Bathinda, March 13
Before popping the next dose of a medicine which you got from a quack or bought without a doctor's prescription, think twice as its persistent use may lead to kidney failure.

“The long-term use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as painkillers and anti-inflammatory tablets may cause renal failure," said urologist Dr Sameer Grover, while talking to Bathinda Tribune on the eve of the World Kidney Day a global health awareness campaign focussing on the importance of kidneys and reducing the frequency of impact of kidney disease - to be observed tomorrow.

Grover added that the patients should be wary of taking OTC drugs or the drugs whose contents are unknown, such as the ones that quacks give in small packets.

Dr Milinda Gupta from the Health Street Hospital added that quacks use indigenous concoctions that may have heavy metals. "Heavy metals drastically affect the functioning of kidney leading to its failure," she said.

Dr Vitull Kumar Gupta added that every month, he gets at least two patients who have the onset problem of kidney failure and have had 'desi' medicines in the past. "Now I have started asking patients if they had a history of 'desi' medicine. We also see problem of bone marrow depression in patients with such a history," he said.

Doctors said that besides preventing the use of such drugs, focus should be on educating people that diabetics were highly vulnerable to kidney failure.

"The diabetics should undergo tests every year so as to ensure that their kidneys are healthy. When detected at the onset, the kidney failure could be arrested. Simple kidney tests can ensure a healthy life," they said.

The long-term use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs such as painkillers and anti-inflammatory tablets may cause renal failure. Patients should be wary of taking OTC drugs or the drugs whose contents are unknown, such as the ones that quacks give in small packets.
— Sameer Grover, Urologist

I get at least two patients who have the onset problem of kidney failure and have had 'desi' medicines in the past. Now I have started asking patients if they had a history of 'desi' medicine. We also see problem of bone marrow depression in patients with such a history.
— Dr vittul Kumar Gupta

Bathinda, March 13
The Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) doctors across the state will observe a protest week from March 18 to 25 and will wear black badges.

In a press statement issued here today, the state general secretary of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association, Dr Gagandeep Singh Shergill, stated that the protest was against the callous attitude of the Punjab Government towards their demands.

The decision was taken at the state executive meeting of the Association held at Ludhiana on March 10. Working state president of the Association Dr Nishan Singh presided over the meeting.

Dr Shergill stated that the association was already on a war path to roll back the PG policy of the state government and to get specialist increment for all specialists. Nearly 26 per cent posts of doctors on general duty and 38 per cent of specialist doctors were vacant in the health institutions of the state.

The Association is perturbed over the fact that 252 newly appointed doctors have refused to take charge.

Dr Shergill added that the state health services have been facing an acute shortage of doctors. Though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had issued directions to lure young doctors to join the PCMS and stressed upon more incentives for doctors working in rural areas, the anti-doctor policies of the Punjab Government was discouraging them, he said.

He added that the negative outcome of the rural area incentive and discriminatory PG increments for specialist have further discouraged doctors. "After these negative changes in the policies, 252 doctors, who had got appointment letters, have not joined. According to the new PG policy, the doctor has to serve for six years, which has been increased from three years as per the previous policy before getting eligible for the PG course," he added.

Majority of senior experienced specialist doctors, who obtained the degree before 23 May 2001, feel left out with the notification allowing PG increment allowance of 15 per cent to specialist doctors.

Dr Nishan Singh demanded PG increments to all specialists and to roll back the new eligibility policy of PG admission. — TNS

Bathinda, March 13
Chasing the target of declaring Bathinda a smoke-free district under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act by March 31, the Health Department has chalked out a strategy to control the use of tobacco as per the law.

The noose is being tightened around shopkeepers selling tobacco and its related products near educational institutes such as schools and colleges.

The Health Department has identified such shops and given a list to the Education Department as well as the police so that these shops could be shifted to a distance of at least 100 sq yards from the educational institutions.

Some of the identified shops are located at the truck union and old bus stand area which are close to the MSD School, near Government Girls Senior Secondary School on the Mall Road, around Public Library, and near Arya School opposite the Qila road and others.

The District Education Office (DEO) has been directed to ensure that all the schools in the district have put up a signage prohibiting smoking in the area. The DEO will have to submit a certificate within a week declaring that all the schools have installed the signage.

According to Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, all the shops - wholesale and retail - selling tobacco or its products are not allowed to display glow signs. These shopkeepers can only install boards, measuring 60 by 45 cm, mentioning that cigarettes are sold here. Such boards must not mention the name of any brand or any other information associated to it.

District Health Officer Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa, who is the nodal officer of the programme, said during the meeting with the Deputy Commissioner held recently, the officials of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda, municipal councils and the district police were directed to get such glow signs removed from across the district.

