Chandigarh, October 15
The surgeries of two critically ill patients was put on hold today at the PGI’s Department of Urology after two doctors allegedly entered into an argument over closing of the operation theatre (OT) early.

One of the patients was reportedly wheeled out of the OT without performing the surgery, while the other one kept awaiting his turn. The two patients, one with an obstruction in one of the kidneys and the other with a severe blockage in his urinary tract, were postponed.

According to sources, both patients are critically ill and have been awaiting surgery for the past more than 10 days. Reena Yadav, a patient with an obstruction in a kidney, was wheeled out even though she has been on dialysis as her second kidney, too, had stopped functioning.

While officials said there was some confusion over the schedule of the surgeries, which led to the postponement, the sources said a urologist and an anaesthetist entered into a heated 20-minute argument, which resulted in rescheduling of the surgeries.

The sources said the first surgery was scheduled for 12.30 pm and one of the doctors allegedly refused to provide anaesthesia for the surgery, asking the staff to close the OT by 1 pm. The other doctor objected to this and said the surgeries were urgent and needed to be performed today.

PGI spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said, “There was some confusion over the list of surgeries, which led to the postponement. Nothing else happened at the OT.”

However, in the absence of anaesthesia, the surgeries had to be postponed. It has not been made clear as to when these two surgeries will be performed now.

“Under such circumstances, the surgeries are usually rescheduled for the next day. We are, however, not certain when the surgeries will be performed,” Wadwalkar said. 

Cruel blow for 7-yr-old Krish
Life has given a cruel blow to seven-year-old Krish, the only son of Monica and Vikas. With his mother dead and father jailed, Krish is now being taken care of by his maternal grandparents. Monica had sent him to school in the morning 

Chandigarh, October 15
With more than 100 patients of afflicted with dengue and malaria being admitted everyday, the emergency wings at the city hospitals have run out of space.

The number of patients visiting the OPD at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, daily has doubled over the past two weeks. In order to accommodate the patients, the beds at the Emergency ward have been shifted to the Medical OPD and the waiting area.

At the city’s tertiary care unit, the PGI, more than 25 patients of dengue have been admitted and the overall number of daily admissions is more than 500. The waiting area at the Emergency wing has turned into a patient ward at the PGI as well.

At the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, the average number of patients (running high fever) visiting the OPD daily has remained above 500 for the past one week, in addition to patients suffering from other ailments.

Since the patients’ rush is the highest at the GMSH, Sector 16, a separate emergency unit has been set up to attend to patients running high fever (dengue and malaria).

Chandigarh, October 15
The district education office in Sector 19 spent a day without power on Monday after the UT’s electricity department took away their electric meter. The lack of co-ordination between the education department’s internal offices seemed to be reason behind the move.

The concerned official of the electricity department, Rakesh Mahajan, said that the meter was taken away after the adult education department, on whose name the meter was registered, wrote to them saying that their electric supply be disconnected.

The building, where the DEO office currently operates, was occupied by the adult education department. The electricity meter continued to be on their name even as it shifted its operation to Sector 22 about three months ago, when the district education office was moved there.

Insiders, however, said that the adult education department should have informed the DEO office before sending the letter to the electricity department. But the officials of adult education department said that the district education officer did not take any steps for applying for a meter in their name, even though they were using the building for some time now.

The clarity over this issue could not be ascertained as DEO Ram Kumar Sharma did not answer the phone even after repeated calls. On the other hand, Chanchal Singh, who heads the adult education department, said that it was part of the regular file movement. “While I would have to check whether the similar correspondence of electricity department was also sent to the DEO office, the DEO office should have applied for fresh electricity meter by now. The adult education department could not afford to have the liability on their name when it was not using the services," he said.

Electricity officer Rakesh Mahajan said that they informed the DEO office that they would re-instate their supply if they would bring the written letter from the adult education department. But nobody came with any letter from the adult education department or with a request to set up a new meter on their name.

