The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Seminar on birth asphyxia from Sept 20
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17
The Paediatrics Department at the PGI will organise a two-day on birth asphyxia from September 20. Birth asphyxia means failure to establish adequate breathing at birth. The workshop aims to provide comprehensive, practical and hands-on training to doctors in the prevention and management of birth asphyxia. At least 60 delegates from all over the country will attend the two-day seminar. Problems with mothers like high blood pressure, vaginal bleeding, decreased fluid in the amniotic sack, infection in the uterine cavity, premature delivery or twin pregnancies, put the baby at high risk of asphyxia,” explain doctors.

Since a large number of births in India and other developing countries, take place at home, birth asphyxia remains an important public health problem. Brain malformations may put the baby at risk of asphyxia and independently cause delayed development. While in some cases the baby has such symptoms without any apparent risk factors.

Around 10 per cent of babies require some degree of resuscitation at birth and one per cent require extensive resuscitation.

Contest for fast bowlers
Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh, September 17
More than 1,000 children drawn from various parts of the region in the above-16 age group are expected to take part in the second leg of the two-day Scorpio Speedster cricket carnival, beginning tomorrow at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. The hunt for fast bowlers through this unique contest has been organised under the banner of IMG, an entertainment management company.

Mr Jamie Stewart said, “IMG has decided to market the sport in India on professional lines.” He added that India had the capability to produce fast bowlers.

Mr Stewart said they expected more speedsters from the region since Punjab and Haryana were the areas where people are well-built. He said in Delhi they got tremendous response as more than 1,500 youngsters turned up for the trials. They were expecting more in Chandigarh, he added.

The winner from each city and four wild cards will travel to Mumbai to compete in the final to be held on November 21, which will be telecast exclusively on the ESPN. The fastest bowler will receive a cash prize of Rs 75,000 and the chance to attend the Australian Institute of Sport’s Cricket Academy in South Australia. The runner-up will get Rs 25,000.

Baseball trials

The Baseball Association, Chandigarh, will hold trials in age group of 11-13 years for the fifth All-India Little League Baseball Tournament to be held at Solan from September 26. The trials will be held on September 21 at the Panjab University grounds at 9.30 a.m.

Badminton championship

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The District Badminton Association will organise a three-day badminton tournament from October 14 to 16 at the indoor stadium of the Local BBSB Engineering College. The tournament will be organised in the under-13, 16 and 19 categories for both boys and girls, besides men’s singles and doubles, veteran singles and doubles, said Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, after presiding over the meeting of the District Badminton Association here on Tuesday. He said more than 150 players were expected to participate in the tournament.

Arjuna awardee honoured

The recognition and honour given to the players, particularly by their home towns and states, not only boost their morale but also motivate them to do better. This was stated by Mr Alok Kumar, of Mandi Gobindgarh, an Arjuna award winner, while addressing a function at the town organised by the Municipal Council, Mandi Gobindgarh, on Tuesday to honour him. Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, presided over the function.

Appreciating his efforts and hard work the Deputy Commissioner urged to set up an academy at Mandi Gobindgarh to provide coaching to upcoming billiard players.

Mr J.P. Singla, president, MC, Mandi Gobindgarh, Mr Jagmeet Singh Sahota, Vice-President, MC, Mr Rajiv Sood, councillor, also addressed the gathering. Schoolchildren presented cultural programme on the occasion.

Punjab state games

PATIALA: Trials to select women team from Patiala district for various disciplines will be held at the local Polo grounds on September 19 at 4 p.m. This was stated by Mr Sunil Khosla, district sports officer in a press note here on Wednesday. The selected teams will take part in the Punjab state games for women to be held in Ludhiana from October 1 to 3. The disciplines in which these games are being held are athletics, basketball, badminton, gymnastics, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball and lawn tennis.

Lawn tennis tourney

The Patiala District Lawn Tennis Association will hold the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) under-14 boys and girls talent series from October 6 to 11 at the Gymkhana club and National Institute of Sports. Players desirous of taking part in the tournament may contact Prof S.M. Verma, secretary of the district lawn tennis association.

ADMINISTRATION

Admn issues contradicting orders
Rehabilitation of slum dwellers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17
The Chandigarh Administration has issued two contradicting official orders with regard to the rehabilitation of encroachers. One of them is highly controversial. These notifications are issued to accord a finality to the orders.

The first order, issued on August 28, says the Administration has decided to do away with the scheme of providing free or subsidised housing to slum dwellers who were not on the voters list as on the cut-off date of December 8, 1996.

A day later came the controversial order. On August 29 a seemingly insignificant notification was issued to announce the acquisition of 81 acres at Maloya village for ‘‘flood protection and allied development purposes.’’ The last line of this order says, ‘‘The grounds for urgency are flood protection, rehabilitation of slum dwellers and settlement of encroahers on government land spread over the city’’.

The first two are justified as flood protection needs to be done in the seasonal rivulet flowing near Maloya village and land for rehabilitating 16,000 slum dwellers who are eligible as on the cut-off date is also required. The controversy is then why the land is required for settling encroahers when a day earlier the scheme had been scrapped.

Official sources admitted that this should not have been there. To undo the damage a fresh notification is required to delete the undesired portion of the second order.

The first order also mentioned that unauthorised construction made by ineligible slum dwellers shall be removed in accordance with the law. It also said that slum dwellers whose names do not figure in the electoral rolls on the eligibility date will not be given housing rehabilitation in Chandigarh. Thus whereas once this category of persons are accommodated virtually, the aforesaid scheme of 1979 comes to an end and it is not considered desirable to keep the scheme alive on the statute book.

The UT Administrator while exercising powers under Sections 3 and 22 of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952, repealed the said scheme.

Fiftyseven structures pulled down
Our Correspondent

Panchkula, September 17
Following the directions of the Deputy Commissioner, the enforcement wing of the Haryana Public Works Department (HPWD) pulled down at least 45 structures that have come up along the road leading to the Mansa Devi temple here today.

Led by Mr N.K. Gupta, Subdivisional Officer of the Building and Roads wing of HPWD, a team of department employees removed the encroachments. The enforcement team was also provided a riot control vehicle and a company of police personnel. On the other hand the affected persons have complained that they were not served prior notices by the department and have suffered huge losses.

SAS Nagar: Enforcement staff of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) removed encroachments from the periphery of the town, here today.

As many as 12 structures were removed by PUDA from Jagatpura village. These included two saw mills, three cattle sheds and a few shops dealing in shuttering materials. Some complaints were received that PUDA had indulged in a pick and choose policy as seven shops in the area were not touched by the enforcement staff. However, the owners of these shops claimed they had all documents, relating to the property.

New Lake Club in charge
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17
Following the resignation of the General Manager of Lake Club, Lieut-Col Madhu Berry (retd), the Chandigarh Administration will take legal action against him for recovery, if he is found guilty in the ongoing inquiry into the affairs of the Lake Club which is managed by the Sports Department.

In another development, the Chandigarh Administration today appointed Dr Reet Mohinder Singh, a former Sports Director of Panjab University, as in charge of the Lake Club. The arrangement will continue till a formal appointment is made.

Sources in the Administration said the only recourse in case of the Colonel being found guilty is filing of civil suit in the court. Since he was not a regular employee of the Administration there is no other way of affecting a recovery. Col Berry was on contract and his resignation more or less has been accepted, sources said. Col Berry had resigned last evening, pending an enquiry into the functioning of the club.