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NEIGHBOURHOOD

MCI decision on age revision from 65 to 70 hailed
Attar Singh
Tribune News Service

Ambala, November 28
The decision of the Medical Council of India enhancing the retirement age of medical teachers from 65 years to 70 years has sent a wave of jubilation among the medical colleges in Haryana, which had been feeling the pinch on account of shortage of qualified teaching faculty.

Talking to The Tribune, Tarsem Garg, Vice-Chancellor of Mullana University, in Ambala district, here today said that the decision of the Medical Council of India has come as a welcome relief. The medical colleges, particularly those in the private sector, had been facing an acute shortage of faculty. The decision to enhance the retirement age from the present 65 years to 70 years would help end shortage of senior faculty in these colleges.

SS Sagwan, Vice-Chancellor of Bhagwat Dayal University of Medical Sciences at Rohtak, hailed the decision saying that it would go a long way in solving the perennial problem of shortage of medical faculty particularly in the basic subjects.

According to Dr OP Aggarwal, Professor and Head, Forensic Medicine Department, MM University, Mulana and Chief Advisor of the Punjab Academy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology today said it was a welcome step by the MCI as the newly set up private medical colleges were in dire need of senior faculty members in all specialties throughout the country.

Aggarwal said that this would help them retain the senior medical faculty to avoid de-recognition by MCI and at the same senior faculty medical teachers from reputed medical institutions like the PGI, Chandigarh, PGI, Rohtak, and AIIMS, New Delhi, will be able to serve in the private medical institutes for five more years after their retirement at the 65 years.

According to Dr DS Bhullar, Chairman, In-Service Doctors Wing of the Punjab state branch of Indian Medical Association, said there should be a uniform pattern of the age of retirement of all specialist doctors in the state both in state-run medical colleges as well as hospitals under the Health and Family Welfare Department. Since the state medical colleges are supposed to follow the mandatory guidelines of the MCI, the age of retirement in the state-run medical colleges can be enhanced to 70 years, which will stop exodus of the medical teachers from the government medical colleges especially in less opted basic medical specialties.

Free medical check-up camp
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, November 28
The JK Shanti Charitable Society, which is being funded by the Kailash Goyal Foundation, USA, today held a free medical check up camp at Mubarkpur village near Dera Bassi.

Nearly 235 patients were checked up. A team of doctors under the guidance of Dr Ram Kumar, former SMO of Dera Bassi, provided treatment to the patients. Free medicines were also distributed. Notably charitable society has set up a special clinic at Mubarkpur village where over 150 patients are treated every Sunday free of cost. Ved Goyal of Kailash Goyal Foundation USA informed that $84,000 were provided to the charitable society for the purpose of social welfare in this year.

Man succumbs to injuries

Kalka, November 28
A resident of Paploha village, near here, who was injured in a road accident on the Kalka-Charnia link road on Monday, succumbed to injuries yesterday.

Family members of the deceased said Amar Chand (50), who was a railway employee in Shimla, was rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh, after he sustained serious injuries. The auto-rickshaw in which he was travelling turned turtle after ramming into the hillside of the road. A case has been registered. — OC

Selja appeals to shun casteism
Tribune News Service

Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja inagurates a computer centre in Ambala Cantonment on Sunday. Tribune photo: Dev Dutt Sharma

Ambala, November 28
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja today made a fervent appeal to the masses to shun casteism here.Speaking on the inauguration of a free computer centre at Balmik Basti, BC Bazar, Ambala Cantt, Selja said philanthropists should come forward in a big way to match the government efforts for fighting poverty in the down trodden sections of the society.

Selja lauded the efforts of Dr Ambedkar Education Trust in opening the Computer Centre in collaboration with Adi Dharam Samaj. She hoped the computer centre would impart quality computer training to the children of the area to help them take up good jobs.

On this occasion Shelja listed the welfare schemes launched by the Central Government for the upliftment of the poor and down trodden. Her ministry has constantly endeavored with a multi-pronged strategy to bridge the skill gap. The approach comprises strengthening of institutional infrastructure for training, special programmes and schemes to enable and up-skill the existing service providers, she added.

The Union Ministry hadalready launched a flagship programme for young citizens under the 'Hunar Se Rozgar' Scheme. The programme with a pro-poor focus envisages engaging young persons constructively by giving them employable skills.

She stated that buoyed by the exuberant response, the Hunar Se Rozgar programme has now been extended through the state governments. State governments can empanel institutes, both government and private, having necessary infrastructure and facilities, as the implementing agencies.

Responding to the demand made by the Aadi Dharam Samaj officials, she directed the district administration to speed up work of laying of sewerage lines and completion of the repair work of Chaupal in the area. She also announced Rs 1.5 lakh grant to the computer centre.

