Bathinda, April 7
World Health Day was celebrated with fervour across the city with events hosted by the city schools, Central Jail, and various NGOs to mark the day.

As part of the celebration, Lord Rama Public School organised an eye check-up camp on the school premises. Opthalmologist, Dr Gaurav Mangla, checked the eyes of all the students. The school also organised various competitions to mark the World Health Day. Addressing the students, principal of the school, Suraj Setia said health was wealth and advised the students to shun the habit of eating junk food.

While the students of classes V to VII showed their talent in the banner and chart making competitions by showing the importance of healthy food and a balanced diet, students of classes VIII and IX impressed everyone in the fruit chat and salad making competition. They turned potatoes into Humpty Dumpty and bottle gourds and brinjals into fish.

Government Secondary School, Maiserkhana, also hosted a small function to mark the day. On the occasion the students were told about the importance of the World Health Day. Students were also told about the importance of a balanced diet for a healthy and long life.

Addressing the students, the teachers said by taking care of small things in routine, we could ward off various diseases and stay healthy. Students were urged to wash hands before and after every meal, take a bath daily, brush twice a day and to maintain personal hygiene. The students were also informed about the bad effects of drugs and were asked to stay away from them.

City-based NGOs, Bathidna Vikas Manch and Yog Sewa Samiti, organised a small function at the Central Jail in Bathinda. Under the supervision of the jail superintendent PK Garg, the inmates were advised to practice yoga to ensure good health. They were also made aware about the importance of eating healthy food.

The Bathinda chapter of the Art of Living organised a yogathon in the city under the supervision of yoga instructors Surinder Kaur Monga, Nidhi Gupta, Sanjeet and Neetu Arora. The yogathon, an international event organised by the Art of Living organisation across all the cities where it exists, was also aiming to create a world record.

In Bathinda, morning session of Yogathon was organised in the Rose Garden. MSD School and Summer Hill School. As many as 1,200 yoga enthusiasts participated in the event. As many as 150 persons participated in the evening session of Yogathon, organised at the Ganpati Enclave.

“More than 100 participants qualified for the Suryanamaskar challenge. Suryanamaskar includes 12 different positions that ensure a healthy body. Yogathon's motive was also to popularise yoga among youngsters," said convenor, Vicky Singla.

Bathinda, April 7
Representatives of the 7654 Sanjha Adhyapak Front, Punjab, met the Punjab Education Minister, Sikander Singh Maluka, at his residence on Friday night and voiced their grievances related to their pending salaries, regularisation of posts and filling of the vacant posts.

General secretary of the Front, Gurdeep Singh Mann, told TNS, “In September 2009, the government had advertised for filling up of 7654 vacant posts across the schools in Punjab. These included posts for lecturers, vocational masters, master cadre and non-teaching staff like library restorers. The recruitment process went on till April 2011.”

“Various reasons were cited for the delay in the recruitment procedure. Finally, giving some respite to the teachers, appointment of lectures happened in April 2011 and vocational masters in June 2011. Appointments for the rest of the posts were again delayed on one or the other pretext. As a result of this, more than 1500 appointments are still pending as the waiting list is yet to be taken up by the authorities concerned,” he further added.

Comparing the delay in the recruitment with the swiftness with which teachers were appointed under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, he said, “Surprisingly, recruitment of teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan started in October 2010 and by February 2011, the appointments had begun.”

“Apart from the delay in recruitment, another difference between the two drives is the salary on which the teachers were appointed. While those recruited under the SSA drive were appointed on a monthly salary of `29,000, those recruited through the advertisement were offered `6,400 (lecturers), `5,800 (vocational masters), `5,400 (Master cadre) and `3,300 (non-teaching staff). As the elections neared, the pay was increased to `10,000 per monthly in November 2011,” he further added.

“The 7654 Sanjha Adhyapak Front members had voiced their concerns in a meeting with the Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka on Friday night. He patiently listened to our demands and assured us that he will take up the matter with the state government and will soon call us for a formal meeting in Chandigarh,” added Mann.

Talking about the demands that the Front presented to the Education Minister, he said, “We are demanding that those in the waiting list be recruited as soon as possible, our basic pay be increased to `18,500 per month as per the revised pay scale and at least, our posts be regularised. We also told him that we had met the Punjab Chief Minister when he was on the election campaign trail. campaign for the elections. Now that the elections are over and the party has come back to rule in the state, our demands should be taken seriously.”

Bathinda, April 7
The court of the district and sessions judge, SK Aggarwal, on Friday awarded life sentence to a man in a murder case and directed the accused to pay `10,000 as compensation to the wife of the victim.

Piara Ram, a resident of village Pathrala, had killed Tar Singh, who hailed from the same village, on April 5 last year. In her complaint to the police, Tar Singh’s wife, Charanjit Kaur, said she was returning from the fields with her husband and brother on that fateful day.

They stopped near a liquor vend to buy liquor for the farm hands when Piara Ram, Major Ram, Sadiq and some unidentified persons, attacked Tar Singh with some sharp-edged weapons.

The accused hit Tar Singh with the sharp-edged weapons. When Charanjit Kaur raised an alarm, the accused fled from the scene.

