The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Mass distribution of vitamin A begins
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Mrs Vineeta Rai, Adviser to the Administrator, UT, today launched a programme of mass distribution of vitamin A solution in the slums of the city at Palsora. The programme was organised by the Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, in collaboration with the Health Department and UNICEF.

The Adviser signalled the beginning of the programme which will be undertaken tomorrow along with the fourth round of the intensified pulse polio immunisation programme by giving vitamin A solution to 10 children in Lal Bahadur Shastri Colony, Kali Devi Mandir, Palsora.

Nearly 35,000 children between one year and five years of age living in slums of the city would be given vitamin A solution tomorrow at 71 pulse polio immunisation centres. Each centre would be provided with one medical personnel and one NSS volunteer from a local college after proper training. There are at present 26 slums with a population of 2,20,000 representing about one-third population of Chandigarh.

Dr H.M. Swami, Professor and Head of the Department of Community Medicine, pointed out that vitamin A deficiency contributed about 2 per cent of the total blindness cases in the country. As per a survey conducted by the department in 1999, about one-fourth of 1,304 children in the slums are suffering from varying degrees of vitamin A deficiency. There is a national vitamin A prophylaxis programme under the reproductive and child health programme, under which five massive doses (two lakh IU) of vitamin A are recommended for children from nine months to three years of age for the prevention of vitamin A deficiency. However, it has been found that coverage of vitamin A in Chandigarh is low. In another study by the department in 1996 , Dr Swami stated that of the total 735 children surveyed, coverage of vitamin A was about 50 per cent for only one or two doses and none had received the required five doses. The department had then approached UNICEF to provide the necessary support for the mass distribution of the solution to all children in the slum areas.

Dr Swami said that to avoid unnecessary delays during the National Immunisation Day, screening of children would be limited to ensure correct doses of vitamin A.

A second round is being planned in October, 2000, coinciding with the second phase of pulse polio to have the desired impact. It has also been decided to undertake a long-term study after doing regular weekly or fortnightly follow-ups of children who are administered these drops. The cases of diahorrea and other acute respiratory infections would reduce in these children, Dr Swami added.

Among the others who were present on the occasion were Dr V.K. Kak, Director-Principal-cum-Secretary and Medical Education and Research, Dr Joginder Singh, Director, Health Services, Dr M.P. Minocha, Director, Family Welfare, and the heads of various departments of the GMCH.

Cycle rally to mark polio drive
From Our Correspondent

DERABASSI, Jan 22 — As many as 250 students from three government schools today organised a cycle rally to create awareness about the pulse polio drive among the villagers.

Raising polio eradication slogans, the rally passed through different villages and colonies of this area. The Naib Tehsildar, Mr Paramjit Singh, flagged off the rally.

Students of Government High School, Dera Bassi; Government High School, Amlala; and Government High School, Mubarikpur, participated in the rally which was organised by the Health Department, the Rotary Club and the Bharat Vikas Parishad.

Mr Jagjit Singh Dalli, President, Municipal Council, Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini, President, Rotary Club, City, Mr Paramjit Singh, President, Rotary Club, Dera Bassi, and Mr Vinod Gagneja, in charge, Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi, were present at the flagging off ceremony.

SPORT

Sunil Kumar wins title
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The reigning national hardcourt tennis champion Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh added another feather to his cap by winning the ITF Junior Circuit Tennis championship which concluded today at Colombo (Sri Lanka), according to information reaching with Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association.

In final, Sunil outplayed another Chandigarh player Amanjot Singh, the current under-16 national champion, 7-5, 6-2.

The winner in this tournament got 40 ITF points while runner-up 30 points.

Ramesh Krishnan, India's Davis Cup coach, said it was nice to see Sunil playing so well at a young age. Sunil became the only boy from city to be selected to represent India at the Davis Cup.

Left hander Sunil has been coached by Kawaljit Singh all through his career. He had begun playing at the age of nine when he was adopted by the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association under its Rural Talent Hunt Scheme. He is the son of a Kapurthala based Railway Coach Factory employee.

Mr Rajan Kashyap, Chairman of the CLTA, said the CLTA wanted to produce more good players like Sunil; Akshay Vishal Rao, under-18 national champion; Amanjot Singh, under-16 national champion; and Tushar Liberhan who has been selected to play in the Asia Cup.

At the age of 13, Sunil won the ITF tournament in the under-14 section. In 1997, he won the under-14 boys' national tournament in Delhi. He represented India in the Asian under-14 boys' tournament and won the boys' under-14 singles title at the Adidas Masters Championship. He was a member of the Indian under-14 team at the NTT World Junior Team Championships at Jakarta. He also took part in the sixth ITF Asian Circuit Meet in Thailand.

Next year, he won four under-14 singles titles in a row at the National Sub-Junior Meet held at Hyderabad, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar and Mumbai. He later won the Shriram National Meet at Delhi in the under-16 section, besides the Adidas Under-16 Masters Tournament at Delhi.

Past year was also good for Sunil who won the ITF Junior (Grade 4) Singles Tournament at Delhi, followed by the ITF doubles title at Chandigarh. He was selected as a member of the ITF under-16 team which played in Europe in May 1999 and in the World Youth Cup (under-16) at Hiroshima (Japan). In September past year, he won the Asian Schools Singles Championship organised by the Asian Schools Sports Federation at Jakarta (Indonesia). Another major success came in October when he won the singles title at the coveted National Hardcourt Championship in Delhi in the seniors' section which got him a berth on Indian Davis Cup team.

Ramesh Krishanan said he was the future hope of India. He said Vijay Amritraj he had also become national champions at the same age.

