& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, November 23, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Monday, November 23, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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New ways to diagnose
malaria highlighted 'Netaji
did not die in crash' |
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Poster-making contest
results
Protest
rally by Lok Shakti Pea
prices crash, cucumber dearer Cultural
programme organised |
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New ways to
diagnose malaria highlighted CHANDIGARH, Nov 22--Different aspects of malaria, tuberculosis(TB), AIDS, problems in neurology and infections in clinical practice were discussed at the continuing medical education (CME) programme organised by the Department of Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, here today. While speaking on malaria, Dr ML Dubey, Additional Professor in the Department of Microbiology, PGI, highlighted the new techniques for the diagnosis of malaria. He expressed concern at the increasing number of falciparum malaria cases in the country. Dr Pradeep Bambrey, Additional Professor in the Department of Medicine, PGI, while talking about the emergence of resistance in malaria, focused on newer anti-malarials. Talking about the treatment of snake bites, he said the patient should be given anti-snake venom even if he was sensitive to it. Stressing the role of newer ways to diagnose TB, Dr SK Jindal of the PGI said the treatment of the disease was based on clinical setting from which the patient came and in a substantial number of cases the definite diagnosis was not possible. Terming the disease as a global problem, Dr S Kashyap, Head of the Department of Chest and TB, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, said the incidence of the disease was increasing, especially with the emergence of AIDS. Poor compliance because of poverty and illiteracy were emerging as the dominant factors for the emergence of the resistance in the disease, he said. Twenty per cent bacteria were resistance to any one anti-tubercular drug and about 2 per cent were resistant to more than one drug, he added quoting a WHO survey. Participating in the session on AIDS , Dr Sudha Malhotra of GMCH stressed the need for proper counselling before having a child in AIDS patients. Dr R Sehgal and Dr Ajay Wanchu, both from the PGI, talked about the emergence of newer parasites and the diseases they caused in the patients of AIDS and the current guidelines of management HIV patients. Dr JS Chopra talked about specific neuropathies especially arsenic neuropathy which was quite prevalent in the country. While Dr Prabhakar talked about the approach to patients with ring lesion on CT, Dr Vivek Lal talked about altered febrile encephalopathy and its management. Discussing the misuse of antibiotics in the country, Dr S Verma said the anti-biotics, if used indiscriminately led to the emergence of resistance against them and so newer and more expensive antibiotics had to be used which added to the cost of the treatment. Dr RK Dhiman of the PGI dwelled on the problem of epidemic of jaundice caused by hepatitis E. The disease, which was transmitted by the faeco-oral route through contaminated water and food could be fatal especially in pregnant women, he added. About 250 delegates
attended the CME programme. |
Pea prices
crash, cucumber dearer CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — The prices of fresh green peas have virtually crashed in the past 48 hours due to the arrival of fresh stock in the local market. However, cucumber is becoming dearer with each passing day. Green peas, priced at Rs 30 a kg two days ago, are now available in different city markets for Rs 16 a kg, providing relief to consumers. According to sources, the fall in the price of the commodity is an outcome of bulk arrivals of fresh stock from the Doaba area of Punjab. Similarly, the downward trend of prices of other vegetables continued in the second week with cauliflower and brinjal taking the lead. Cauliflower is available for Rs 8 a kg and brinjal for Rs 6 a kg. The price of 'ghia' has also slided from Rs 20 per kg to Rs 10 per kg within the past one week. Cucumber is priced at Rs
35 per kg. It was priced between Rs 24 and Rs 28 in the
previous week. |
"Ghaggar
utsav" held PANCHKULA, Nov 22 — The Federation of Migrant Groups from North-Western India in coordination with the Bahawalpur Welfare Association organised "Ghaggar utsav" on the banks of the Ghaggar river here today. The members of different associations representing people hailing from the Bahawalpur area held a ‘havan’ on the banks of the river. The president of the
federation, Mr S.K. Sharma, said by organising the utsav,
people from the Bahawalpur area would be able to preserve
their culture and tradition. |
Internet
functioning erratic CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 —
Internet users of the city today complained against
erratic functioning of the system for the past four days.
