HEALTH

Medical check up camp
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — A free medical check up camp was organised by the State Bank of Patiala, Khuda Alisher, here today.

The camp was inaugurated by Mr J.S. Mann, Assistant General Manager, State Bank of Patiala (Chandigarh Zone). A team of two senior doctors of the Directorate of the ISM and Homoeopathic, Chandigarh Administration, along with paramedical staff examined a large number of patients.

Gravity of AIDS issue highlighted
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Feb 22 — The second day of the state-level orientation workshop on targeted intervention (HIV/AIDS) for non-government organisations (NGOa) highlighted the gravity of the issue and the increasingly vital role of the NGOs towards curtailing the menace.

Ms Kusum Nijhawan, consultant with the National AIDS Control Society (NACS), along with the faculty consultants from Delhi, Jaipur and Chandigarh, stressed the need for adopting a scientific approach by the NGOs to tackle its diversified segments. The workshop is being visualised as a landmark in promoting coordination between the government and the NGOs.

‘Need to curb infant mortality’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — A two-day workshop to generate awareness about reproductive child health programme began here at the Sector 22 polyclinic today.

It has been organised by the UT Directorate of Family Welfare for the benefit of auxilliary nursing midwives, women health visitors and other multipurpose health workers. This is the seventh programme to be organised in the series.

Dr M.P. Minocha, Director Family Welfare, said the main task before them was how to reduce infant mortality and look after the health of pregnant women. Proper awareness would lead to better pregnancies and healthy children. The health staff should try to ensure that women did not face complications during or after giving birth to a children. Dr Minocha also talked about the high incidence of matrenal and child mortality in our country. The figures available reveal that 65 children die per thousand in India, while in Chandigarh alone, 33 children die per thousand before completing a year. There is a need to check large number of cases of children dying of diseases such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections. This in turn, will also help check population growth.

The objective of this workshop is to give quality services based on demand driven by the community. Emphasis is being laid on improving the communication skills so that the health workers know how to talk to a patient about his or her condition.

Special focus is also being laid on components which were missing in the previous health programmes on reproductory tract infections (RTI), sexually transmitted infectious diseases and problems of adolescents. Dr Minocha said immediate attention should be paid to the problems of adolescents as they were the future mothers and fathers. While the problems most commonly associated with boys were that of violence, excessive drinking, drug abuse and suicidal tendencies, in case of girls, these were dieting or excessive eating, he said.

MCC claims fall in malaria
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — Claiming a decline of 72 per cent in malaria cases here as compared to 1998, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh yesterday stated that a "definite strategy" had been formulated to combat the spread of diseases in the city.

In a written statement submitted in a city court, the corporation stated that the city "had not been under the grip of malaria for the past three years, confirming the decline".

Giving details of the action plan, the corporation said regular anti-larval measures undertaken in the city were intensified "in the monsoon months with the stress on the labour colonies".

The counsel for the corporation also said that June 1999, as per the guideline of the Government of India, was observed as the anti-malaria month. Anti-malaria camps, the counsel stated, "were organised in labour colonies". Two rounds of the DDT spray, besides fogging operations, were also carried out in villages and labour colonies, the counsel added.

It was further stated that entomological surveys were carried out in Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar and Bapu Dham. Residents, it was added, were advised to drain out water from coolers and underground storage tanks.

The counsel refuted the allegations regarding the city being in the grip of "dangerous epidemics", including dengue and malaria. The counsel stated that the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research had "notified only four cases of dengue which were serologically confirmed".

Earlier, in a civil suit filed in a city court, human rights organisation Ahsaas and a resident, Mr Pritipal Singh, had sought directions to the corporation, the UT Administration and other defendants to "adopt all measures for the prevention of epidemics, including dengue, malaria and viral fever. Directions to the defendants for providing "adequate facilities" for conducting blood tests for epidemics had also been asked for.

SPORT

Vinod helps GCC win
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — Vinod Binta scored 35 runs and took three wickets for 14 runs, helping Godrej Cricket Club beat Punjab Civil Secretariat by 47 runs in the inaugural Jaspal Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament at Kharar near here today.