Under Section 6B of the Act, it is mandatory for all the vendors to put up a notice that buying tobacco and products by persons below 18 years of age is a crime.

As per Section 7 of the Act, it is mandatory for all manufacturers of tobacco or its products to print a pictorial caution on packets containing their products, apart from the written warning that 'cigarette smoking is injurious to health'.

The police and drug inspectors have been designated to check that this rule is being followed.

Similarly, under Section 4 of the Act, smoking is prohibited in public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands, government and non-government offices etc. The respective departments have to ensure that their precincts are smoke-free. Every department has been asked to appoint a nodal office, put up signage and ensure that provisions of the Act were adhered to.

Officials of all the government departments are empowered to challan people for smoking in public. Dr Randhawa said challan books could be collected from the office of the Civil Surgeon during working hours.

It may be mentioned here that in January, 27 persons were penalised for smoking in public and Rs 3,395 were collected from them as fine. In February, the health department challaned 76 offenders, the MCB officials penalised 24 and the Agriculture Department fined two persons for smoking in public.

Bathinda, March 13
Cotton produce worth several crores was gutted in a major and mysterious fire at the godown of Garg Acrylics at Jeewan Singh Wala village near Talwandi Sabo here today.

As many as 17 fire tenders drawn from the local fire brigade, the Bathinda Refinery and the Thermal Plant worked all day to control the flames.

Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav who was supervising the fire-fighting operations, said the flames were doused but the fire may simmer within the heaps of cotton for several hours more.

Suresh Garg , who owns the godown jointly with his brother, claimed that fire damaged produce worth Rs 16 crores. He said the fire was simmering when the staff opened the godowns around 10 am today. He said the godown was fully insured.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Fact file

• A major broke out at the godown of Garg Acrylics at Jeewan Singh Wala village near Talwandi Sabo.
• As many as 17 fire tenders drawn from the local fire brigade, the Bathinda Refinery and the Thermal Plant worked all day to control the flames.
• DC KK Yadav said the flames were doused but the fire may simmer for several hours more.
• Suresh Garg, who owns the godown jointly with his brother, claimed that fire damaged produce worth Rs 16 crores.

Bathinda, March 13
As many as 15 organisations of the employees, social workers and labour unions today came out in support of the agitation by farmers in the state.

A strong delegation of the different organizations submitted a charter of demands at the office of the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner here today declaring they would join the agitation if the state government did not stop the "un-democratic" crushing of the farmers' agitation by arresting them and conducting raids at their houses or other places.

Farmers in the state have tried to sit on dharna seeking a better price for their crops and other facilities. However, the state government ordered the pre-emptive arrest of the farmers which made the agitation fizzle out. The police was still conducting raids to arrest the farmers.

Zora Singh Nasrali, president, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, said the government should immediately stop the harassment of farmers failing which all organisations will come out on the streets to protest. He said the state government would be squarely responsible for this.

The organizations that have joined hands to supprt the farmers are the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, Naujwan Bharat Sabha, Technical Services Union, Democratic Teachers Fronts, SSA/RMSA/CSS Teachers Union, B.Ed Teachers Front, ETT Teachers Union, 7654 Teachers Front, Lok Morcha Punjab, Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa), Punjab Lok Sabhyacharak Manch, ETT pass Unemployed Teachers Union, ETT(EGS) Union and the Special Trainer Teachers Union besides others.

Bathinda, March 13
A three-day training camp on district planning concluded at the regional office of Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA), Bathinda, today.

The employees of various departments were imparted training at the camp. Project coordinator, MGSIPA, Mandeep Singh said the main aim of the camp was to bring reforms in district planning. He spoke about the planning strategies that could help the departments attain their targets.

On the first day of the training programme, Dr Tarun Arora spoke about the Punjab District Planning Board Act 2005, its formation, working and powers.

On the second day, Mandeep Singh gave a lecture on the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments and said the existing resources should be used to its optimum. Gagandeep Sharma from MGSIPA, Chandigarh, gave a lecture on time management.

On the concluding day today, Gagandeep Sharma spoke about building team and the importance of communication in a department.

Bathinda, March 13
The students and faculty members from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), New Delhi visited Talwandi Sabo under the students exchange programme they signed with the commerce and economics departments of Punjabi University, Guru Kashi College, Talwandi Sabo.

A total of 27 students and three faculty members from the Shri Ram College of Commerce along with 20 students and two faculty members, Dr Anand Bansal and Dr Baldev Singh from the local college visited the sites of recently planned power plants located in Banawali and Gobindpura in Mansa district.

They jointly conducted a survey regarding land, industrialization and economic development in this region of Punjab.

It was purely an academic field programme in which students from different regions had an opportunity to interact with each other and tried to understand the current phase of economic development. The data collected would act as input in further research and analysis programmes and studies.

