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Amritsar leads the way in North India
Sandhu elected secretary-general of Asian Federation of Sports Medicine
10-bed special ward set up for cleft-lip patients
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I-Day venue shifted as renovation work of Guru Nanak Stadium lies halted
BBK DAV girls shine in university exams
CM pledges support to anti-tobacco campaign
You can avoid knee-joint replacement surgery
Major fire at general store
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Amritsar leads the way in North India
Amritsar, August 9 On the lines of Kerala, this 26-lakh project, the first in any district of the Northern India, will be introduced at two crematoriums namely Shivpuri cremation ground near Durgiana Temple and Chatiwind cremation ground near Gurdwara Shaheedan in Amritsar. The first major modification in the unit is that it will have a provision to facilitate ‘kapaal kriya’ as prescribed in Hindu rituals during the cremation ceremony. A rod at one end of the furnace will help perform this ritual. Besides this, another hollow iron rod - half a metre long and 2 inches in diameter - will be fixed on the top surface of the furnace to facilitate constant pouring of desi ghee as per the traditions followed by the Arya Samaj sect. Similarly, the chamber, despite getting extremely hot, will keep the bones intact so that these may be immersed in “running” water later on, as traditions command. PPCB Chairman Kahan Singh Pannu said these special modifications have been made keeping in mind the sentiments and rituals of the people belonging to Northern region. After Amritsar, the system will be introduced in cities like Tarn Taran, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda and Mohali in collaboration with their respective civic authorities. “This arrangement will help us limit the harm to the environment. The process, in an LPG-run crematorium, will be energy efficient as well as eco-friendly, as the particulate matter will remained confined to the chamber and prevent the cutting of trees for wood,” he added. Cremation by wood costs anywhere between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500, but the new system will bring down the cost to Rs 400. Former Union Minister MS Gill has already contributed Rs 12 lakh from his MPLAD fund for the Amritsar project. Local MP Navjot Sidhu has also announced Rs 4 lakh for the project, Rs 2 lakh has been given by the Shamshan Sewa Samiti, Amritsar, and the rest - Rs 8.5 lakh - has been released by the PPCB. Step by step
In an LPG-run crematorium, the body is kept in the furnace with the help of a trolley. Full-length burners on both sides burn high-pressure LPG, raising the temperature to 1,100°C. These ensure uniformity of the burning process and the body is reduced to ashes in an hour. After bringing the heat, smoke and particulate matter within pollution control norms, these are allowed to escape through a high rise chimney. The ashes are then collected in a stainless steel collection pan.
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Sandhu elected secretary-general of Asian Federation of Sports Medicine
Amritsar, August 9 Dr Sandhu, being the first Indian to hold this position since the inception of this federation in 1990 at the time of the 11th Asian Games in Beijing, took over from Dr Talia Alenebi from Iran, in a meeting held recently at Bangkok. The Asian Federation of Sports has its secretariat in university campus in Amritsar. While showing concern about the rising cases of doping by sportspersons, Dr Sandhu said sportspersons being representatives of the country should refrain from brining any disgrace to the nation. “It is a biggest challenge for us, yet there are many ways which can help keep vigil on doping. It is essential to counsel sportspersons to take to sports religiously and make them understand the demerits of consuming those drugs banned by WADA”, he advocated. Dr Sandhu, a pioneer in the field of sports medicine, has already brought several laurels for the university. Asian Federation of Sports Medicine, a continental organisation constituent of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, has 46 member countries, divided into five zones of East, South, West, South East and Central Asia.
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10-bed special ward set up for cleft-lip patients
Amritsar, August 9 Besides other state-of-the-art facilities, the 10-bed special ward includes a children’s toy room, speech therapy cubicles and other recovery and counselling infrastructure said Dr Ravi Mahajan, director of the Smile Train project. Cleft lip and palate condition occurs in one out of 700 births and 35,000 cleft children are born in India every year with this condition. There are more than 10 lakh children in India who require cleft surgery. He said with the surgery, lives of the children could be transformed and they could lead a normal life. It is evident to mention here that the “Smile Train” is a US-based charity, which is devoted to the cause of clefts world over. The organisation was started by some philanthropists in the USA in 1999 with prominent world personalities as patrons, including George Bush, Bill Gates, Richard Gere, Paul Newman, Warren Buffet and others. The project is ongoing in about 80 countries in the world giving relief from this disability and offering a new lease of life to them. Renu Mehta, programme manager of the Smile Train India from Delhi, said the project started its operations in India in 2000. Amandeep Hospital was empanelled with this project and was considered as one of the best Smile Train Centre in the country providing comprehensive care to cleft patients with free surgeries, speech therapy and dental treatment. She said since 2000 the Smile Train had sponsored more than 2.5 lakh cleft surgeries in India. More than 3,200 surgeries have been performed in the last seven years by the Amandeep Hospital here. Now for the benefit of those patients a new air-conditioned ward at a cost of Rs 40 lakh has been set up by the hospital with the support of the “Smile Train”, said Dr Avtar Singh, MD, Amandeep Hospital.
