HEALTH

Programme on AIDS awareness
From A Correspondent

PANCHKULA, May 19 — Dr P.L. Jindal, Director General Health Services of Haryana and Project Director of HACS, inaugurated a programme on the Targeted Interventions on HIV-AIDS for Migrant Workers. The function was organised by the Survival of Young and Adolescent (SURYA) foundation funded by the Haryana Aids Control Society, at Government Dispensary, here today.

Dr Ramneek Sharma, Founder Director of SURYA foundation, explained the objectives and importance of this project. Health functionaries, contractors, labour officers and administration officials were invited to participate.

Dr H.C. Nagpal, Civil Surgeon of Panchkula, stressed the need for preventing AIDS and creating awareness about the disease.

Dr P.L. Jindal said migrant workers would be provided medical facilities at the district and village levels. He praised the work done by the foundation and said voluntary testing centres in the Sector 6 General Hospital here would be opened.

Dr R.K. Sharma, Chairman of the foundation, presented mementoes to the guests.

A lively performance was given by the Chandigarh unit of the Song and Drama Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting led by Surjit Kaur. Zulfiquar Khan's theatre group presented a play on AIDS.

Talk on drug abuse, alcoholism
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 19 — The Servants of the People Society organised a talk on drug abuse and alcoholism at the local bus stand in Sector 17 here today.

Sixty workers of the CTU, who attended the session, were briefed about the medical and psychological aspects of the problems by Dr Parmod Kumar. Among those who spoke were Dr Amar Pal Singh, Director Transport, UT, Gr Cpt, P.S. Soni, Administrator of the society, and Ms Suman Gupta, Project in charge, Drug Awareness and Counselling Centre, Lajpat Rai Bhawan, Sector 15.

100 screened for osteoporosis
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 19 — As many as 100 patients have been screened for osteoporosis by using ultrasonometry, during a free camp organised by the Department of Orthopaedics, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.

Of these, 72 were suffering from osteopaenia/osteoporosis. The disease was significantly more prevalent among the women above the age of 45 years.

According to Prof Raj Bahadur, Head of the department, osteoporosis is a disease of the bones, where bone mass is decreased per unit volume of the bone. The disease is caused due to imbalance in the functioning of the bone forming cells and bone resorbing cells. It is found among persons having a sedentary lifestyle, alcoholics, smokers, patients on drugs like steroids and antiepileptics, diabetics and postmenopausal females.

Ultrasonometry is a non-invasive method, which takes only three minutes to show whether the person is suffering from osteoporosis or not.

He further maintains that physical activity and exercise has a great role to play in the prevention of the disease. The patients having osteoporosis may not have any clinical manifestations; that is why the disease has been given the name of "silent thief''. The presenting clinical features include bone pains and pathological fractures mainly on the spine and wrist.

Dr Bahadur said that established cases can be treated by use of calcium, Vitamin D and proteins, which can be made available through a good diet. Some other drugs are hormones, bisphosphates and sodium fluoride. Gynaecologists recommend oral hormones as a precaution for the postmenopausal women.

The equipment used for ultrasonometry was provided by Panacea Biotec Ltd and will be made available at CMC, Sector 17, tomorrow.

SPORT

Saroj, Inder in semis
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, May 19 — Saroj Chandel and Inder Kanta, both of the Reserve Bank of India, sailed into the semi-finals of the third St Stephen's Ranking Carrom Tournament at St Stephens' School here today. In the men's singles, Sanjay Negi beat Ajay Gupta to reach the semi-finals.

The other results are as follows: Men's singles (prequarterfinals) — Tejinder Harry b Vinod Vashisht, 25-9, 25-11; Dhruva b B.S. Negi, 25-16, 18-15; Ramanpreet b Rahul Nanda, 25-0, 25-0; Sanjay Negi b Vikas Mathur, 25-6, 25-4; Ajay Gupta b Sumit Chakarvorty, 25-9, 24-6; Paramdeep b Lov Kumar, 25-0, 21-17; Gagandeep b Deepak Bishnoi, 25-0, 25-5.

Quarterfinals — Ramanpreet Pahwa b Dhruva, 25-1, 25-10; Sanjay Negi b Ajay Gupta, 2-25, 25-21, 25-19; Gagandeep b Paramdeep, 25-0, 25-5.

Junior boys' singles (prequarterfinals) — Ramanpreet b Ravjeet Singh, 25-0, 25-0; Gurinder Singh b Ankur, 24-10, 24-5; Amandeep Singh b Tarlok Singh, 25-0, 25-0; Taranpreet b Vijay Garg, 25-0, 25-0; Dhruva b Alex, 25-0, 25-0; Deepak b Amrinder, 25-7, 17-16; Varun Raghav b Zubin Mehta, 25-15, 25-0; Sumit b Rahul Nanda, 25-1, 25-0.