Renu Phulia ADC, Ambala, and Gopal Kalawat, ME of Municipal Corporation, Neelam Sharma, Hira Lal Yadav, Narinder Pal Singh Shera were also present on this occasion.

Parmanand college honoured

Lalru, November 28
The Swami Parmanand College of Engineering and Technology, Lalru, has bagged the best upcoming engineering college during a function at New Delhi. The function was organised by all-India Achievers Podium at the Deputy Speaker Hall, Constitution Club of India, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.

The award was presented to Yashwant Krishan Mittal, treasurer of Swami Parmanand Group of Colleges by Parth Pratim, secretary general of Indian Achievers Podium, Jaiparkash Aggarwal MP and Sandeep Marwah, chairman of Asian Academy of Films and TV. — OC

Factory worker hangs himself

Dera Bassi, November 28
A factory worker reportedly committed suicide yesterday night by hanging himself.Moin Ahmed, who belonged to Uttar Pradesh and was employed in a meat plant of a firm, MK Overseas, hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his room situated in the factory’s residential colony.

His body was handed to his relatives after a postmortem was conducted.

The police has filed a case under section 174 of the IPC in the matter. — OC

Land Acquisition
Affected farmers meet Minister

Ambala, November 28
Farmers of Panjokhra and other five villages whose land has been acquired for setting up of the Industrial Model Township met Union Tourism Minister and MP Kumari Selja led by the president of Kisan Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, Balwant Singh today.

The farmers briefed the minister that the state government had acquired 1,852 acres of fertile land of 6 villages close to Ambala Cantt. Most of the farmers owned small piece of land and they did not have any means of livelihood if their land was acquired.

They requested the minister to take up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had already announced that fertile land of farmers would not be acquired in the country. Selja assured the farmer that she would take up their matter with the Union Government. She said that she would further convey their sentiments to the Prime Minister. — OC

CRIME

4 booked for playing loud music

Chandigarh, November 28
In a special drive, the police has booked four persons for allegedly playing loud music on Sunday. Three cases under Section 3 and 5 of the Noise Pollution (Prevention) Act were registered at the Sector 11 police station while one was registered at the Sector 17 police station.

All the accused were booked for playing music at high volume after 11 pm. In all the cases, music systems have been impounded. The city residents had raised the issue during their meetings with the police. Besides, 30 motorists were booked for various traffic violations, including 10 for using unauthorised black films on cars. — TNS

Lawyer booked for ‘harassing’ ex-wife

Chandigarh, November 28
The police today booked a Punjab and Haryana High Court advocate for allegedly harassing his ex-wife.The police has registered a case against Dipender Singh Kamra on a complaint filed by Jagdeep Bains, a resident of Sector 18.

Both complainant and the accused got divorced in 1998 and she got the custody of her two children. She had alleged that the accused got re-married but continued to harass her.

On November 8, Dipender went to the Laws Department of Panjab University where the complainant’s daughter is studying and harassed her. Her daughter called her for help and when she reached the department, she alleged that she saw the accused strangling her daughter and also threatened to kill her.

She also accused the police of inaction. — TNS

Encroachment
18 booked
Tribune News Service

Zirakpur, November 28
The police has booked 18 persons on charge of illegally possessing a residential plot at Hare Krishna Enclave in Zirakpur.

In her complaint to the police, Savitri, a resident of Panchkula, said she owned a residential plot of size 111 yards in the colony. She alleged that Vijay Dutta and Lovelesh of Panchkula and Sandip of Patran, along with their 12 accomplices, had illegally possessed her plot.

SPORTS

Hockey skipper set to quit over problems with coach
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Rajpal Singh

Mohali, November 28
The reportedly strained relations between Indian hockey skipper Rajpal Singh and the team’s coach, Jose Brasa, have led the former to consider resigning from the captainship.

Almost immediately after he returned from Guangzhou, China to his hometown, Rajpal confirmed he was planning to resign from the team’s captaincy. “I’m fed up being a ‘dummy captain’. In a day or two I’m going to meet senior national hockey officials before taking the step,” Rajpal stated at his home.

He alleged as Brasa “didn’t like” him he was deprived of all the powers that a skipper should be given for the team’s betterment. “Brasa wanted to make one of his favourite players the team skipper,” he claimed. “I wasn’t allowed to give any kind of instructions to my players during the matches, nor did he (Brasa) involve me in preparing a game plan and team strategies before and between the matches. Though I was captain I was forced to consider myself as the team’s 16th player”, lamented Rajpal.

Rajpal claimed the Indian hockey team had to “pay dearly” in both the World Cup last February and the Asian Games on account of its internal politics, groupism among the players and the coach’s “false ego”.