Chandigarh, October 15
A dharna by auto-rickshaw operators outside the office of the State Transport Authority (STA), Sector 18, turned out to be an unpleasant experience for commuters.

Members of the auto union were seen forcibly stopping auto-rickshaws on the Madhya Marg and asking their drivers to take part in the agitation. In the process, the commuters were left stranded. While they stopped auto-rickshaws forcibly around 11.30 am, the traffic on the busy Madya Marg was disrupted.

The president of the union, HS Sahwney, said as they had gone on a strike, they were requesting the LPG auto-rickshaw operators to join in the dharna.

On being asked about the harassment to the commuters, he said the members of the union would be asked to desist from such action in the future.

Later, the operators staged a dharna at the office of the State Transport Authority (STA). Sahwney said while the prices of LPG had risen from Rs 45 per kilo to Rs 52 per kilo, the auto tariff had not been revised.

The operators have demanded that either they should be allowed to carry five passengers or the tariff should be increased to Rs 18 per km. Due to increase in cost of the auto and increase in LPG, the business was becoming unviable for them.

The union has also demanded that they should be allowed to convert their petrol auto-rickshaws to diesel ones. They complained to the STA that the auto-rickshaws registered in other cities of Punjab and Haryana were doing business freely.

Chandigarh, October 15
Ramlilas in Chandigarh are flavoured with the message of communal harmony as members of the Muslim, Christian and Sikh communities are actively participating in this famous tradition of the Hindu community.

“I feel that people should stay together irrespective of their religions,” says Hedar Pathan, a 19-years-old undergraduate student, who plays the role of Sarwan Kumar’s father at the Ramlila in Sector 30. It is organised by the Ashvani Bal Dramatic Club. Hedar also does other managerial work.

The Sector-30 Ramlila has two more artistes from the Muslim community, Zahir Khan and Sanjeev Khan. Both of them actively participate in the Ramlila.

Hedar says he has no hesitation in playing Hindu characters and, in fact, the Ramlila has also given me an opportunity to know about Hindu culture. “Last year, too, I played a small role in the Ramlila. All this could have been possible due to the positive support of my family,” he says.

Sanjeev Khan, who is the general secretary of the club, says they celebrate all the festivals together, be it Diwali or Eid, in their area.

special features

* LCD screens to keep people waiting in queues engaged

* 24 hour medical facility

* A special corner for young couples to pledge against female foeticide

* Golf carts and wheel chairs for the elderly and physically challenged people

* A slope way has been constructed to facilitate people

* Cultural programmes on October 19, 20, 21 and 22

special buses

Special Haryana and CTU buses to Mansa Devi Temple from following places

* Chandigarh railway station

* Bus Stand, Sector 5, Panchkula

* ISBT Sector 17 and Sector 43, Chandigarh

* Narain Garh

* Kalka 

5,000 VVIP passes issued

Around 5,000 VVIP passes have been issued by the Panchkula Administration to allow smooth ‘darshan’ for VVIPs during the Navaratras. The passes have been given to all government officials, top brasses of Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and mediapersons.

Chandigarh, October 15
On the first day of Navaratras, around 1,000 cars will hit the tricity roads. Soaring fuel prices have failed to deter people from purchasing cars, said car dealers of the tricity, pointing out that they have booked all categories of cars from petrol to diesel and even high-end ones.

Car dealers across the tricity have readied the cars, which are to be delivered to the customers tomorrow. Even the car manufacturing companies are offering various schemes to boost car sales for the festive season.

Nitin Mehan, owner of Autopace Network Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh, said for the Navaratras they have booking of around 100 petrol cars and 50 diesel cars. Out of which, for the first two days of Navaratras they have booking of around 80 cars. On an average they sell seven cars daily, he added.

Pradeep Sheoran, sales head, Globe Toyota, Mohali, said on an average they sell five to seven cars daily. However, on the first day of Navaratras they have booking of 40 cars. Similarly, on the second day of Navaratras they have booking of 30 cars. He added that they have completed the cleaning and other formalities of those cars which are to be delivered to the customers tomorrow.