Experts have advised him to play in the juniors as well as the seniors section to develop his game in a phased manner.

Mr Kashyap said such successes had proved that Chandigarh had become the top tennis power in India, beating Chennai.

School holds annual sport meet
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — The annual sport meet of Sanjay Public School, Sector 44, was held today. The Director of the school, Mr T.R. Sethi, urged students to inculcate the sportsman spirit in themselves.

The day began with an impressive march past by students and sportspersons extinguishing the ceremonial flame, followed by a cultural programme. Football teams of boys and girls, in under-19 and under-16 age groups, were also honoured for winning five trophies past year. The cricket team of the school was also honoured. Ms U. Sethi, Principal of the school, said hockey, skating, basketball and tennis would be introduced in the school from the next session.

In the athletics events organised during the sport meet, winners in various sections were as follows: 100 m (boys) — Manmeet Singh; girls — Vandana; 200 m (boys) — Amit; girls — Suman; 4 x100 m relay race — Pardeep, Vishal, Nikhil and Amrinder Singh; long jump (boys) — Bhupinder; girls — Pooja Sharma; shot put (boys) — Neeraj; girls — Aarti.

Cricket tourney: The LIC of India and United Insurance Company Limited will meet each other in the semi-final of the Inter Financial-Bank Employees Cricket Tournament being played here at DAV College, Sector 10. In today's matches, the LIC team won by four wickets against Oriental Insurance Company Limited while United India Insurance Company Limited beat the New India Assurance team by 15 runs.

Amarjit Kumar of the LIC and Anil Chawla of the New India Assurance got the 'man of the match' awards.

Brief scores: OIC — 150 runs all out in 25 overs (Vipin Sharma 65, Dinesh Gupta 22, Anil Arya 3 for 17, Ashwani Sharma 3 for 37, Amarjit Kumar 2 for 27, SMS Chauhan 2 for 28); LIC — 154 runs for six (Amarjit Kumar 45, SMS Chauhan 35, Kuldeep Tikku 30, Gautam Mohan 30 n.o., Dinesh 2 for 25, Bhagwan Dass 2 for 26).

United India Insurance — 163 runs all out in 25 overs (S.S. Negi 55, Ajay 30, Rakesh 27, Anil 3 for 34, S.P. Sharma 4 for 35, Gobind 3 for 17); New India Assurance — 148 for six in 25 overs (Anil Chawla 61, Sanjeev 25, Gobind 38, Raj Kumar 2 for 23, N.K. Sidhu 2 for 37).

Body building trials: The Panchkula Amateur Body Building Association will hold trials to select the Panchkula district team on January 25 at 6 p.m., according to a press note of the association. The selected team will take part in the fifth Junior Haryana State Body Building Championship to be held at Ambala, later this month. Only those born after January 30, 1979, will be allowed to take part in these trials.

Chander Shekhar best judoka
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Jan 22 — Chander Shekhar of Coaching Centre, Sector 42, was declared the best judoka in the boys' section of the two-day Chandigarh State Judo Championship which began here today.

Earlier at the Sector 42 Sports Complex, the meet was inaugurated by Ms Harpreet Kaur, Principal of Harkrishan Public School, Sector 38. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Mr S. Chattopadhaya, IPS and President of the Amateur Judo Association of Chandigarh, organiser of this tournament.

Tomorrow, the bouts will begin at 12 noon after weighing-in for the girls' bouts.

The results of the boys' matches are as follows: below 56 kg — Dev Nath (Coaching Centre, Sector 42) 1, Sanjay (Coaching Centre, Sector 21) 2, Arun (Punjab Engineering College, Sector 12) 3, Sanjeev Kumar (SGGS College, Sector 26) 3; below 60 kg — Chander Shekhar (CC-42) 1, Jatinder Handa (PAP, Chandigarh) 2, Mandip Singh Mamick (GMSS, Sector 10) 3, Sajid Khan (CC-42) 3.

Below 66 kg — Arjun Singh Negi (CC-42) 1, Gurjeet Singh (GGS College, Sector 26) 2, Daulat Singh (CC-42) 3, Shashi Nath (CC-21); below 73 kg — Manwinder Singh (CC-21) 1, Swatantar Sharma (CC-42) 2, Munish Sharma (DAV College, Sector 10) 3, Hans Raj (CC-21) 3; below 81 kg — Johney (CC-21) 1, Munish Sharma (SGGS College, Sector 26) 2, Jagmohan Kaul (PAP, Chandigarh) 3.

110 structures removed
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Jan 22 — As many as 110 unauthorised temporary structures and a number of rehra and taxi stands were removed on the third day of the demolition drive launched by the enforcement staff of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) in the township.

In today’s drive, an area of over 4 kanals, which had been offered to the Telecommunication Department, was cleared of 100 ‘khokhas’ in Phase XI. The drive was led by the SDO (enforcement), Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Sukhpal and Mr Devinder Kumar — both Junior Engineers. The corridors of scooter market in Phase 7 market were also cleared by the enforcement staff. Besides, unauthorised taxi stands from Phase 7 to 11 were also removed.

Problems solved at sangat darshan
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, Jan 22 — As many as 21 problems relating to health, education, water, electricity, roads and land were taken up by the Subdivisional Magistrate, Mr Sher Singh Sidhu, at a Sangat Darshan Programme in Malhan village yesterday.

About 12 of these were solved on the spot and the rest referred to the authorities concerned.

This was the first such programme held in this interior village of the subdivision.

Residents of the surrounding villages demanded the construction of a proposed bridge over the Tangri river soon.

Officials of the Punjab Public Works Department (B&R) were directed by the SDM to give clearance to the bridge.

Villages were also issued driving and learners' licences.