DC for campaign against malaria
Our Correspondent

Panchkula, July 3
Keeping in view the monsoon season, the district administration has directed the Health Department to launch an anti-malaria drive in the slum areas in the town.

Ms Jyoti Arora, Deputy Commissioner, while presiding over a meeting of the District Standing Malaria Committee, directed the health officials to carry out sprays of insecticides in slums and other places where there was any possibility of breaking out the disease. She asked the officials to conduct regular check up of workers of various factories, brick-kilns and business houses.

She appealed to all private doctors and members of the Indian Medical Association and chemists to help the Health Department in the anti-malaria campaign. The District Education Officer was told to educate the children of different schools about the anti-malaria measures.

SPORTS

Swimming meet concludes
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, July 3
Puneet Rana, Aman Sharma, Vivek Yadav, Karan Bhai and Inderpalin the boys section, while Gurnoor Kang, Sukhman Ghuman, Bhavneet and Himanshi Bakshi in the girls section were adjudged the overall best swimmers in the Major PPS Sidhu Memorial Swimming Meet that concluded here this evening at the yoga centre swimming pool in Sector 23 here.

Results:

Boys (25m breaststroke): Inder Pal 1, Karan Bhai 2 and Pranav Suri 3; Different group wise — (50m freestyle): Sanjit Singh 1, Gaganpreet Singh Oberoi 2 and Siddharth Sehdev 3; (50m freestyle): Vivek 1, Sparsh 2 and Jatin Arora 3; (50m): Inderpal 1, Pranav 2 and Ishaan 3; (50m freestyle): Kunal 1, Jashandeep 2 and Amrit Vir 3; (50m freestyle): Paras 1, Devinderjit 2 and Pankaj Chauhan 3; (100m butterfly): Devinder Pal 1, Vivek Kapoor 2 and Amarinder 3. Group wise — (50m butterfly): Aman Sharma 1, Loveraj 2 and Sanjit 3; (50m butterfly): Inderpreet 1, Angad 2 and Akash Bansal 3; (50m butterfly): Karan 1, Amrit Vir 2 and Robin 3; (200m Ind med): Puneet Rana 1, Abhimanyu 2 and Devinderpal 3.

Girls: (25m breaststroke): Bhavneet 1, Kanika 2 and Chahat 3; Group wise:(50m freestyle): Bhavneet 1, Prabhjot 2 and Era Kailey 3. (50m breaststroke): Nikhil Pannu 1, Harsimran 2 and Tania Chibber 3; (50m freestyle): Gurnoor Kang 1, Pooja Chauhan 2 and Amandeep 3.

Trekkers returns

A nine-member trekking team of the Uttaranchal Yuva Manch, led by its president Thakur Gurmeet Singh, returned on Tuesday evening after spending 11 days in Khatling Glacier in Tehri Garhwal. The team had gone there with an objective of promoting awareness about environmental and eco-conservation issues. Members of the team had interaction en route with local people. They collected garbage leftover by tourists and trekkers at camp sites and surroundings. Thakur said a detailed study of the same would be brought out very shortly. It covered vast treks of Ghuttu to Khatling, Rudraghera, Mayali Pass, Masar Tal, Basuki Tal and Kedar Nath, thus reaching the highest altitude of 20,000 feet at Mayali Pass.

The team comprised Pushpender Gusain, Kuldeep Lakhera, Rattan Aswal, Anil Semwal, Parveen Rawat and Manjinder Singh.

ADMINISTRATION

Admn eyeing grants under City Challenge Fund
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 3
The Chandigarh Administration is eyeing grants under the City Challenge Fund, which will be available after the Administration carries out a series of reforms listed by the Government of India.

The first in line of reforms was the order passed a few days ago to reduce stamp duty on sale of property from 12 .50 per cent to 6 per cent.

According to sources in the Administration, there is a provision in the Union Budget for the ongoing year which lays down special incentives for states and union territories. These incentives will come as grants under the City Challenge Fund. This year, there is a provision of about Rs 500 crore. The Administration will soon be pushing its case with the Government of India for claim on the fund.

A series of reforms have to be carried out to be eligible for this fund. Among the parameters is the requirement to repeal the Urban Land Ceiling Act. This already stands repealed in Chandigarh. Implementation of the Model Rent Act; outsourcing of work, privatisation; improvement in sanitation and water supply and ease in paying bills are in the list of the Central Government’s guidelines.

Privatisation has already started in various departments and the Administration is already cutting flab. Water supply and sanitation conditions are already good and need just a bit of improvement to qualify for the grants.

With regards to ease in paying bills, the Administration has already started electronic clearance of water and power bills. This enables individual user to authorise his bank to pay bills directly from his account so that there is no need to stand in queues for deporting bills.

Sources, however, admit that problems may arise in the implementation of the Model Rent Act. This may create hurdles as has happened in Delhi.

The idea is to target the fund as it enables a lot of flexibility in use of money and provides for additional resources and better provisions. There will be guidelines for the use of this fund, but there are easy to meet.