Extended weekend
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 12 — Two holidays in government institutions on April 13 and 14 coupled with the routine closed days of Saturday and Sunday that fell on April 10 and 11, respectively, has brought all work in government offices to a grinding halt in Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Several lower-level and middle-level staff in government offices just took a day's leave today to make it a majestic five-day extended weekend much to the annoyance of the members of the public , who were turned away from government offices and asked to come only on April 15 or 16. Offices of the Punjab Government wore a deserted look as the state had declared a closed day today also besides the two closed days on April 13 and 14.

Offices of the Chandigarh Administration, barring those of the Chandigarh police, wore a festive kind of atmosphere. A majority of the middle and lower-level officials were on leave while the senior functionaries were busy with the departure of the Vice -- President, Mr Krishan Kant, from the city this morning.

All those visiting the offices of the Estate Office, the Municipal Corporation and other public dealing offices were turned away as the chain of clerks, assistants and superintendents, who deal with files were not in attendance.

Branches of nationalised banks in Punjab and Chandigarh have also declared a closed day for tomorrow and the day after. The central government has declared a holiday for April 14. Due to the extended weekend, property deals and sales of things like cars and two wheelers that require transaction through bank drafts will stop, much to the annoyance of automobile dealers.

Those applying for jobs and are required to send their fee through bank drafts are likely to face the same problem. The low attendance of staff in offices helped only the traffic police as they had lesser number of vehicles to deal with.

'Being a daughter was not enough'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 12 — For Nirupama Kaur, a poetess who writes in English, French and Punjabi, and is also an artist, just being her parent's daughter was not enough. Her mother is the well known Punjabi poetess, Prabhjot Kaur, a Padamashri awardee, and her father, Col Narinder Pal Singh, is also a Punjabi writer.

"I started writing at the age of nine years, and in English primarily. But when I became little older, my parents felt that their children should be taught their mother tongue as well. So a Punjabi tutor was hired for us. I know French as my father was sent to Paris in 1968 where I graduated in Political Science," she said while explaining her forays into poetry in three languages. "I think in all the three languages and then write accordingly," she added.

She has published two volumes of poetry in Punjabi, 'Anant Dey Khandit Hoon Te' and 'Goshey', a collection of love poetry. Collection of her English poems is titled 'A Whiff of Sunny Air'. She has also translated some works in French for the Sahitya Akademi.

On the subject of painting, she said, "While writing I felt the need to supplement the words with figures. So, I started drawing. I first drew in black on paper, but after some time I sought colours in my drawing. Thus, I began working in mixed media." Nirupama, who has held exhibitions in London, Bristol, Delhi and Ahmedabad, paints figurative paintings in a "symbolic" style.

Based in Delhi, Nirupama was in Chandigarh today, after visiting Anandpur Sahib. There she was honoured at a women's conference on Sunday. "These tercentenary celebrations have formed certain images in my head, and I shall paint these in my forthcoming works, which I plan to exhibit in Punjab and Chandigarh," she said.

She has also received the French Government award, 'Le Rose de France', for her poetry in French. "In Paris, I heard the likes of Jean Paul Sartre himself. I even painted on the banks of the Seine. I also visited the southern France and painted at its beaches," she said while recounting her experiences.

Talking about her works in poetry and paintings she said, "I mainly concentrate on women's or political issues, because politics has an important role in my scheme of things." Being a single parent of two children who went through "tough times", women's issues form an important part of her work. "It is not 'happening' to talk about women's issues. The sad part is that like other problems, women's issues do not get a proper platform. As a poetess and an artist, I feel the responsibility to do so".

Interestingly, Nirupama also runs her own designing centre for "exclusive" gold, gems,pearls and silver jewellery, at her house "to keep the home and the hearth running".

Tussle over Panchkula building
By Rajmeet Singh
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, April 12— A newly constructed building of the State Health Department, under a World Bank aided-project of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare here, has become a bone of contention between two wings of the department.

Citing reasons of shortage of accommodation and paying lakhs of rupees for rented accommodation the two wings of the Health Department — the Chandigarh-based State Health Directorate and the district health authorities — are reportedly pressing hard their case with the higher authorities to take possession of the building.

The new building — located adjacent to the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare in Sector 6, where a Reproductive and Child Health Programme ended in June, 1998 — in question has been constructed in the second phase by the State PWD (B and R).

Interestingly, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had in a letter issued in July, 1998, categorically asked the State Government not to put the facilities and infrastructure — created under the World bank aided projects — for any use other than envisaged under the projects. Any deviation from it could affect future external assistance, the Ministry had said.

Meanwhile, sources in the department say that the Health Directorate wanted to shift its offices located in Sectors 7 and 8 at Chandigarh on the plea that the state exchequer had to pay lakhs of rupees each year as rent for its offices located in different parts of Chandigarh. The district health authorities on the other hand cite inadequate accommodation to adjust its different branches.

Even as the issue has to be sorted out, a plan of adding 25 more beds at the General Hospital here appears to have run into trouble. Sources in the hospital say that to run various facilities like EEG, TMT and audiometre certain administrative work had to be shifted from the hospital to the state logistic store located in the new building.

The district health authorities say that the office of the Chief Medical Officer along with other allied offices, consisting of a staff of over 100 persons, were being run from the Sector 11 dispensary. This was affecting the functioning of the dispensary.

Sources say that a request of the district health authorities in 1998 to hand over the building of the State Institute of health and Family Welfare being used under the Reproductive Child and Health Care Programme, which ended in June, 1998, was rejected by the State Government due to the objection raised by the Ministry of Health and Family.

Charitable medical centre
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 12—The charitable clinical and ECG centre, set up by the Bharat Vikas Parishad (BVP) at the Indira Holiday Home, Sector 24, has proved to be a boon for needy patients undergoing pathological tests.

A brainchild of Dr PN Thapar, former project director of the BVP, only a token fee is charged from patients at the centre. The fee is waived in case of needy persons.

According to Mr Madan Gupta “Spatu”, only the functional cost of chemicals is charged and charges are only a fraction of those charged the professional laboratories.

The laboratory opens daily at 8 a.m. except on Sundays. The samples are collected till 12 noon and the reports are ready between 12 noon to 2 p.m.

A doctor at the centre provides free consultation for two hours from 8 a.m.

“During the strike at the PGI, a large number of patients thronged the lab owing to our credibility”, says

Ms Bimla Gupta, a retired principal, who looks after the lab without any honorarium.

Mr Albert Masih and Ms Bindu — both qualified technicians — said they were happy serving the growing number of patients.

The lab also provides practical training in lab technology to students. Ajay Singh, who came in for training , has been employed as a technician in the lab itself.

Farm labourers for more wages
From Our Correspondent

CHAHAR-MAJRA ( ROPAR), April 12— Low wages despite more work is one of the reasons why migrant labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are facing a tough time during the ongoing harvesting season in Punjab. They say the daily wage of Rs 55- 60 is not enough.

The labourers have been coming to Punjab and neighbouring states in search of work for years.

Mr Partap Ram, who comes from Allahabad district earns while working on per ‘killa’ basis. “I have been coming to Punjab for the past 20 years, working in different parts but there is no change in payment. At times, we get some of wheat as our payment.” It could be around 10 kg of grains, worth Rs 60. He said on an average, six labourers are employed to harvest wheat in each ‘killa’.

Mr Jeevan Das from Bihar, who has been here for the past five years, said the payment made to them was very little. “We cannot survive on this amount, moreover it is a seasonal job”, he remarks.

Farmers accept that this hard-working class has not been getting sufficient amount of money.