HEALTH

Pinjore to Nada Sahib ‘disease-prone area’
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, April 29 — In view of last year’s experience on the spread of malaria, Japanese encephalitis and dengue in the district, the district health authorities have identified the belt from Pinjore to Nada Sahib as “high-risk area’’ and are focussing on pockets where the Animal Parasite Index (API) has been more than two. Also, the department is emphasising on the Early Detection and Prompt Treatment (EDPT) methods to check them from assuming epidemic proportions.

Having received 17 metric tonnes of malathion, the authorities said that a systematic exercise had been planned for the judicious use of the spray. While regular spraying will be carried out in the risk areas of Kalka, Pinjore, Raipur Rani and Hangola from where cases have been reported previously, preventive measures in the form of administering the proper dose.

For Japanese Encephalitis, a team of the department conducted a survey and found 410 piggeries where sprays would be undertaken irrespective of the fact that a case has been reported or not from there.``Last time a case of the dreaded disease was reported and we are making efforts to ensure that none is reported this year,’’ Dr HC Nagpal, Civil Surgeon, stated.

Also, an extensive plan to educate the public is being undertaken this season.``We are employing the `Information, Education and Communication’ activities for the public on how they can contribute towards its prevention. Once we can educate the public on preventive steps, we have won half the battle,’’ Dr Nagpal informed.

To augment the efforts of the authorities and cross-check statistics and information being passed on by them, a team from the Regional Director’s office, Chandigarh, is conducting random surveys and making slides in the risk-areas for the past week for identification of the extent of spread.

With a separate game-plan for the urban areas, the health authorities have formed 13 teams of health workers whose job is, primarily, to identify spots of garbage disposal and attack the formation of larva there.”The nullah running through the sectors poses the greatest threat. In view of this finding, a malarial larvacidal oil is put in the nullah on a regular basis. This layer helps suffocate the larva and is one way of controlling the spread,” Dr Nagpal contended.

Besides, aeriel sprays, residual sprays will be carried out in the township on a weekly basis. In the absence of permission by residents to enter their houses for spraying, the department resorts to fogging. Also, the Haryana Urban Development Authority contributes funds towards the control of the disease. These are awaited and are usually put to use near the rainy season.

Meanwhile, health workers have been instructed to visit slums and shoplets in congested areas to spread the word on prevention from door-to-door. Besides, they will check for stagnant water in houses which are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and give out pamphlets and other educative material.

This year the health department has bought its own loudspeaker which will be mounted on a vehicle and do the rounds of the township to spread the message of the diseases. This, they hope, will considerably reduce cases coming in and help in early treatment even if they are reported.

SPORT

School lists sport achievements
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, April 29 — Sanjay Public School has now made a name in sport. This was claimed by Ms Urmil Sethi, Principal of the school, while talking to mediapersons here today. She also announced last year's achievements of the school in sport meets.

She said the SAS Nagar branch of the school would be made functional from this session. An indoor hall would cater to badminton, table tennis, carrom, chess, judo and yoga. Next year two Panchkula schools in Sectors 12 and 8 would also be functional.

The school has many achievements. Sunpreet Kaur secured second position in North Zone kho-kho under-17 meet. Jaswinder Singh got gold medal in 71 kg in under-17 Inter-State wrestling tournament. In judo, Jagdish won silver medal in under-14 and Satinder got bronze medal in under-17.

The school has won various trophies and medals in various inter-school competitions. The school football team bagged the CBSE Cluster XI trophy 1999 for under-19 and under-16 years. It also won Shivalik Football and Cricket Trophy and Sova Inter-School Cricket Tournament for under-16 years. The school team was declared best by All-India football federation. Ten students were selected for under-16 and under-19 teams.

In UT inter-school football meet, the school secured first place in under-16 and runners-up in under 19-section. The school did well at Deepak memorial football trophy 1999, CBSE Football Cluster XI-1999 for under-19 and under-16 years, sub-junior football championship 1999, SD trophy Football 1999, Sova inter-school cricket tournament 1999, Shivalik cricket 1999, said Ms Sethi.

The school women's football team and Ranjeet Rana, the football coach, were doing well, said Ms Sethi. Ritu Kashyap won gold medals in 100 m backstroke, 100 m freestyle and 400 m breaststroke. She was declared best swimmer in inter-school swimming tournament in under-14 section. In under-17 competitions, Tarun got bronze medal in 100 m breaststroke and 200 m breaststroke. Ram Bilas was selected for the Indian junior football coaching camp in Bangalore.

Qualifying rounds begin
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH April 29 —The qualifying rounds to the All-India Tennis Tournament began at CLTA courts, Sector 10 here today, with more than 200 entries received for boys and girls events in under-14 and under-16 sections.

