Jalandhar, January 25
X-ray units established in hospitals and health centres in Punjab may have turned into cancerous zones. Except a few, nearly all X-ray plants in the state are running without any X-ray exposure measurement facility.

Even most of the radiographers are working without film badges, which are meant to measure the amount of exposure to the rays. Situation reflects the terrifying picture as X-rays are one of the major causes of cancerous development in human body.

As per the norms, film badges, a 3”x3” device, is to be provided to radiographers working in the X-ray departments. After every three months, film badges, also called thermo luminescent device, is sent to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, where the amount of exposure of radiographers to the X-rays is measured. The management of hospital and radiographers concerned are cautioned in case the amount of exposure is found more than that of the prescribed limit. A film badge and its measurement of exposure cost around a few hundred rupees per annum.

As per data available, total 181 X-ray departments are there in the district and subdivisional hospitals and community health centres (CHCs) in the state where nearly 329 X-ray machines have been installed. Barring a few district-level civil hospitals, radiographers in all health centres are working without dosimeters. Exceptions to this generalisation are all government medical colleges of the state.

“The maximum permissible limit of radiation exposure is 20 milliseivert per year and 100 milliseivert for five years. We cannot establish an amount of radiation exposure just by comparing it with number of X-rays done by a radiographer.

The amount of exposure depends upon a number of factors like angle of X-ray tube, distance from the machine, chronic radiation leakage, working hours and ultimately on the quality of machine,” said a Radio Safety Officer of one of the government medical colleges.

“Even the surveillance in private set-up is grossly lagging. Ideally, every rays emitting device should be under surveillance. Except in medical colleges, radio safety officers are non-existent in the district,” he added.

However, a senior officer of the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) said it was not the duty of the PHSC, but that of the Medical Superintendent or Senior Medical Officer of the respective hospital to provide dosimeters to staff working in X-ray units.

“Some of our colleagues have died due to overexposure. Rather in one case, a doctor giving treatment to one of our expired colleagues, sought the amount of the patient’s exposure to X-rays, while he was employed in the X-ray unit. This simply shows that definite correlation exists,” said a representative of the radiographer’s union.

Gurdaspur, January 25
Eve-teasers and roadside Romeos beware. Now schoolgirls will be able to walk in lonely alleys at not-so-convenient hours safely, thanks to the martial art plan by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for the girls of government middle schools.

In the first phase, the plan to teach martial art to girl students is being implemented in 47 middle schools falling under Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot tehsils. Keeping in view the success rate of the scheme, the plan will be extended to all middle schools in the district.

For these 47 schools, half-a-dozen black belt instructors have been recruited while the authorities are on the lookout for others.

These black belt instructors are being paid Rs 100 per day per school and training is imparted in karate and judo while kick-boxing, another form of martial art, will make its taught later. The focus is on self-defence rather than going in for the attack.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Gurmeet Singh said, “We are finding it a bit difficult to recruit black belt instructors but are doing our best with whatever material we have. Girls undergoing training have already started showing signs of a growing confidence level.”

A retired middle-school principal said, “In general, women have a smaller physique and less muscle power, so some of the techniques that need brute force would be disastrous for a girl to try and employ against a bigger man. The instructors will have to be careful in imbibing certain techniques to these girls for their self-defence.”

“Martial arts make women more aggressive. It teaches a woman to control herself, her temper and anger. They are simply learning a means of self-preservation by doing something they enjoy while also bettering their health and general level of fitness,” disclosed Nirpjit Kaur, Principal of Girls Senior Secondary School, Taragarh.

Jalandhar, January 25
After reeling under extreme cold and foggy conditions the people today woke up to a warm morning with a sunshine in the later part of the day. However, the morning hours witnessed dense fog leading to poor visibility in the region.

People, especially the oldies, children and destitute, were seen basking under the sun and enjoying the cosy ambience. At many places people gathered at parks while the womenfolk sat on the terraces to enjoy the warmth. Earlier during the past fortnight people were forced to stay indoors due to dipping mercury, blinding fog and rising chill.

However, despite a comparatively warm day, Amritsar remained the coldest in the plains with a minimum temperature of 0.8° Celsius.

The holy city had recorded a low of 0.2° Celsius yesterday.

The mercury plunged to 2°C at Adampur followed by Halwara at which saw a low of 5.6°Celsius. Bathinda and Pathankot witnessed a low of 7 degrees. Chandigarh recorded a sharp rise in the mercury with a minimum temperature of 9° Celsius.

The Met Department has predicted fog, mist and haze in the morning hours with the possibility of a sky remaining obscure in the next 24 hours. “The visibility would remain 1 km till 9.30 am, while it would be up to 2 km by 10.30 am and 3 km by 11 am,” sources added.

Hoshiarpur, January 25
Congress MP from Hoshiarpur Santosh Chaudhary has attacked the district administration for being “non-cooperative” in carrying out her development programmes.

Talking to this correspondent here yesterday, she alleged that in spite of providing money from her MPLAD fund to various institutions, the district administration created hurdles in releasing the money or issued cheques to some unconcerned officers causing inconvenience to the actual beneficiaries.

She pointed out that she had recommended grants to various panchayats for development purposes from the MPLAD fund. Instead of issuing cheques to the panchayats concerned, the cheques had been issued in the name of Block Development and Panchayat Officers of the area.

According to the MP, she also recommended grants of Rs 25,000 each to 11 government elementary schools in the district so that they could be provided swings and other sports material, but her recommendations were sent back by the Deputy Commissioner on the plea that she was not eligible to provide sports goods to the government schools.

When she made clarification on her eligibility on this account, the officer concerned delayed the issue of cheques on this pretext that he had been assigned duty at Anandpur Sahib and after coming back on January 22 he would issue the cheques. She said on January 23, 11 cheques of Rs 25,000 had been delivered in her office without signing the authorised signatory.

She had arranged a function in which the said cheques had been given to the concerned elementary schools. But on account of unsigned cheques which had no value she had to force to cancel the function.

She had already reported the matter of non-cooperative attitude of the district administration to the department concerned of the Union government. She would now report the said issue to the Chief Secretary of Punjab and the Secretary General of Parliament for action against the district officers concerned.

Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj strongly refuted the charges. He said preliminary inquiry was being made to ascertain the genuineness of the actual beneficiaries according to the guidelines for disbursement of the MPLAD fund.

Referring to the issue of unsigned cheques, he said explanation of the District Sports Officer had been sought. He would look into the matter and in case any official was found guilty strict action would be taken against him.