Jalandhar, December 23
Residential accommodations made for staff members almost seem like they are waiting to be converted into rubble. Huge lawns serve the purpose of storing cow dung cakes. The ornamental mirror image of the building in the waters of a cesspool is the roadside view of the rural hospital situated in Arjanwal village, just 1 km from Adampur, near here.

The building of this rural hospital tells the story of sad state of affairs it lies in. Both inside and outside, lack of upkeep and negligence are writ large over it and the building seems to be making a mockery of basic healthcare facilities.

When contacted, village panchayat member Amrik Singh said, “Though the hospital has every facility, right from general wards of 25 beds up to a minor operation theatre and laboratory, the villagers can’t avail these. Not only residents of this village but from nearby areas need to go to the primary health centre at Adampur to get treatment for ailments. During it’s hey days, this hospital provided basic healthcare to Udesiaan, Lehsrivaal, Mehlampur, Gol Pind and Jaganpur villages.”

Villager Pritpal Singh said, “Two posts for doctor and 10 posts of class IV employee are sanctioned for this hospital. In spite of having residential accommodation, none of the staff members of the hospital is willing to reside here. Medical officers posted here also need to serve in the emergency section of the primary health centre at Adampur. How can we expect the best possible services with these limitations? As no one from the staff is present here after 3 pm. Indoor admission of patients is also not possible.”

Lambardar Charan Singh can easily recall the preliminary moments related to this hospital, “Some 25 years back, we gave five acres of fertile land for the establishment of the hospital. Each family contributed its best at that time. Class IV jobs were promised to the youth of our village. Shops were also promised to be set up to provide employment to the village youth. But nothing has been fulfilled.”

Pargat Singh, another resident, said, “There is no facility of fresh water. Only one temporary hand pump is available. But as there is no boundary wall, anti-social elements cause damage to the entire infrastructure. Walls and roofs have been splintering.”

He added, “We approached a number of officials, including health ministers and director of health. Though representatives of our constituency claimed that a grant of Rs 25 lakh has been released for the boundary wall, we fail to follow the complex departmental functioning. Even a bus stop is available near the hospital.”

Panchayat member Amarjeet Singh said, “Sometimes even bandages for dressing are not available. Quality of tablets given is also compromised. No camp has been organised for three years. The big cesspool in front of the hospital itself harbours a number of diseases. If this is the way the hospital keeps functioning then we will demand the building and land back. We will set up a community hall and playground there.”

“Adampur MLA Sarabjeet Singh Makkar, who casts his vote from this village, is closely associated with it,” revealed villagers.

As per information, former civil surgeon and the deputy commissioner have visited the site and promised to renovate the hospital by constructing the boundary wall and getting the building whitewashed.

When contacted, senior medical officer, under whose jurisdiction the hospital comes, said, “We had written to the higher authorities for renovation.” 

Sultanpur Lodhi, December 23
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said all round development would be the main poll plank of the SAD in the parliamentary poll.

He was addressing a gathering at the local grain market after laying the foundation stone of a bridge over the Sutlej near the Gidderpindi village here this afternoon.

On the occasion, he disbursed cheques for development works amounting to Rs 10.40 crore, out of which Rs 5.56 crore and Rs 4.84 crore have been earmarked for the execution of various development works in 264 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi subdivision and Kapurthala, respectively.

The Chief Minister also sanctioned development grants for projects worth Rs 8.43 crore, including computerisation of revenue records (Rs 27.63 lakh), repair of drains and streets (Rs 1.89 crore), repair of school buildings damaged during floods (Rs 78.71 lakh) and repair of 24 link roads (Rs 5.47 lakh) also damaged by floods in 
the Sultanpur Lodhi assembly constituency.

Likewise, Badal sanctioned development grants for projects to the tune of Rs 5.03 crore, including computerisation of revenue record (Rs 23.02 lakh), repair of school buildings and constructions of compound walls damaged in recent floods (Rs 17.47 lakh) and repair of five planned roads damaged in floods (Rs 462.77 lakh) for the Kapurthala assembly constituency.

The CM disbursed Rs 2 crore and Rs 3 crore to the municipal councils of Sultanpur Lodhi and Kapurthala for the execution of various development works.

Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a parking lot in the new grain market at Sultanpur Lodhi at a cost of Rs 1.90 crore.

Nominee of the SAD-BJP from the Khadoor Sahib Parliamentary constituency Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala made firm resolves that the party was in an upbeat mood and would rout the Congress in the forthcoming poll.

Those present on the occasion included CM’s media adviser Harcharan Bains, former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, former minister Raghbir Singh and SGPC members.

Amritsar, December 23
The precincts of Government Medical College came alive with 1983-87-batch MBBS graduates thronging their alma mater here to celebrate the silver jubilee reunion with their fellow students.

The three-day festivity, which started on December 19, is christened as GMC Reunion-2008. The meet was held under the chairmanship of renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gurvinder Singh. More than 80 doctor graduates from various parts of the world, including England and the USA, participated in the celebrations.

The alumni of the 1983 batch urged their colleagues to generously donate funds for their institution which had a long history of providing the best medical fraternity in India and around the globe.

It was a great homecoming where all the doctors interacted after a gap of 25 years and it was a great feeling of bonhomie which had brought back the nostalgic memories of the last two decades.

All the doctors along with their families visited their classrooms, seminar rooms, library, laboratories and their favourite haunts in the canteen on the college campus where they relived their old memories. A large number of senior doctors, including the DRME and college principal Dr Jagdish Gargi, former medical superintendent Dr A.S. Padda, Dr Sandeep Randhawa, Dr Aprajita, Dr Praveen Devgan, Dr Ravi Arora, Dr Kiranjit Siongh , Dr Sukhpal Singh, Dr Promilla, Dr Jaspreet, Dr Anil Khanna and Dr Parminder Singh, were present.

Nawanshahr, December 23
The local police arrested a Nepali labourer, Ram Bahadur, residing at Arya Samaj road here, for allegedly withdrawing Rs 3 lakh from the bank account of Desh Raj Sharma, a retired teacher, by using his ATM card, which he had lost along with the ATM code number in July.

DSP Satpal Singh Bhangu, here on Monday, said Desh Raj Sharma, resident of the local Kothi Road, had lodged a complaint with the SSP on August 14 in which he had stated that on July 14 he had withdrawn cash by using ATM card from his bank account at the local branch of the State Bank of Patiala. But after withdrawing the cash he forgot to take back the card and remained unaware oft it.

But when he again went to the bank for withdrawing money, he was shocked to know from the bank manager that his bank account had only a balance of just Rs 100. A sum of Rs 3 lakh had been withdrawn from his bank account within few days. A case under sections 418, 419 and 420 of the IPC was registered on the basis of the complaint.

During investigations, the police came to know that the amount was withdrawn from the ATMs situated at different places in Punjab and adjoining states. The police got suspicious about the involvement of Ram Bahadur as it came to its notice that he had rhosted big parties in his circle of friends. — OC

Nawanshahr, December 23
Guru Nanak Mission Netraheen Bridh Ashram, Sapraour, in collaboration with Bakhshish International Charitable Trust, Amritsar, would organise a free ‘handicapped welfare camp’ at Gurdwara Charan Kanwal, Banga on December 27.

 Giving this information, Jaswinder Singh Anokherwal, chairman, District Planning Committee, here on Sunday, said experts would examine handicapped persons. Tricycles, hearing aids, crutches and artificial limbs would be given to needy persons. Operations would also be conducted to treat various orthopaedic problems of the handicapped.