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I-Day venue shifted as renovation work of Guru Nanak Stadium lies halted
Amritsar, August 9 The district administration was forced to shift the venue as the work at Guru Nanak Stadium was stalled on June 3 after the Archeological Survey of India raised objection over the construction of a pavilion towards the main entrance at Madan Mohan Malwia road just opposite to the historic Ram Bagh belonging to legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The stadium is situated in the close vicinity of the summer palace of Maharaja, which is declared as a heritage site and protected monument by the government under the Ancient Monuments, Archeological Sites and Remains Act 1959. Office-bearers of the Amritsar Games Association (AGA), which looks after Gandhi Ground --- exclusively for cricket, said due care had been taken to secure the pitch and ground. AGA Secretary Mohit Khanna said no vehicle would be allowed to go inside the ground. He said instructions have been given to the participating contingents to avoid the cricket pitch. At present, rehearsals of school students, Punjab Police jawans and their bands to participate in the Independence Day celebration are going on in the cricket ground. B&R Executive Engineer Sukhdev Singh informed that a communication had been forwarded to the ASI’s Chandigarh office for lifting the sanction on stalled work at Guru Nanak Stadium. It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab Government had selected 14 stadiums in the state, Guru Nanak Stadium being one of them, for upgradation. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had announced provision of state-of-the-art facilities for these stadiums. Under the project, Rs 7 crore was allocated for this multipurpose stadium, including Rs 2 crore for installing floodlights. Public Works department has outsourced the construction work in the stadium to a Batala-based private firm.
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Playing with fire: Use of LPG cylinders at railway station continues violating norms
Amritsar, August 9 The policy was formulated following the announcement made by former Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her budget speech last year. A visit to the local railway station makes it amply clear that traditional food items like Purriya, Bhatture, Cholley, Pakore and tea are being prepared with LPG. The violation is more rampant on trolleys. According to the new policy, there should be no cooking on platform at category A, B and C stations except for making tea. However, this would not permit use of gas cylinder for making tea at those existing stalls which are presently making tea through hot AVM. Dispensing of food should be through bain maries and hot cases or any other suitable means and which should be hygienic and should be covered all the time. Amritsar railway station falls in category A station having annual passenger earning of more than Rs 6 crore. The Railways has a plan to upgrade into a world class station. A daily traveller, Rajwinder Singh Matharu said he has been travelling between Amritsar and Jalandhar railway stations regularly for the past nearly three years. He said the new catering policy was like fulfilling their long demand of ensuring safety at railway stations. He said at times they find trolley cooking food highly dangerous. In case of accidents these could prove disastrous. Vishwesh Chaubey, Divisional Railway Manager, Northern Railway Zone’s Ferozepur Division, said he would get the violation of the norms checked. He accepted that only some societies have been allowed till August 31.
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BBK DAV girls shine in university exams
Amritsar, August 9 In MA (English)-I, Gagandeep Kaur and Rachita Kashyap secured 4th and 5th positions in the university. Harpreet Kaur and Richa Seth stood joint 8th. Principal Dr Neelam Kamra told that NCC cadets of the college also acclaimed new heights of glory with very profound performances at Annual Training Camp held at Police DAV Public School, Amritsar. The team stood first in the drill, solo dance, giddha and quawwali events and second in anchoring. Students of Khalsa College for Women also made college proud by bagging top positions in the annual exam of Msc (IT)-II conducted by GND University. Dimpy stood 5th in university and 1st in Amritsar district. Simranjeet Kaur, Shruti Sehgal, Kamaldeep Kaur stood 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Amritsar district. Honour
Ajit Vidialay Senior Secondary School, Ajit Nagar, organised a programme to honour students of Class X and XII, who got merits in recently held board exams in March 2011. Sukhwinder Singh (DEO) was the chief guest on the occasion. Principal Rama Mahajan said the school bagged 22 state merits in Class XII. Felicitation
The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), a non-profit NGO, felicitated 190 students, 16 teachers and nine principals from different schools of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Batala, a sub-division of Gurdaspur. These students and academicians were honoured for winning mathematics, science, cyber and English tests conducted by the SOF, said BN Sharma Honorary Programme Coordinator SOF. He said 75 girl students have been awarded scholarship of Rs 18,000 each for a year for studies under the Girl Child Scholarship launched by foundation this year. Ram Singh, DIG (Border Range), was the chief guest. He appreciated the NGO for inculcating interest in science, computer and mathematics. The SOF conducts contests in science, mathematics and English for students from Class I to XII. Students can evaluate themselves at district, state and national levels by taking part in these examinations.