Panchkula, October 15
Waking up at the last minute before Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was to inaugurate the Navaratra festival in the Mansa Devi shrine tomorrow, the Administration swung into action and changed the expired fire extinguisher installed at the ‘yagyashala’ late this evening.

The fire extingusher, which expired on September 18, was replaced (right) by a new one at the Mansa Devi shrine on Monday. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

Hooda will be taking part in ‘havan’ for an hour tomorrow. The fire extinguisher where the Chief Minister (CM) and other VVIPs were to sit for the ‘havan’ had expired last month but was not changed till the last minute. The expiry date of the fire extinguisher, as checked by a Tribune team in the morning, was on September 18.

When a senior official in the administration was contacted he instructed the fire officer to get it replaced then and there. “It is highly risky not only for the CM but for the general public as well. If any mishap takes place, a stampede can take happen,” said Reena Vohra, a visitor at the temple.

“We were unaware that the fire extinguisher has expired. We were told to have a final look of the venue but nothing was mentioned about this,” said an employee at the ‘yagyashala’.

The venue was decked up with flowers, new mattresses and the ‘havan kund’ was readied by the evening.

Panchkula, October 15
In a first of its kind initiative by the Panchkula Administration, golf carts will be used to ferry elderly and physically challenged people this Navratras at the Mansa Devi shire.

So far the authorities have arranged three golf carts. The Administration is still planning to get more golf carts. Senior citizens and physically challenged devotees face problems while covering the long distance from the parking lot to the temple. This initiative has been taken so that these people have a hassle free ‘darshan’, said a source.

Wheelchairs and buses have also been arranged to ferry them from the entrance to the Patiala temple.

“The golf carts will carry them (elderly and disabled persons) towards the Patiala temple from where one can easily enter,” said City Magistrate Vandana Disodia.

A ramp and a special parking area have been constructed keeping in mind the need to the elderly and disabled persons.

Panchkula, October 15
Come Navratras and the residents of Panchkula will see young couples pledging against female foeticide at the Mansa Devi shrine. The shrine has dedicated a special corner near the main gate where couples would be pledging against female foeticide.

“We have called an NGO for the purpose and a special corner for the young couples will be marked where they will take oath against aborting girl child. Banners will be put up to attract people and to make them aware of the cause,” said Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mansa Devi Shrine Board, DP Dattana.

Another official of the board added that as lakhs of devotees visit the shrine during the Navratra, it is the right platform to make the people aware of such a cause.

Vishu Kalra, a resident of Sector 9, said, “Lakhs of people visit the temple from far off places during the festival. This is the correct platform to create awareness. This method would be successful especially for the ones who are less educated.”

Chandigarh, October 15
In the third round of open auction, the auction committee constituted by the Chandigarh Administration for disposal of condemned buses today auctioned 34 buses of Depot no1. These buses were of 2000-2001 models and had outlived their life. The auction fetched Rs 86,10,000. 

With the auction of the buses, C.T.U. has auctioned all the 81 condemned buses of all the three depots and earned Rs.1.87 crores. The auction of 27 condemned buses of Depot No.II and 20 condemned buses of Depot No.III was held on September 26 and September 28.

CTU officials said a huge junk of around 120 condemned buses are already lying dumped in the two workshops, located in Industrial Area phase 1 here. In the past, the CTU has not been able to dispose off the buses in the last three years, thanks to the official rigmarole involved in auctioning the junk. The junk was not only blocking vital space in the already inadequate workshops, but had become a source of unhygienic conditions.

Chandigarh, October 15
Two years after the proposal to install high-resolution CCTV cameras on the PU campus was mooted, no progress has been made in this regard. In a move to keep a vigil on miscreants and to control the entry of outsiders, the authorities had proposed to install high-resolution CCTV cameras, capable of capturing clear images during night as well, on campus. Tenders have been floated on three different occasions for the purchase of the cameras, but no progress has been made so far.

The authorities had planned to install 80 new cameras. A tender was floated in July this year, and three companies had made presentations of their equipments on August 14. However, no progress has been made, since then.