Batting first, the GCC received two quick blows. However, Amit Bhardwaj played a good game and scored 42 runs off 39 deliveries. Then, it was the turn of Vinod Binta and Harit Sharma who accelerated the run rate to enable GCC score 174 runs in the stipulated 25 overs. In reply, the secretariat team lost the vital wicket of Harpal Singh, but, Navtej Singh and Munish made 57 and 42 runs, respectively, involving a partnership of 90 runs, but could not take the team to victory. The secretariat team was bundled out for 147 runs.

Brief scores: GCC — 174 for eight in 25 overs (Amit 42, Vinod Binta 35, Harit Sharma 25, Madan Lal 22, Gurinder Saini 21, Arpinder Bedi 3 for 22, Bhupinder Singh 2 for 24); Punjab Civil Secretariat — 147 runs all out (Navtej 57, Munish 42, Arpinder Bedi 17, Harjit Singh 16, Vinod 3 for 14, Madan Lal 2 for 18, Richie Kapoor 2 for 22, Vijay Pal 2 for 23).

Bridge tourney: The Chandigarh Bridge Association will hold the National Open Pairs at Home Tournament for the Ubhayaka and Arun Swamy Memorial Trophy on February 27 at the Sector 42 Sports Complex. Similar events are being organised simultaneously all over India. There will be two sessions of 24 hands each. Two pairs of winners will qualify for the Summer National Tournament to be held at Kasauli (HP) in April this year.

Jaitley best: Sikandar Jaitley a Class XI student of the Sector 10 DAV College was adjudged the best player of the tournament in the 45th National School Games in lawn tennis which concluded at Guna (Madhya Pradesh) on February 19. Sikander also got a bronze medal in the under-19 boys' individual section and helped the UT team in win a silver medal in the under-19 section of the team championship.

Rural sport: The Sher-E-Punjab Sports Club of Zirakpur will hold its three-day annual rural sports meet from March 3 to 5.

According a press note issued by Mr Jaspal Singh, Chairman of the club, various national and international-level kabbadi teams will participate in the tournament. It will be inaugurated by Mr Ravinder Singh Sohi, a former Chairman of the Patiala Zila Parishad.

ADMINISTRATION

Juvenile Advisory Board recast
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — The Chandigarh Administration has reconstituted the Juvenile Advisory Board to advise the Department of Social Welfare on the matters relating to the establishment and maintenance of education, training and rehabilitation of neglected and delinquent juveniles and to make coordination among the various official and non-official agencies in the union territory. The board would be headed by the Finance Secretary.

The Joint Secretary (Finance), the Deputy Commissioner, the Director, Public Instruction (Schools), the Director, Health Services, the Joint Secretary (Home) and the Director, Social Welfare, will be the other official members of the board. The non-official members include Mr Prabhjot Singh, Mr Suresh K. Monga, Mrs Surya Pandit and Mrs Neena Tewari. The term of the non-official members shall be three years.

DD programmes from city kendra soon
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 22 — The Chandigarh Kendra of Doordarshan will start transmitting its programmes this year, says Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former MP.

Mr Jain said in a written statement here yesterday that this information was given by the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Arun Jaitely, after a meeting of the officials concerned here on Sunday.

Mr Jain said that the building of Chandigarh Kendra would be ready within two to three months and the kendra would become operational soon

MC ban on projects in undeveloped areas
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Feb 22 — The Administrator of the local Municipal Council, Mr O.P.Popli, has imposed a ban on executing projects in the areas which are yet to be developed. The directives were issued after the Administrator found that a foot path was being laid in an undeveloped part of the Industrial Area here.

The engineering staff of the council had been asked not to waste public money on development works in uninhabited areas and instead divert funds towards the maintenance of the developed phases. In some phases, the foot paths laid by the council in the recent past had started to come apart and required urgent maintenance. Mr Popli, who took a round of the town, said the Junior Engineers had been asked to give details of the development works executed in their respective areas. Any irregularity would be seriously dealt with, he said.

The field staff had been asked to ensure that damaged foot paths, kerb channels and other amenities being maintained by the council were repaired on a priority basis. On the complaint of garbage lying scattered around dust bins in certain phases, he said directions had been issued to the sanitation staff, both the council and the private contractor, to ensure that area around the bins remained clean.

An unauthorised fish market adjacent to Mohali village would also be removed. He said the shopkeepers had been given a few days time to remove their khokhas, failing which these would be demolished. Besides, removing of encroachments from corridors of markets, levelling of uneven road berms, filing of trenches left uncovered by the telecom department had also been given by the Administrator.