Results of the matches held today were: boys under-14 — IInd round: Sushant Arora b Harkamal Preet; Kushagra Mahajan b Shekhar Garg; Navjot Singh b Yuvraj Sekhon; Vaibhav Aggarwal b Mohak; Sandeep Chaudhary b Gurtej Singh; Rohan Gaddi b Varun Garg; Gurpreet Singh b Tejeshwar Goyal; Bakul Khera b Deepinder Bains;Vivek Verma b Kunal Angad; Simarveer Singh b Navjot Dhot; Arshdeep Singh b Vipin Kumar; Rohit Chaudhary b Gurpavit Singh; Vijayant Malik b Gaurav Inder; Manjit Singh b Anirudh Mitra; Raghav Indra Paul b Puneet Rawat; Rohit Kapoor b Abhinav Goyal; Priyank Sharma b Ankush Manuja; Paras Thakur b Sahib Singh; Andrewil Roy b Karan Sadyal; Navinder Pal b Tanvir S Bajwa; Uday Sandhu b Rishab Kothari; Bhovan Aggarwal b Karan Anand; Gursher R Harika b Sahil Kapoor; Jatender b Sumit Gupta; Vijit Sehgal b Raj Kanwar ;Vinod b Gurtej Pannu; Bhuvan Bhatia b Karan Patnaik; Pritam Singh b Anshul Garg; Vinayak Awasthi b Vipul Sherawat; Satvir Singh b Pranav Saboo; Randeep B Tanmay.

Boys under-16: — IInd round: Sidhharth Gulati b Raj Kanwar;Vipul Sehrawat b Sahil Kapoor; Vikas b Angad Rekhi; Paras Thakur b Vishav P Singh; Gurpavit Singh b Rishab Kothari; Bhuvan Bhatia b Samarpati Rai; Jitin Bishnoi b Sushant Arora; Rajat Kalra b Priyank Sharma; Yannick Nelord b Jitender; Amit Dixit b Digvijay; Gurpreet Singh b Navinder Paul; Viraj Bhargava b Shubham Bhalla; Kushagra Mahajan b Vinayak Awasthi; Gurdit Singh b Sanam Singh; Pradeep Panth b Nakul Kapoor; Nakul Vaish b Tanmay Arora; Manjit Singh b Gurtej Singh; Dilpreet Gill b Sahil Vasudeva; Raghav Nanda b Karan Patnaik; Abhinav Grover b Vish Vijay Chauhan ; Honey Rana b Udya Sandhu ; Simranjeet Cheema b Izreek Singh; Sahil Thapa b Sunil Kumar; Harman Singh b Pankaj Sharma; Nikhil Sharma b Amar Harpreet Mann; Vishnu Singh b Vaibhav Aggarwal; Randeep Singh b Annie Mehta ;Rohan Gaddi b Keshav Mahajan; Vijit Sehgal b Vijayant Malik.

Dhindsa thanked: D.P. Azad, who was recently elected Chairman of Sports Coaches forum of Dronacharya Awardees, has thanked Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Sports Minister, for acceding to popular demand of the cricket fans across the country by ordering CBI probe into the betting and match-fixing scam.

He also attended the meeting called by Mr Dhindsa on April 27. Mr Azad has requested the Government to complete the probe at the earliest.

ADMINISTRATION

Officer to probe harassment case
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 29 — Directing the UT Senior Superintendent of Police to appoint a gazetted officer to enquire into the allegations of harassment levelled by a Sector 22 resident against electricity employees and police officials, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has also asked him to initiate action against the guilty after registering a case if the complaint is found to be true.

In her petition taken up by Mr Justice R.L. Anand, petitioner Vanita Aggarwal had earlier alleged that the electricity department employees, along with the cops, had been helping her landlord to evict her from the top floor.

She had added that the cops had also assaulted her at her landlord’s behest in front of her counsel visiting the house for collecting certain documents pertaining to a complaint filed before the Central Administrative Tribunal.

Regarding the role of electricity employees, the petitioner had stated that an employee changed her meter with the one at the ground floor. Initially, she had added, the bill was not paid as a mark of protest, but eventually she had to pay Rs 3400.

The counsel for the petitioner had contended on her behalf that no action was taken against the employee despite several complaints to the executive engineer and the subdivisional officer.

New HUDA chief Garg submits joining report
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, April 29 — The curtain came down on the Likhi era at the office of the Haryana Urban Development Authority in Sector 6 after his seven-month stint as Administrator. Mr Abhilaksh Likhi joined as Joint Secretary, Political and Services, Vigilance and Training Departments and Director, Training, and relinquished charge, here today.

With many firsts to his credit in terms of work achieved during his short stay, establishing a personal rapport with residents’ welfare organisations, organising weekly meetings with them, and easy accessibility for the common man was The hallmark of Mr Likhi’s tenure during which a number of on-going development works were hastened and new ones undertaken.

As a part of the “easy accessibility” drive of the Administrator, a number of Tatkal dwars were organised in various sectors of the township. The whole paraphernalia of HUDA accompanied him during such programmes for on-the-spot disposal of complaints of residents which had been long pending. These proved a big success but had to be discontinued owing to elections in the state.

Also, for a facelift to the township, the clearing and dressing up of road-berms was undertaken on a war-footing by the department as also an intensive integrated sector programme to clear encroachments and identify misuse of property in residential areas. During the drive, defaulters of payments due to the department were issued notices, lighting arrangements reviewed and faulty street lights were made functional which proved to be a big relief to residents.

Two successful auctions for the urban estate were organised during his term and the long overdue draw of plots for the Economically Weaker Sections was also held not only in the township but in Ambala and Panipat which come under the Panchkula zone. Besides, land acquisition activity gained momentum and over 900 acres of land was acquired by HUDA near Mansa Devi.

The new Administrator, HUDA, Mr Sandeep Garg, gave his joining report today. He was previously Deputy Commissioner, Panipat, and was awaiting posting.