A number of subscribers rang up The Tribune office to
register their complaints maintaining that there was some
problem with the server. They said they were unable to
use the facilities as the server was not accessible since
Thursday. Complaints lodged with authorities concerned,
they said, were of no help. |
Bakery
workers plan strike CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — Workers of Modern Food Industries have decided to hold a two-day strike from December 10. The strike call has been given by the All-India Modern Bakeries Workers Federation and the National Federation of Modern Food Industries Employees. According to a press note
issued here today by the General Secretary of the
All-India Modern Bakeries federation, the strike call had
been given to demand start of negotiations in public
sector undertakings for stopping of disinvestment of PSUs
in profitable public sector units and for removal of
ceiling on the payment of bonus. |
Poster-making
contest results CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — The Bhai Surinder Singh Malik memorial on-the-spot all-India essay writing and poster-making competition was organised at the Jat Bhavan here today. The poster-making contest on the topic "The exploited farmer" saw over 200 entries from various schools. The essay-writing competition, open to college and univeristy students, had 100 participants. The topic for the essay was "Impact of violence and vulgarity in films on the general public". The prizes for the poster-making contest given away by Mr M.S. Malik, president of the sabha. Results: Group 1: Sapna
Rani (1), Minaxi (2). Group III: Arti Verma (1), Jyoti
Mahajan (2). Group III: Monika (1), Preeti Sohanpal (2). |
Protest
rally by Lok Shakti CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — Rising prices, deterioration in law and order situation and growing corruption were the main issues discussed at a protest rally organised by the local unit of the Lok Shakti here this afternoon. It was demanded that the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation be dissolved and the Union Territory be given the status of a state. The participants also demanded extension of "lal dora" in villages, rationalisation of sales tax on the Punjab pattern and all rehri and footpath vendors be issued permanent licences. By another resolution, it was demanded that leftout applicants of the Indira Colony be allotted dwelling units at Mauli Jagran. Earlier, the youth wing of
the party, Yuva Lok Shakti, also organised its
'sammelan". Mr B.M. Manskai, MP, was the chief guest
both at the sammelan and at the rally. |
"Netaji did
not die in crash" CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — Criticising successive governments for their inability to unveil the mystery surrounding the sudden disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose after August 18, 1945, speakers at the 'Netaji convention' here today discarded the popular theory that the dynamic revolutionary leader died in an air crash near Taihoku. The speakers also asserted that it were the ideals of 'Netaji' which alone could salvage the country from the quagmire of secessionism, fundamentalism, economic crisis and lack of direction. Mr Pradeep Bose, a nephew of Netaji, lamented that the country was passing through its worst phase as the people did not have any role model of the vision and stature of Netaji who could bring them out of the contemporary state of despair and hopelessness. "In absence of a dynamic leader all of us were feeling as if we were a part of rudderless ship. Can anyone tell me why 85 per cent of our people are still living below the poverty line? What is the way out?" he questioned. "Even Gandhi and Nehru failed to serve as role models for the people as at times they made compromises with the British Empire and a living example is the way they took an easier path and accepted partition thus, resulting in sufferings of lakhs of countrymen," he added. On the other hand, Netaji
not only decided to give a tough fight to the British but
also envisaged radical changes in the system to eliminate
basic problems faced by people like poverty and
illiteracy. |
Cultural
programme organised CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — A colourful cultural programme was the highlight on the concluding day of the annual function of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School at Tagore Theatre here today. The function started with a 'shabad' recital.A 'kathak' performance by a nursery class student was impressive as was the 'dandiya dance'.Kavi durbar, bhangra, English dance and folk dance were other performances. It was, however, a play 'Dilemma' which held the interest of the audience. Mr Y.P. Katyal, a Joint
Secretary in the CBSE, was the chief guest on the
occasion. Ms S. Sukhija, Principal of the school, read
out the annual report of the school. |
CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 — Panjab University has given the final approval to BCM College of Education, Ludhiana, to start a course in B.Ed. The college will have 60 students. A decision in this regard has been taken by the PU Syndicate. The college has also received the nod of the National Council for Teacher Education. The approval has been given from this session onwards. In another significant step Panjab University has granted approval to Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, to start M.Ed course. The class will have 10 students in the current session. Mrs Satinder Dhillon, Principal, said the admissions had already been completed. The Syndicate gave permission to 12 different colleges to start vocational courses. Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College, Hospital and Research Institute, Ludhiana, has been allowed to start a course in Bachelors in Dental Surgery which will have an intake of 100 students from the current session. Hindi Parishad: The Department of Hindi of Panjab University has revived the Hindi Parishad, a students' forum for literary activities, after a gap of nearly 15 years. The forum organises literary events like story writing contests and guest lectures for the promotion of Hindi, Mahendra Kumar, president of the parishad, has said. Other office-bearers
include: vice president — Santosh Bala; secretary
— Rashid Akhtar. |
CHANDIGARH, Nov 22 —Two traffic police personnel, including an SI, were today arrested by the police for allegedly accepting bribe from a truck driver near traffic lights of Sector 17-18. According to police sources Pal Singh, SI, and Major Singh, constable, were caught redhanded by Mr D.S. Thakur, DSP (Traffic), while accepting a bribe of Rs 50 from the truck driver. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered. Police team: A police team has left for Delhi along with Cyril Archbong alias Tony, who was arrested with 2.570 kg of smack from the Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra, on November 19 night. The sources said the police was hopeful of more recoveries and possibility of the arrest of the kingpin. Dead: Bhupati, a resident of Sector 27, who was admitted to the PGI with serious burn injuries succumbed to her injuries today. Admitted: Kamlesh, a resident of Daria village, was today admitted to the PGI with burns she sustained at her home. Injured: Paramjit Singh and his son, Pradeep, both residents of Sector 45, sustained injuries on their legs when the motor cycle they were riding on met with an accident with a truck at Mundi Kharar, near here. They have been admitted to the PGI. Bodies: Bodies of two unidentified persons have been brought to the PGI. While one body was found from Ropar, another was found from Sector 17 here. Hurt: Upinder, who
worked in Sector 16 here, sustained injuries when an iron
rod hit his head. He has been admitted to the PGI.
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Winter tiptoes in stealthily WINTER is here. Well, almost. The days are not cold yet but the sun's rays no more hurt and keep telling us that the summer days — days of water shortage and power cuts scheduled as well as unscheduled — and the humid sweating afternoons are over. The bite of winter is yet to come, even if the quilts are out from their summer dumps. If the T-shirts have been tucked away, the heavy grey woollens are still in the wardrobes. This is the time for colourful cashmilons, light pullovers and terrywools. Some who are keen to show off their suits and ties have donned them, even if these look somewhat premature. Bhuttas, which are the hallmark of the hot and humid days, have yielded place to moongphali and "gachak". Small charcoals fires to bake the bhuttas, which dotted the pavements of practically every sector, are there no more. Now we have small piles of moongphali with a tiny earthen pot with a small fire in it, perched on its top. The sales have not picked up yet, but as the cold sets in business at these wayside vends will improve. The trees look washed after the rains and the lawns have taken on a sheen that the mild midday sun is unable to harm. The flowering trees and shrubs have started showing a stray bloom here and there, and in the weeks to come these will be in full glory. Many of the city's roundabouts have been given to private parties for their upkeep. And these business houses are doing an admirable job. Flower beds have been dug up and rows of seedlings have been planted. Soon the glorious chrysanthemums will appear in their multi-coloured splendour. The chrysanthemum show is an event the city's flower lovers look forward to. As the glory of chrysanthemums begins to fade, we shall have the carnations spreading their soft fragrance. The roses will not be far behind. The annual rose festival has taken the shape of a mela with several things laid out for the holiday-makers. In the weeks to come, winter will have