N-issue, trade must be separated: NZ envoy
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 30 — Mr Adrian Simcock, High Commissioner of New Zealand in India, wants that the nuclear issue and the trade and commercial linkages between the two countries be separated so that the relationship in other areas is not affected.

Speaking at a session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (Northern Region) here this afternoon, Mr Simcock said that when India conducted nuclear tests in May, 1998, New Zealand protested in the strongest terms.

"My government was alarmed by the spectre of proliferation raised by the tests and deeply concerned that the tests ran counter to the strong current of international opinion which had been established in favour of nuclear non-proliferation.

"The strength of the New Zealand protest was consistent with its long-established anti-nuclear position, demonstrated in New Zealand's domestic anti-nuclear legislation making it a nuclear free country, and demonstrated also in its protests against nuclear tests conducted by other countries, namely China and France. The passage of anti-nuclear legislation in New Zealand caused an interruption in our alliance arrangements with the US and our suspension from the ANZUS treaty. Our opposition to nuclear tests in India, therefore, was clearly based on principle. We think that nuclear weapons are dangerous, we do not seek to own them and nor are we involved in alliances which allow us to be protected by nuclear weapons.

"New Zealand and India share the common goal of the total abolition of nuclear weapons," he said, hoping that there would be continuous growth of trade linkages between the two countries.

Mr Simcock said that the New Zealand Government had been encouraging foreign investment. Levels of investment in New Zealand had increased dramatically during the past nine years.

New Zealand, he said, was an important global exporter of dairy products and the dairy sector was important to the economy of his country as it accounted for 20 per cent of exports. New Zealand has much expertise to offer in this area.

Other major area of future attention between the two countries is education where New Zealand offers courses with internationally competitive qualifications, course fees which are below those applicable in the USA, the UK, Canada or Australia, and importantly, a safe environment for young students travelling abroad for study.

Tourism was other area in which rapid growth has been witnessed. Air New Zealand has increased its business in india by 30 per cent. More than 400 Indian travel agents have visited New Zealand over the past 12 months to sample the experience which they are selling now. An important aspect of tourism promotion, he said, was the strong interest shown by the Indian film industry in using New Zealand as location for shooting. Around 30 film crews have visited new Zealand in the recent past, he added.

India, he said, sends to New Zealand a wide range of products, including footwear and leather goods, textiles and apparel items. Of late, with the introduction of legislation in India to restrict the milling of indigenous trees and lowering of tariff on imported logs, New Zealand has been sending increased quantities of pine logs to India. Besides, kiwifruit and kiwi apples were already available in India. While milk powder, cheese, yogurt are the major items imported from New Zealand, he added.

The High Commissioner maintained that the business community in his home country regarded India as a worthy market as Indian economy is continuously being liberalised. He further said that India is a major market for wool for hand-knitted carpet industry, coal for use in steel industry, hides and skins for Indian leather industry. New Zealand, he announced, has decided to remove all tariffs by 2006 which would benefit Indian exporters.

Mr I.S. Paul, Chairman, CII, Chandigarh Council, highlighted that though New Zealand was a small country, but it has a GDP of about $60.5 billion. The nation has great capacity to make value additions to Indian commercial sectors.

Mr R.M. Khanna, former Chairman, CII, Chandigarh Council, emphasised that Indo-NZ bilateral relations are of great significance and stressed the need for more commercial ventures.

Mr Balbir Singh, Chairman, Chandigarh Housing Board, wanted to explore the possibility of cooperation in developing low cost housing as India had a backlog of 20 million houses.

Mr Shivinder Singh Brar, Managing Director, Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation, wanted that a joint venture in the private sector be set up for providing technical knowhow and assistance in dairy farming in India.

MC steps to prevent outbreak of diseases
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 30 — Alarmed at the suspected dengue cases in Ludhiana and Japanese Encephalitis at the PGI from neighbouring states, the malaria wing of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has initiated certain steps to prevent the outbreak of the diseases in the city.

The steps assume importance since a suspected Japanese Encephalitis case has been been reported at the PGI from the Pipliwala town in Mani Majra. As the present humid weather is ideal for the outbreak of such diseases, the civic body is not taking any chances, sources said.

A meeting of senior corporation officials under the chairmanship of the Commissioner, Mr MP Singh, was held here yesterday where the "revised strategy" for the control of the disease was chalked out.