Bathinda, March 13
The Punjab Scheduled Caste Land Development and Finance Corporation has distributed Rs 81 lakh to the needy persons.

In a press release issued here today, chairman of the Bathinda district unit of the corporation Sudesh Kumar said the loan has been given to different people at subsidized rates of interest to help them set up self-employment ventures.

Eighty unemployed and needy people in the district have been given Rs 81.06 lakh during the financial year 2012-13. Also, nine unemployed people have been given a subsidy of Rs 9,000.

He added that the loan has been given under the tie-up scheme with the banks, while 34 cases are under consideration.

People from the Scheduled Caste are given a loan of Rs 50,000 to start their own business.

Only the need and unemployed, whose names are registered in the below poverty line (BPL) survey, are given this loan.

The Punjab Scheduled Caste Land Development and Finance Corporation grants the loan to assist the weaker sections of society come up and be economically self-sufficient. banks in the public sector tie up with the Corporation to advance the loans after assessing the eligibility criteria and checking the viability of the projects.

Bathinda, March 13
A one-day industrial visit was organized by the department of biotechnology, Baba Farid College, for students of B.Sc and biotechnology to the "Chandigarh Distillery and Bottlers Ltd" in Banur, district Patiala.

The tour was undertaken under the guidance of Simranjeet Kaur and Ritu Pawan. The students got familiar with various manufacturing techniques, production process like fermentation, distillation, instrumentation, bottling and packing etc.

The department of airlines, tourism and hospitality management of Baba Farid College went on a trip to 'Virast-e-Khalsa' at Shri Anandpur Sahib. The students visited the Sikh Museum accompanied by the members of the faculty, Harmanjot Kaur, Ranjit Singh, Abhishek Ruhela and Parmpal Singh.

Since the year 2013 has been dedicated to women empowerment, the department of English, Baba Farid College, organized a collage making competition in which students from various colleges of the institute participated. In total, there were 37 teams. The students displayed their art by creating beautiful collages representing the renowned women of the World.

The first prize went to Ramneek Kaur and Gurmanjit Kaur. The second prize was won by Rupinder Kaur and Jagdeep Arora while the third prize went to Gyan Chand. 

Bathinda, March 13
On the first day of the annual athletic meet of Guru Kashi University (GKU), Nirmal Singh Dhillon, Inspector General of Police, Bathinda Zone, was the chief guest. All the students of the constituent colleges and the staff were present in the university ground.

Chairman Gurlabh Singh Sidhu, managing director Sukhraj Singh Sidhu and vice-chancellor SK Ahluwalia were present on the occasion.

The event began with the sports assembly. The vice-chancellor delivered the welcome address.

A torch (baton) was brought from Takht Sri Damdama Sahib to the university ground. Achievers in sports in the university carried the torch by turn.

This was followed by a march past by the teams of the constituent colleges and the various departments of the university.

An Army band from 7 Garhwal Rifles added colour to the proceedings. The chief guest took the ssalute at the march past from the teams carrying different flags.

In his address, the IG said the youth should participate in sports to help build a strong and drug-free society. He told the students that their aim should be to participate because winning is less important than participation.

Dhillon said students should come forward and only then can they hope to win a medal. The chief guest then declared the meet open.

In the 1500 meter (men) race, Hardeep Singh (Physical Education), Jaswinder Singh (Polytechnic College) and Gursewak Singh (Physical Education) bagged the first three positions, respectively.

In the 800 meter race for women, Dharmveer Kaur (Engineering College), Karishma (Physical Education) and Gagandeep Kaur (Physical Education) bagged the gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Director, Sports, Dr Tirlok Singh Sandhu, a former Olympian, informed that Olympian Jugraj Singh would be chief guest on the second and final day of the meet.

Bathinda, March 13
The department of architecture, Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh (PTU GZS) campus, held a lecture on the importance of building services in architecture.

Vardaan Arora, manager, operations, from HBN Group, New Delhi, delivered a lecture on the subject. Arora focused on the role of architects in the planning and designing of building services from micro to macro level. He also discussed the main features of the fire-fighting system and emphasized that these components are essential to protect life and property.

The students of architecture were taken to a mall where all the aspects were explained and shown to the students. The teachers, Bhupinderpal Singh, Harmanpreet, Amandeep and Ramneet Kaur, accompanied the students during the visit.

Bhupinderpal Singh Dhot, coordinator of the lecture, extended a warm welcome to the expert and introduced him to the students. Head of the department, Ranjeet Kaur, Jatinder Kaur, Avinash Singh,

Harmanpreet, Amandeep Kaur and Taranjeet Singh were also present on the occasion. Campus director Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal appreciated the efforts of the architecture department in organizing the expert lecture.