When asked whether he had a word with any one in Hockey India about his “toothless captain” position and his strained relations with Brasa, the otherwise reticent skipper said he was waiting for the end of the Asian Games. “Though I had made up my mind to quit as captain three or four months ago I didn’t want to spoil the team spirit just before the big competitions. So I kept mum and underwent the humiliation,” said Rajpal. “The Indian team could have performed better in the World Cup in New Delhi this year had these things not existed in the team”, he added. India finished eighth in the 2010 Hockey World Cup while at Guangzhou the Indian team could only clinch the bronze medal after beating South Korea 1-0.

9-yr-old makes it big in golf
Donald Banerjee

Chandigarh, November 28
Nine-year-old Aadil Bedi has made it big. This Class IV student of Vivek High School has climbed up the ladder and today occupies the second slot in the all-India ranking of the Indian Golf Union for Category D. A regular at the Chandigarh Golf Range, Aadil has come up the hard way. National Golf Academy of India director Jessie Grewal, who hones the skills of this budding golfer, sees in him a lot of potential to reach the top.

Irina Brar, who has recently completed her masters in sports psychology from the US, has agreed to take Aadil under her wings to work on the finer aspects of the game with special emphasis on golf psychology.

Irina reigned as the amateur queen of India for several years. In India junior golf is being played on full and long courses unlike in the US, where kids are playing on small courses. Irina, who recently married golf professional Sujjan Singh, is surprised that Aadil is playing at a low handicap, which is commendable for his age.

After coming back from the Callaway World Cup held in the US, Aadil clinched the Rajasthan Open Junior Golf Championship title in October.

He shot 77 on the opening day and returned scores of 81 and 83 on the subsequent two days. He followed this up with the runners-up spot in the Western India Open at Mumbai that went into a nail-biting finish early this month.

He created a flutter carding a seven over par on the second day of the tournament.

To prove that the seven over score was not a fluke, Aadil took the lead with an opening day score of 76 in the Eastern India Open Junior Golf Championship this month.

He finished second in the national-level junior golf championship shooting another low score of 77 on the last day. This second ranked Indian junior is all set to show his talent abroad when he tees off in the junior British Masters to be played in Scotland in May next year. CGA president Jagdeep Singh Cheema sees in Aadil a fulfilment of a dream of the Chandigarh Golf Association. He is hopeful of more such Aadils being churned out in the regular junior coaching camps being conducted by the region's only grade A coach Jessie Grewal.

"The dedication and commitment shown by Aadil needs to be emulated by all junior golfers", said Cheema and added that the CGA would honour Aadil Bedi for bringing laurels to the CGA.

GCG-11 clinch fencing title
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 28
Government College for Girls (GCG), Sector 11, Chandigarh, won the Panjab University Inter-College Fencing (Women) championship with 29 points, whereas SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, secured second spot with 19 points.

Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, and Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, garnered 14 points each to secure third spot jointly.

Results:

Foil team: 1st Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, (Navinder, Varsh, and Teena); 2nd PU Campus, Chandigarh, (Shruti, Divya, Isha and Jasleen); Jt 3rd MRS College, Malout, (Neelam, Geeta, Sangeeta and Mandeep); Jt 3rd SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, (Lovepreet, Radha, Rekha and Lovepreet Kaur)

Sabre team: 1st Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh, (Anu, Prabhjot, Joshika and Jatinder); 2nd SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, (Geeta, Sandeep, Palak and Kulbir); Jt 3rd Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, (Narinder, Teena and Aditi); Jt 3rd MRS College, Malour, (Amandeep, Ramandeep, Prerna Yadav and Gurpreet)

Epee Team: 1st Dev Samaj College (W), Sector 45, Chandigarh, (Dalvir, Gurvinder, Komalpreet and Sarita); 2nd Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh, (Anu, Prabhjot, and Kavita); Jt 3rd SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, (Lovepreet, Radha, Rekha and Jyoti); Jt 3rd MRS College, Malour, (Manpreet, Harpreet, Karamjeet and Ramandeep)

Foil individual: 1st Rekha SGGS Kh College, Mahilpur; 2nd Komalpreet Kaur, Dev Samaj College (W), Sector 45, Chandigarh; 3rd Suman Sharma, GGD SD College, Sector 32, Chandigarh, 3rd Isha, PU Campus, Chandigarh

Sabre individual: 1st Prabhjot, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh; 2nd Anu Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh; 3rd Aditi Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, 3rd Sandeep SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur

Epee individual: 1st Prabhjot, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, Chandigarh; 2nd Rekha SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur; 3rd Varsha Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana; 3rd Komalpreet Dev Samaj College (W), Sector 45, Chandigarh.