really arrived and the gardens will be full of many coloured phlox, yellow and orange nasturtiums with sweet peas and tall hollyhocks forming an equally colourful backdrop. There will be pansies peeping from their beds as if they were some living creatures, spreading the message of cheer. The sunny spots will be aglow with ice flowers. Garden planners have developed a remarkable sense of colour combination and rows of ice flower beds cannot but make one stop in one's tracks if one happens to pass by. A round-about in Panchkula on the Kalka road has earned a special reputation. On a sunny winter afternoon when the flowers are in full bloom, motorists often stop to absorb the splendid view and many take out their cameras to capture the scene. No show Not many in Chandigarh slept on the night of November 17. This was when the heavens had promised a unique spectacle. The wake of the comet Tempel-Tuttle was expected to fill the night sky with sparklers like a giant "phuljhari". The weather was quite pleasant, so people in large numbers settled on their terraces, determined not to miss any part of the nature's fireworks. Students in hostels decided to sit out the night on their hostel roofs. The more enterprising ones drove out to the countryside, so that the city lights would not dilute the pleasure of watching the "Leonid showers", as the experts had decided to call them. They squatted under a clear sky, armed with blankets and flasks of tea and coffee. Some even carried the harder stuff. Photo enthusiasts aimed their cameras skywards. After all, this was not to happen again in 33 years. Almost everyone in the city had become a temporary stargazer. Doordarshan switched off its transmissions, anxious to save its satellites from the fiery streakers racing across the sky at a speed 100 times that of a bullet. But Star TV proved more enterprising and got ready to transmit a ringside view of the fiery phenomenon. Prof Yash Pal was at hand to explain what was happening in simple terms. From the time the special transmission began a little after midnight, the announcer kept contacting different stations to bring on the screen the shower of burning meteors. The professor kept informing the viewers about Tempel-Tuttle, its trajectory, and the tiny particles it leaves in its wake. The TV cameras positioned in Delhi caught nothing; the Bangalore sky remained normal; Mumbai reported a cloudy sky; Calcutta reported hardly any celestial activity. Finally the TV crew gave up. In the city, folks on their terraces waited, students on their hostel roofs started dozing and those camping in the countryside, having emptied their flasks and exhausted their patience, decided to turn back. By three, all had settled back in their beds to snatch whatever sleep they could manage. Some early morning walkers however, noticed a few bright streaks in the receding darkness of dawn. Thus ended what was expected to be a night of burning arrows and shooting fireballs. Space watchers An amateur space watchers
group, based at Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra, claims
to have witnessed several falling meteors. In a letter
addressed to Sentinel, Mr Satish Malhotra, President of
the Club, says that they have set up a big telescope on
the top floor of a three-storeyed dwelling unit of the
Chandigarh Housing Board at Modern Housing Complex. Microbes The biotechnology business, which was only worth Rs 100 crore in 1989 is expected to generate about Rs 3500 crore annually by the end of the century. Industries in biotechnology have grown from a dozen a few years ago to about 400 companies today. These disclosures were made at a two-day national symposium on "Role of Microbes in the management of environment pollution" organised by the department of microbiology of Panjab University last week. More than 100 delegates, including Mr N.S. Tiwana, Executive Director, Punjab State Council for Science and technology; Mr F. Lal Kansal, Chairman, Punjab State Pollution Control Board; Dr Sunil Khanna and Dr Banwari Lal from Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi, Dr A.K. Paul from Calcutta University, Dr Rupinder Tewari from Panjab University and Dr Neelam Verma from Punjabi University, participated. Dr Paul disclosed that a poly three hydroxy butyrate had been isolated from bacterial cells to bring under control the menace created by chemically synthesised plastics. Prof K.G. Mukherji presented his keynote address on Bioremediation of Industrial effluents, particularly agrochemicals. Dr Khanna and Dr Lal from Tata Institute have constructed a consortium of bacteria, "Oilzapper", which can effectively degrade crude oil or oily sludge spillages. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute has developed an Integrated Biotechnological Approach (IBA) to utilise waste land with the help of specially designed microbial mixture which acts as a biofertiliser which restores fertility and productivity of waste land. Barricades The Chandigarh Administration deserves credit for putting up barricades on Madhya Marg towards the city's railway station to ensure that pedestrians do not cross the road and also to cut the glare. Surprisingly, the good work which began sometimes ago appears to have been shelved. Road users are of the view that such barricades should be put right up to the roundabout of Mani Majra which also serves as entry point to Panchkula. Such barricades, which are bound to cut down mishpas, particularly in the dark hours, should be put elsewhere also. In fact, the glare hazard on the city roads has been highlighted in these columns a number of times and the road users continue to complain about it. Road care The city roads are being given a new covering, the Municipal Corporation has announced this with a sense of pride, and with a certain amount laid apart for this purpose. The newly surfaced roads are a pleasure to drive on. Vehicle owners had got used to potholes and bumps, and the roads had become eyesores. Every bump would remind one of the neglect the authorities concerned were showing towards the upkeep of the roads. So far only some VIP sectors were receiving attention, but now, when roads in other sectors are also being carpeted, the common man has reason to heave a sigh of relief. But those concerned with the maintenance of roads also need to have a look at the streets inside the sectors, some of which are in a deplorable state. Moreover, the carpeting operation is done on busy roads in day time, often at a time when the traffic is at its peak. One side of the road is blocked and the up and down traffic is diverted to the other half. This causes traffic snarls and accidents which could be avoided if the construction of roads is done during the night hours when the traffic is minimal. Best comedian Dr Surinder Sharma, a reader in the Department of Chemistry, Panjab University, has been given the best comedian award for 1998 by Punjab Kala Sangam. The felicitation ceremony was held at Amritsar recently. He has won the award for his performance in "Rajneeti". Dr Sharma is a versatile actor who has won acclaim for his comic performances in a number of earlier movies. He won the best comedian awards for "Sarpanch", "Balbiro Bhabhi", "Yaari Jat Di", and "Tabahi",besides several other appearances. Iqbal Dhani was given the best actor award for the film 'Jang' da Maidan'.The best director award was bagged by Thakur Tapassvi while Madan Shaunki walked away with the best music director award for "Rajneeti". Jazz quintet To mark the golden jubilee celebrations of Israel, the Embassy of Israel in New Delhi in collaboration with the CII has invited the Dan Gottfried Jazz Quintet to visit India between November 30 and December 11 during which it will perform at Chandigarh on December 2 during the Agrotec'98 exposition. It will then visit New Delhi where it will give a "fusion" performance with Ustad Zakir Hussain. The Quintet will also visit Calcutta and perform there before returning to Israel. Members of the Quintet are Dan Guttfried, pianist; Albert Piamenta, saxophone and clarinet player; Arale Kaminsky, drummer; Arnon Palty, bass player; and Mamelo Gaitanopoulus, tenor sax and trumpet. The repertoire of the Quintet includes modern jazz, Mid-eastern improvised music and jazz interpretations of traditional Jewish tunes. |
Scholarships Nearly 300 needy students of vocational education studying in various universities and other recognised institutions have been awarded scholarships by the Guru Harkishan Educational Society of Chandigarh. The scholarship amount for this year came to Rs 4.35 lakh and would be disbursed among beneficiaries in two instalments through Principals of their respective institutions. The decision to award these scholarships was taken at a meeting of the Governing Council of the Society, says Mr A.S. Rawal, Honorary Secretary of the Society. The Society, which introduced this scholarship scheme in 1986 has already disbursed Rs 17.07 lakh among 1731 beneficiaries without any discrimination of caste, creed or religion, adds Rawal. Zakir honoured Mr Kashmiri Lal Zakir, Chairman of the Shramik Vidyapeeth and Secretary of the Haryana Urdu Akademi, has been given the prestigious Ramakrishna Jaidayal Harmony Award (1997). The citation says that he has made a singular contribution as a writer and linguist to the cause of national harmony and integration. The organisation's patrons and selectors are M.F. Hussain, Prof Yash Pal and Mr K.P.S. Gill. The award will be
presented on December 10 in New Delhi. Mr Zakir has
received several other honours previously. These include
the Ghalib Award, the Nuqoosh Award of Pakistan and the
National Nehru Literacy Award. He is a famous novelist
and a well-known poet. His book, "Karmawali"
remains a landmark in Hindi and Urdu fiction. |
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