The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Hepatitis-B vaccine administered
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — A total of 291 patients were examined and given free medicines at a free medical camp organised by UT branch of the Indian Red Cross Society at Balwari-cum-creche, Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, here today. Of the total patients examined, 72 children were immunised.

The third and final dose of hepatitis-B vaccine was administered to 20 children at a camp organised at Khuda Ali Sher dispensary yesterday. Mr Gurmel Singh, Chief General Manager, CITCO, presided over the camp organised by the Kusum Arora Memorial Trust.

A total of 55 patients were operated upon for cataract and 18 others for Intra occular lenses (IOL) during free eye operation camps organised by Lions Club Chandigarh Greater, Azad Welfare Society, Mani Majra, and Sight Care Society at Dharamshala, Ganga Devi and Mani Majra, from March 11 to 13. The patients were provided with free food, accommodation, transport, medicines and spectacles.

Workshop on AIDS from today
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — The State AIDS Control Society, Chandigarh, is organising a two-day workshop on “Collaborative role of NGOs in the implementation of the National AIDS Control Programme” at the UT Guest House on March 14 and 15. The workshop will be inaugurated by the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai.

The objective of the workshop is to prevent and control AIDS. The role of NGOs in the effective execution of the programme will be highlighted during the deliberations.

Project Director, Dr N.M. Sharma in a release pointed out the intervention as well as awareness activities, being undertaken with the help of various NGOs. The important projects are for truckers, rickshaw pullers, migrant population, computerised telecounselling, sensitisation for jail inmates, motivation camps for voluntary blood donation amongst youth and school AIDS education programme.

Meanwhile, the two key objectives of the second phase of the National AIDS Control Programme are to reduce the spread of HIV infection in India to strengthen India’s capacity to respond to HIV/AIDS on a long-term basis. The programme also envisages NGOs as critical partners to achieve these objectives. Dr Sharma maintains that the workshop will go a long way in making the NGOs conversant with the latest strategies for HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Secretary offers to help contain corruption
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — "The evils of corruption and crime have become so widespread that another movement like the freedom struggle is needed to eradicate these from our country. It will be a great achievement even these evils are contained or minimised." This was said by Mr Harjit Singh, Secretary-Health-cum-Director-Ayurveda-and-Homoeopathy, Punjab, here yesterday. He was speaking at a meeting of the board of directors of the All-India Anti-Corruption and Crime Prevention Council.

Mr Harjit Singh also advised the council directors to ensure that it did not become a tool of self-advancement instead of a vehicle of social transformation. He lauded the efforts of Dr B.L. Arora, Chairman of the local unit of the council, for his efforts towards this nobel cause.

Mr Surjit Singh, Secretary of the Punjab unit of the council, expressed concern at the degeneration of values and consequent undercurrent of unrest due to corruption. He described crime and corruption as cousins. He added that those who offered bribes were equally to blame for the spread of corruption. Mr Jagtar Singh Sidhu, Chairman of the Rajpura unit of the council, demanded establishment of council units at the district, tehsil and block levels. He said it would make the council more effective and closer to people in rural areas who were equally hit by the evil.

Mr Harjit Singh offered to become a 'casual' member of the council and promised to do his best to help it in its noble cause.

Consumer health seminar
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — The Citizens Awareness Group will organise a seminar on "Consumer Health'' and an exhibition of posters on Consumer Awareness at the Sector 22 Health Centre to commemorate World Consumer Day on March 15. A souvenir of the activities of the group will be released on the occasion.

Prominent doctors present on the occasion include Dr Vanita Gupta, Dr Madan Gulati, Dr M. P. Manocha and Dr Joginder Singh. They will interact with the consumer activists

Ayurvedic college staff’s plea to VC
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — Teachers’ Staff Coordination Committee of the local Shri Dhanwantri Ayurvedic College submitted a memorandum to the Panjab University Vice-Chancellor today emphasising their long pending demand of pay since the affiliation of the college to the university in 1992.

Dr Shailendra Bhardwaj, Convener of the coordination committee, in a press note here today, said the university granted affiliation to colleges after inspection by various committees, reports of which, from time to time had highlighted nonfulfilment of several conditions, like UGC pay scales to teachers under the pretext of shortage of funds.

