken by the in charge of the dispensary had been tampered with to show her as present. The attendance register had been tampered with on January 3, 13 and 30, and February 3 and 23. The Director told the doctor that she could even be dismissed from service for tampering with office records.

SPORTS

Rail reservation plays spoilsport
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 6
As many as 184 UT-based sportspersons will be deprived of their last chance to take part in the 49th edition of the National School Games (session 2003-2004) to be held from May 12 Kozhikode (Kerala) under the aegis of the School Games Federation of India.

The main reason cited by UT Education Department officials is that since the railway reservation could not be confirmed, so the teams cannot be sent. Mr Prem Puri, Assistant Education Officer, UT, confirmed that the contingent for the National School Games would face problems, if sent without proper reservation.

He said when they enquired from railway booking officials about the reservation of sportspersons, it was told that their existed long waiting list for the train to Kozhikode and people got the tickets reserved almost three months in advance.

Mr Puri said though the games were being held in the next financial year for which they did not have budget earmarked, but in the interest of the sportspersons, money from the suspense account could be withdrawn.

Mr Puri said some sportspersons of class XII might lose their chance, but the department was helpless in the case. Mr P.S. Chhabra, secretary-general of the SGFI, when contacted at Patiala, said, the UT Education Department could have booked the tickets in waiting list and later the request could be made to the higher officials of the Railways to adjust the teams.

He said they were in touch with senior officials of the Railways Ministry to add more bogies to the Mangla Express which goes to Kozhikode.

Manpreet scalps 5 for 16
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, May 6
Manpreet Singh claimed five wickets for just 16 runs in the Punjab state inter-district under-17 M.L. Markan Cricket Trophy match at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, here today. In the match played between Mohali and Zone A, the latter won the toss and elected to bat first.

Brief scores: Zone A: 192 all out in 74 overs (Rahul Gandhi 45, Karan 43, Varun 15, Manpreet Singh 5 for 36, Nikhil Dwivedi 3 for 36).

Mohali: 89 for one in 19 overs (Karan 29, Simranjit 25 n.o., Sunny Sohal 11 n.o.).

Lifebuoy cricket centre

A Lifebuoy Cricket Excellence Centre will now be opened in Mohali. These centres are already being run in association with the PCA at Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala. The inauguration at PCA Stadium, Mohali, will be marked by a cricket mela for all enthusiasts of the sport on May 8 and 9.

Historic cricket matches will be screened and a quiz to test the cricket knowledge of players will be held.