Tar Singh was rushed to the Civil Hospital. The doctors at the Civil Hospital further referred him to a private hospital. However, Tar Singh succumbed to his injuries.

Later on May 11 last year, Piara Ram surrendered before the court. Another accused, Major Singh, was arrested on June 1 from Rawatsar in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan. But being a minor, he was sent to the observation home at Faridkot. Another accused, Sadiq, alias Vinod Kumar, from Rawatsar, is still at large.

The court awarded life sentence to Piara Ram and directed him to pay compensation to the deceased’s wife, Charanjit Kaur. Piara Ram had earlier requested for leniency saying he was the only bread-winner of the family and had seven children and wife to support.

Bathinda, April 7
Barring one or two intravenous drug users, all others who have been taking Methadone medicine daily as part of their treatment at the Methadone Treatment Centre here, said after taking the medicine for over a month, they were feeling better as during this period they had never taken any drug.

They said this to the officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), New Delhi, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, when the teams visited them and interacted with them a couple of days ago at the Methadone Treatment Centre in Bathinda.

Those who interacted with the intravenous drug users were Dr Anju Dhawan, additional professor, Psychiatry, AIIMS; Dr Ravindra Rao, a technical expert from UNODC; and project coordinator (Drug use and HIV prevention in South Asia) of UNODC, Kunal Kishore.

The centre was opened on February 15 last year under the Methadone Maintenance Treatment Project, for the treatment of the intravenous drug users at the Drug De-addiction Centre, situated on the premises of the local Civil Hospital, here.

During the interaction with the officials, many of them also expressed satisfaction over the treatment though one to two persons admitted that they sometimes took drugs when they faced problems in falling asleep. Most of the patients are from Bathinda city while some are from Jassi Pau Wali, a nearby village.

A patient said after starting the methadone medicine, he had started doing routine work and taking interest in the family affairs while earlier, he used to remain out of the house for most of the time. He also said he hadn’t taken any injection since his treatment began.

Another patient said he was a civil engineer and had been administering injections to himself before visiting this treatment centre. But now, after starting the treatment, he had realised the harmful effects of taking drugs.

Two patients said they had been taking drug through injections for the past five to six years, due to which they had been ruining their families, both financially and socially. They claimed they were fine now.

One of the patients said after coming to the centre, his respect and honour in the family and society had increased. Besides, he also considered himself to be a physically fit person now.

Two patients said after beginning the Methadone treatment, their habit of injecting drugs reduced by 75 per cent.

The UNODC and AIIMS officials asked the patients to bring it to the notice of the centre’s authorities so that they could adjust the dose of the medicine according to their individual requirement.

However, Kunal Kishore expressed satisfaction over the results of the Methadone Treatment Centre and hoped that when they would visit the centre again, none of the patients would tell them that he was still on drugs.

Bathinda, April 7
The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), Bathinda, is holding its annual paediatric conference, Punjab Pedicon 2012, today, in collaboration with the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR).

In a press statement issued today, organizing secretary Dr Amit Aggarwal said the theme of the conference is "Smiling faces, smiling nation".

He said around 400 delegates from Punjab and the adjoining states of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan will attend the convention.

Eminent speakers from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital in New Delhi, PGIMER, Chandigarh and the medical colleges of Punjab have been invited to enlighten the delegates in the field of paediatrics. President-elect, Central IAP, Dr CP Bansal will be the chief guest at the event.

During this event, the Dr Harbans Lal Award will be given away for the best original research work done by the young doctors from the medical colleges of Punjab.

Paediatricians and neo-natologists from all over Punjab are going to participate in this convention to update skills in managing the sick children and in lowering the infant mortality rate (IMR) in the state.

Five scientific papers would be presented at the conference. In the morning session, haemato-oncologist at Sir Gang Ram Hospital, Dr Anupam Sachdev would present a paper on recent advances in immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Associate professor at PGIMER, Chandigarh, Dr Arun Bansal will present a paper on the management of paediatric shock and while Dr Parveen Kumar, also from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, will present a paper on the ante-natal approach to congenital malformations.

During the afternoon session, president-elect, central IAP, Gwalior, Dr CP Bansal would present a paper on common behavioral problem in children and in adolescence.

Professor at Kalawati Saran Hospital, Delhi, Dr AK Dutta, who would be conferred the Dr Harbans Lal award for original research, would present his paper on the recent update in immunization.

A panel discussion on the latest in the management of malaria, typhoid and viral hepatitis would be organised. It will be moderated by the principal of the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Dr Daljit Singh.

Bathinda, April 7
Taking notice of The Tribune report, "Two cleaners fall into manhole" carried on April 5, a Member of Parliament, Avinash Rai Khanna, has taken up the issue with the Punjab State Human Rights Commission.

Khanna, who is also the in-charge of the al-India human rights cell of the BJP, has stated in a communique sent to the PSHRC, that the lackadaisical attitude of officials concerned, which led to the poor labourers falling into the manhole, is a clear cut violation of human rights due to inaction on the part of the public servants.

He has appealed to the PSHRC to take cognizance and take action in accordance with the law.