Quarterfinals — Ramanpreet b Gurinder 25-9, 25-10; Taranpreet b Amandeep, 25-24, 25-24; Dhruva b Deepak, 25-23, 25-0; Sumit b Varun, 25-0, 25-0.

Sub-junior boys' singles (third round) — Sumit b Gaurav, 25-0; Abhey Bedi b A. Hans, 25-11; Ravinder b Baldev Negi, 25-0; Ankit Kalsi b Avinash, 21-0; Sidharth b Sahil Grover, 24-5; Pushpinder b Jagjit, 25-3; Rahul Nanda b Manik Kaushal, 25-0; Taranpreet b Abhinandan, 25-0; Dhamesh Arora b Anirudh, 14-7; Parambir b Dheeraj Sharma, 25-0; Sumit Aithani b Amandeep Dhir, 25-0; Hardeep Harnal b Rishab Khurana, 25-5; Agamdeep Singh b Yatin, 25-13; Mayank b Atinder Pal, 25-0; Gurinder Singh b Gagandeep, 25-0.

Prequarterfinals — Sumit b Abhey Bedi, 25-0; Ravinder b Ankit Kalsi, 25-11; Rahul b Pushpinder, 25-0; Taranpreet b Dhamesh Arora, 25-0; Sumit b Parambir, 25-0; Hardeep b Agamdeep, 25-2; Gurinder b Mayank, 25-0.

Quarterfinals — Sumit b Ravinder, 25-0; Rahul b Sidharth, 25-1; Gurinder b Hardeep, 25-1.

Women's singles (prequarterfinals) — Anjali Negi b Raj Lakshmi, 24-12, 24-4; Ambika b Meena, 25-18, 8-25, 25-5; Inder Kanta b Sushila Parshad, 25-9, 21-18, 23-4; Anita Sharma b Renu sachdeva 18-25, 25-4 (conceded); Nidhi b Dilmeet, 20-11, 17-7.

Quarterfinals — Inder Kanta b Anita Sharma, 25-0,25-0; Saroj Chandel b Nidhi Patwal, 25-2, 25-0.

Girls' singles (prequarterfinals) — Pallavi b Brinderjit, 25-16,16-12; Neha b Megha Negi, 10-25, 25-16, 25-4; Eveleen b Harkirat, 25-0, 25-12.

Quarterfinals — Pallavi b Preeti, 25-0, 25-1; Neha b Stuti Vashisht, 25-2, 19-0; Shikha Nanda b Nidhi, 25-23, 25-11; Eveleen b Rachna, 25-0, 25-0.

ADMINISTRATION

MCC to get tough with water law violators
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 19 — The Water Supply and Sewerage Disposal Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh(MCC) has asked the officers to get tough with the water byelaws violators and complete their projects on time.

At a meeting here today, members of the committee also urged the officers to make sure that storm drainpipes and sewer lines functioned normally in the rainy season. The Superintending Engineer, Mr Manmohanjit Singh, assured the panel that the work on laying the storm drainpipes from the Press Chowk, Sector 18, to the N-Choe in Sector 52 would be completed by June 15.

While calling upon the general public to use recycled water for irrigation purposes, the members wanted the nodal officers to ensure that each sewer remained operational in the area entrusted to them.

Parking lot auctioned: The civic body today auctioned the parking lot at the Sukhna Lake for about Rs 8.6 lakh for period of one year as against the reserve price of Rs 8.5 lakh.

Encroachments removed: The enforcement wing today removed over 200 encroachments from the internal roads of Sector 41-A.

Angle irons, barbed wires, hedges and concrete structures were demolished in the drive which started around 10 a.m. and continued for seven hours.

Traders’ plea: The Traders Association, Sector 17(And B), in a representation to the Commissioner, has urged the civic body to ensure complete security of the visitors to the eight-day carnival being held in Sector 17 from May 28. 

Public land cleared of encroachments 
From A Correspondent

PANCHKULA, May 19 — The enforcement staff of the local Estate Office of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) today demolished illegal structures which had come up on public land in Raila village, Sector 12, here. An area of about five acres was cleared of the encroachments.

The enforcement staff was escorted by a strong posse of police and a JCB.

No untoward incident was reported during the eight-hour drive.

Officials disclosed that the encroachments had come up in the past for four to five years.

The land was handed over to the engineering wing of HUDA after being cleared of the encroachments. The department will fence the area to prevent encroachments in future.

Earlier in the day, the enforcement staff aided by the revenue officials conducted an exercise to demarcate the area to ascertain the number of encroachments on HUDA land.

As many as 150 labourers were employed to clear the encroachments.

At seven in the morning, people were informed of the demolition drive. The labourers helped to remove their belongings before the bulldozer raised the illegal structures to the ground.