The press note added that the university Syndicate at a meeting on January 31, took a serious view of various irregularities in the institution and set up a committee under Dr O.N. Nagi of the PGI to inspect the college.

One and a half months had passed but the college had not been inspected. The staff committee urged members of Syndicate and Senate of the university to get inspection of the college expedited, the press note added.

SPORT

MP ready for title defence
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — All these men have come from Madhya Pradesh with the sole aim of defending the title at the 14th Senior National Baseball Championship which began here today at the Panjab University grounds. The team includes seven international players who had taken part in the 1999 Asia Cup. Two of them, Vijay and Jitender, who train at Indore, had taken part in the 1997 Asia Cup also. The seven international players are Vijay Pathrod, Jitendra Shinde, Hemant Sahara, Rajesh Herole, Girish Upadhaya, Shalender Chandel and Naresh Rana. Their coach at Indore is Jeet Bahadur.

At this meet, the 18-member team is accompanied by Siraj Ansari who said the state's women's team which is also the defending champion, could not make it to the meet due to examinations. In 1997, the MP men had won the title at the Solan Senior National Championship. They had also won the Goa Senior National Meet in 1999, but in 1998 at Indore, Andhra Pradesh had won. The MP women's team had been winning the title for the past three years.

The players said as this game was new to India, not much incentives were being offered at the moment. They said, however, considering the vast progress made by the Amateur Baseball Federation of India, they saw a brighter future for the game here.

Coach Siraj said out of all players in the state, only they could reach international level because of the kind of training they received at Chaman Bagh Maidan in Indore under Jeet Bahadur.

Regarding the job opportunities, Vijay and Jitender, seniormost players of the team, said once the game was introduced at the civil-services level, baseball players would be recruited. They said it was a good sign that for the past two years, the School Games Federation of India had been holding baseball matches in the National School Games.

They also gave the credit of their success to their state association, whose head, Mr Harikrishan Aggarwal, President and publisher of a leading Hindi daily, had sponsored them.

About their practice schedule, they said except during the examinations or when they were out for tournaments, they practiced throughout the year for four hours each in the morning and the evening, which gave them an edge over others. They said they were confident of defending the title, but, expected a tough fight from Andhra Pradesh men.

They are happy at the way the tournament has been conducted here by an organising committee chosen by the national body. Past year also, they had played in the Asia Cup here, so, they have fond memories of the place.

7-wicket win for Adviser’s XI
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, March 13 — UT Adviser’s XI beat Haryana Officers' XI by seven wickets in a cricket match played here yesterday. Batting first, the Haryana team lost the vital wickets of Vivek and Rajeev soon. Dr Ravinder Chadha became the star bastman of the day by scoring 78 unbeaten runs with eight hits to the fence. Vaneet, who scored 19 runs, was involved a third-wicket stand of 52 runs before being bowled by Daniel Banerjee. Adviser’s XI also got an early blow, but, Sanjay Manchanda and Narinder Kwatra guided the team to victory.

Brief scores: Haryana Officers' XI — 154 for 8 in 30 overs (Ravinder Chadha 78 n.o., Sanjay Kothari 20 n.o., Vaneet Chawla 19, Daniel Banerjee 2 for 19, Sanjay Manchanda 2 for 22, Narender Kwatra 2 for 26); UT Adviser’s XI — 155 for 3 (Sanjay Manchanda 52, Narender Kwatra 48, Vivek Attray 2 for 24).

Cricket tourney: Godrej Cricket Club beat Industrial Cricket Club by 48 runs yesterday in the first Jaspal Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament being played at Kharar near here.

Batting first, Godrej Club scored 182 runs with Anil Chaudhary making 38 runs off 21 deliveries with two sixes and three fours. He was ably supported by Rajesh Patha who contributed valuable 33 runs.

Brief scores: Godrej CC — 182 (Anil Chaudhary 38, Rajesh Patha 33, Amit Bhardwaj 22, Girender Saini 19, Inderjeet 3 for 24, Arun Tuli 2 for 32, Surinder 2 for 34, Ravinder Nain 2 for 37).

ICC XI — 134 all out in 25.4 overs (Jagjit Saini 45, Arun Tuli 27, Aman Kumar 21, Randhir Nain 20, Inderjit 16, Anil Chaudhary 4 for 29, Madan Lal 3 for 19, Rajesh 2 for 9)