At the meeting, it was decided to conduct fogging operations at the "vulnerable areas" like slums and the low-lying areas. In fact, the wing today started the fogging operation in Mauli Jagran. Under the first phase of the operation, which is likely to be completed in a fortnight, areas such as Ram Darbar, Colony No 4, Bapu Dham Colony and Gwala Colony, Modern Complex Mani Majra and Swastik Vihar would be covered.

The MCC initiative apparently comes in the wake of the suspected cases of Japanese Encephalitis from places such as Ambala, Patiala, Yamunanagar and Jind at the PGI and several cases of dengue in Ludhiana where the disease threatens to assume epidemic proportions.

The Assistant Director (Malaria), Dr GC Bansal, when contacted, confirmed the launching of the special campaign and informed that this was apart from the normal vector-control measures undertaken by the wing.

In addition to the stepping up of the anti-larval measures, the wing had launched an awareness programme particularly in the "vulnerable areas". The emphasis would be on the education of the people, particularly those living in labour colonies through the distribution of the pamphlets.

He informed that a sentinel survey was being planned under which any fever case, particulalry in children, would be tested for dengue and Japanese Encephalitis and effective steps taken for its prevention.

Dr Bansal claimed that in the "vulnerable areas", two rounds of DDT spray as per the guidelines of the Government of India had been completed. In the other areas of the city, the first round had been completed and the second was in progress.

Meanwhile, many experts in the field of medical science say that the most important thing today is to keep mosquitoes at bay.

The medical term Japanese Encephalitis, which in layman's language is called brain-fever, is a virus which is transmitted through mosquitoes. In fact with pigs also harbouring this virus, experts contend that theoretically speaking, areas which are most infested with pigs are also prone to this disease. Thus, Sector 25 and its surrounding sectors could be termed as high-risk areas, with the pig population being maximum here.

The name Japanese Encephalitis is because of the fact that the original virus was found in Japan.

it is reported that cases of cerebral malaria and encephalitic herpes are also on the rise, which are also different forms of encephalitis.

NRI's gesture to TB patients
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 30 — For 40-odd needy and poor patients who tested positive for tuberculosis and resistant tuberculosis at a special detection camp held on Independence Day, a prolonged and expensive treatment would not have been possible but for the gesture of an NRI couple from the UK.

According to Dr Sarvinder Gandhok, who conducted the camp, each of these positive cases of pulmonary tuberculosis need medicines worth Rs 35 a day for more than a year continuously for cure from the disease. But since none of them could afford this expensive treatment, they needed some support.

Fortunately for them, Mr B.L. Mishra and his wife, long settled in the UK, have not only agreed to look after the entire expenses on the treatment of all these 42 cases but they also visited Dr Gandhok last week and have paid money to the chemists who would be supplying these medicines to the patients till they are fully cured. The Mishras have even promised help for rehabilitation of these patients after they are cured.

During a free TB detection camp conducted by Dr Gandhok in Industrial Area Phase II more than 25 per cent of the total patients, mostly domestic helps, maid servants and cooks, tested positive for TB and resistant TB.

Investigations reveal that there has been a sharp increase in the incidence of TB in the city and its peripheral areas. The problem appears to be more severe in labour colonies, unauthorised slums and villages. Servants, maid servants and cooks, who mostly come from these areas, are suspected to be the major carriers of the disease.

Some of the positive cases, who were not responding to the conventional medicines, were suspected to be resistant TB cases. The implication of the multi drug resistant tuberculosis cases (MDRTB) is that the patients do not themselves improve by the conventional TB therapy and they infect other people with the bacteria that are also drug resistant.

One of the reasons advanced for increased incidence of the disease in the city and its surrounding areas is poor drug prescription and poor patient management because of which patients excreting resistant tubercle bacilli, the bacteria, are on the rise, adds Dr Gandhok.

He suggests that the Chandigarh Administration or the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation would do well by notifying TB to be a notifiable disease so that all medical practitioners would report positive cases of the disease to the competent authority. This, he said, would help in controlling the disease.

Six years ago, it may be recalled, the World Health Organisation had declared a global emergency for TB. According to WHO reports, more than 50 million people all over the globe were inflicted with the drug resistant strains of mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The conventional TB regime is the use of four TB drugs — Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol and Pyrazinamide — for the first three months and then use of three drugs for the next six months. In case of MDRTB, the combination of Inj Kanamycin, Inj Amikacin, Ethionamide, Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, PAS and Cycloserine are used, Dr Gandhok said.

He says that lot of education was needed to create an awareness in the general public for getting their domestic help regularly examined and checked for TB.