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CM pledges support to anti-tobacco campaign
Amritsar, August 9 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has pledged his support to the cause and assured the victims who along with the oncologists had urged the state government to ban gutka and khaini without any further delay besides implementing stringent pictorial warnings on chewing tobacco. Informing this, Dr Avtar Singh, director of a private hospital, said a large number of tobacco victims under the banner of “Voices of Tobacco Victims” and oncologists had approached Chief Ministers of various states in the country to pledge support to this cause so that the people especially the young generation could be saved from falling victim to drug addiction and diseases like cancer. He said as a part of this campaign, Dr Prahlad Duggal, head and neck cancer surgeon, also met Social Welfare Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla who also lent her support to the campaign signing a pledge calling a ban on gutka and khaini. It is pertinent to mention here that Voice of Tobacco Victims is a national campaign to advocate against chewing tobacco and its other smokeless forms. It has been conceptualised and initiated by oral cancer victims, who have come together to promote greater awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use and seeking stronger enforcement of tobacco control laws and a complete ban on chewing tobacco in the country. Dr Duggal quoting some data said India has the highest number of oral cancer in the world with 75,000 to 80,000 new cases of oral cancers coming to light every year. Gutka and other forms of tobacco sold in small pouches across the country have become a very serious health hazard. Since gutka and pan masala are marketed as mouth fresheners, its habit starts at a very young age. Due to its flavored taste, easy availability and low price, it is popular among children, youth and women. “A recent report by experts of National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) on the harmful effects of gutka reveals that the number of oral cancer cases in India alone is 86 per cent of the oral cancer cases across the world. What is more shocking is that chewing tobacco and gutka contributes to 90 per cent of oral cancer cases in the country,” he pointed out. Though a large number of people suffer from oral cancer due to tobacco chewing, the indirect advertisements in media is alluring more and more youths towards this menace.
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You can avoid knee-joint replacement surgery
Amritsar, August 9 The (knee joint replacement) operation costs lakhs of rupees which obviously every person could not afford. However, a patient can live a pain free life by spending just a few hundreds rupees, if Dr Rakesh Sharma, a senior orthopaedic surgeon at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital of Government Medical College, is to be believed. Dr Sharma has been using Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy since February 2010. He used this therapy on about 50 patients who were suffering from different stages of osteoarthritis joints including knee and shoulder during this period. This procedure showed good success in unions of bones, claimed Dr Sharma. Under this therapy, Dr Sharma extracts platelet rich plasma --- a blood component --- from 100 cc blood of the patient. It is then double centrifuged in the 'refrigerated blood component separator’ in the blood bank. This gives about 15 cc of buffy layer having platelet rich plasma (PRP) which is then injected to the ailing knee joint. This helps in fast repairing and regenerating the articular cartilage, thus helps in preventing the degradation of joints, added Dr Sharma. “The PRP comprises of a range of autologous growth factors which accelerate the rate and degree of tissue regeneration and improve wound healing,” he explained. “The patients suffering with even second or third stage of osteoarthritis have shown tremendous results,” claimed the doctor. There are four stages of osteoarthritis knee. Osteoarthritis is degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease which results in degradation of joints including articular cartilage. “So far 22 knees have been injected with very encouraging results even after more than a year’s follow up. Probably this is the first of its kind study in India,” said Dr Sharma. He said PRP with bone grafting in 15 cases of non-union of bones have been tried with excellent results of achieving good callus formation within 3 months of the therapy. He also used this procedure in “Non specific restrictive shoulder arthropathies in elderly people” with very encouraging results. “The number of young patients - between the age group of 30-40 --- suffering from osteoarthritis knee problem has been increasing alarmingly owing to sedentary life styles and unhealthy diets due to presence of pesticides and chemicals in the food chain,” he said. This research could prove very beneficial in this scenario and government should fund this project as not every patient visiting the hospital could afford MRI scans for continuous follow ups. Not every person could afford the costly knee joint replacement operations which cost anything between Rs 2-3 lakh. However, this process would cost just few thousand rupees if would include the cost of MRIs, he explained.
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Amritsar, August 9 Chief fire officer Tarlochan Singh said the third floor of a shop, Kuldeep Singh and Sons, had caught fire due to short circuiting. “As many as four fire tenders were pressed into service as soon as information reached the office. There was no loss of life. The exact loss of goods has not been calculated, but quite a significant quantity of general goods was gutted in the fire,” he said. |
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