The purchase committee, which is responsible for buying the new cameras, has not forwarded the proposal yet. About ten cameras, out of the 60 already installed on the premises, have been found to be non-functional by the security staff.

When contacted, chief security officer of the university, PK Dhawan, said, “The locations for installation of the new cameras have been finalised. We will soon be installing the cameras.” He also said that two cameras, which have been non-functional for the past one month, were to be repaired by the respective departments. There are ten internet protocol-based cameras at important locations, including the vice-chancellor’s office and administrative block, which had become obsolete and would soon be discarded. There are also 3 high-resolution cameras at the gates, and 45 day-and-night surveillance cameras at all the hostels, department buildings and parking lots. Apart from these, there are 50 cameras installed at the library.

Fatehgarh Sahib, October 15
Mandeep Singh of MTech was declared Mr Blooming Freshto, and Sumanpreet Kaur was declared M Blooming Freshto during the Fresher's party organised by the students of the nanotechnology department at Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, today. 

Jobanpreet Singh was declared Mr Handsome and Simranjeet Kaur was declared Ms Smiley during the function. Seniors presented cultural and musical events to accord a warm welcome to the freshers. Various competitions, games, ramp walk, etc were also held.

Dr Gumohan Singh Walia, vice-chancellor of the university, and registrar Dr Pritpal Singh were also present on the occasion. 

Quiz

The team of Akash Zutshi and Prakhar Saini of Asian School, Dehradun, won the Del Monte Quest'Italia 2012, an inter-school quiz on Italian cuisine, culture and language today. A total of 30 students participated in the quiz. The local team of Bhishm Khanna and Bhavya Kumar from Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, finished second while the team of Mrinal Datt and Nivranshu of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, attained third place in the quiz. The quiz saw the participation of The Asian School, Dehradun; Bhavan's Vidyalaya, Chandigarh; Government Model Senior Secondary School-35, Chandigarh; Tribune Model School; Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37 B, Chandiagrh; and AKSIPS, Sector 41, Chandigarh.

Wildlife week

Government High School, Sector 46, celebrated "Wild Life Week" along with the eco-club of the school, Srishti, from October 1 to 7. The students were made aware about the importance of wild life during the celebrations. A visit to the Chhatbir Zoo was also organised by the eco-club in which about 50 students were taken to the zoo and given practical knowledge about wildlife. They also participated in a quiz and a drawing competition related to wildlife.

Integration meet

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti celebrated a two-day "Integration Meet" at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sector 25. A cultural programme, which included qawwali (by JNV Poonch), youth choir, jhamakhra (Kangra folk dance), jindua (Punjabi folk), and Himachali Nati, was presented by the Navodians. VK Singh, Finance and Education Secretary, inaugurated the meet and Mohd Shayin, Deputy Commisioner, praised the efforts put in by the Navodians.

Judo championship

Raj Kishan of Shishu Niketan School, Mohali, bagged the gold medal in the recently held CBSE north zone judo Championship organised at Dev Samaj Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, Chandigarh. He also booked a berth in the All-India National CBSE to be held at Dehradun.

Competition

An inter-house and inter-class competition was organised at Genius Public School, Mohali. The junior wing of the school participated in the "Healthy Tiffin" competition while the senior students of the school participated in "Word Hunting". The winners were awarded with certificates.

Essay writing

Around 90 students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, participated in a competition to mark "Wild Life Week’. Students participated in essays and slogan-writing and painting competitions. The aim of the event was to create awareness among the children to save wildlife and plants.

"Save animals"

An activity based on communication skill was conducted in the pre-primary section of DAV Public School, Sector 39. Students of nursery recited rhymes with actions while LKG students gave the message of “Save animals” by enacting as different animals. Principal Jaskiran Harika appreciated the efforts of the students and teachers.

Interactive session

Delhi Public School, in an endeavour to stress on health and hygiene, organised an interactive session, in collaboration with Procter and Gamble.

Limca Book of Records Quiz