HEALTH

Iranian Film Festival from today
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 13 — The Chandigarh Film Society is once again coming up with a cultural bonanza for the city residents, this time in the form of Iranian Film Festival. The festival, which will be held between July 14 and July 16, is being organised by the CFS in collaboration with the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO).

The Secretary, CFS, Mr Tapesh Sharma informed that three movies would be screened during the festival and the venue would be CSIO auditorium. Missing, to be screened on July 14, is a story of a bank clerk who loses a lot in a fit of rage. The message being conveyed is that patience can save a lot of trouble. Majid, the central character, in the film directed by Mehdi Sab, is left alone after one day he casts aspersions on his wife on losing some cash.

The second film, Scare Crow directed by Hasan Zadeh. This is a story of children coping up with the atmosphere of alienation created by their father’s second marriage. The key characters are Ali and Sona who are thrown into a number of difficulties after their mother expires. Although the father tries to bridge the gap, the lacuna still remains only to be widened after he remarries.

In The Wind’s Eye, directed by Masud Jafri Jozana, is set in the backdrop of Iran’s occupation by the Allied Forces.

2 PGI doctors to be honoured by President today
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 13 — Prof Sudha Suri, Head of the Department of Radio-Diagnosis and Dr Siddharath Majumdar, Head of the Department of Experimental Medicine and Bio-technology, both from the PGI will receive the prestigious BC Roy National Award from the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, tomorrow. They were selected by the Medical Council of India for this award, almost an year back, for their contribution in the specialised branches of medicine.

Prof Suri is being honoured for her contribution in developing the speciality of radio-diagnosis and imaging at the PGI. However, her most outstanding contribution for which she got selected for the award is the development of interventional radiology at PGI. “Through this technique, we can treat many serious conditions which would have otherwise required surgery. This method enables radiologists to place biopsy needles and drainage catheters anywhere in the body under the guidance of imaging techniques, so that even small tumours can be biopsied accurately prior to surgery,” she explains.

Heading the department of Radio- diagnosis for the last 13 years, Dr Sudha has many achievements to her credit. She has edited five books on Radiology and has published more than 100 research papers on different journals. She has also been on the editorial board of several prestigious radiology journals. She attributes her youthful energy to her zest for work.

Dr Siddhartha Majumdar, Head, Department of Experimental Medicine and Biotechnology, has bagged the prize for working pulmonary surfactant required to facilitate and induce breathing in babies who do not breathe normally at birth. The most suspectible are the premature babies and presently this drug needs to be imported, or rather smuggled to save the babies.

According to Dr Majumdar, the pulmonary surfactant is administered to children whose lungs do not inflate naturally thus putting a question mark on their very survival.

If the lungs do not inflate naturally then the oxygen levels in the blood drop leading to a collapse of the lungs which solidify. Normally the surfactant is produced naturally in the lungs but the process does not occur in certain babies.

Though the lung can be inflated at birth through mechanical means it cannot be revived for long thus involving the use of an artificial surfactant. Traditionally surfactant is procured through the lungs of buffaloes, the professor’s creation is procured through the lungs of sheep.

The one produced by him also helps in saving the quantities of surfactant required to be administered. A small molecule has been added that minimises the destruction of the surfactant. Normally when the drug is administered, around 60 per cent of it is destroyed due to natural process occurring in the lungs. Due to this saving even one dose of the surfactant is enough to treat the baby.

Dr Majumdar also has several achievements to his credit including published research work in various journals.

SPORT

Trials for women hockey begin
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, July 13 — A two-day selection trials for the new centre of excellence in women hockey of the Sports Authority of India began here today with 35 girls, including 12 from Haryana, appeared at Sector 42 hockey stadium.

Dr PC Kashyap, Director, Northern Centre, said that they would like to have the best talent drawn from entire India. He, however, lamented that the Hockey turf was not up to the mark and initially the trainees would face problems while playing. The turf will be replaced in near future as promised by the UT Sports Department and tenders will be floated in few days, but the new turf will not be laid before October, said Dr JPS Sidhu, Joint-Director, Sports, UT.

Dr Kashyap said that they would visit Leh in the first week of August to spot the talent scouting for athletes and archers. He said a national-level award ceremony of SAI coaches would be held just prior to national games at Chandigarh for which final nod has been given by the Union Minister of Sports, Mr S.S. Dhindsa.

The trials were being conducted by various coaches and the experts, including Ms Ajinder Kaur, a former International hockey player, and official of the Indian Women Hockey Federation, Mr DD Singh.

The players were lodged at Sector 42 sports complex .

The girls who appeared for the trials at Chandigarh were Kirandeep Kaur, Bayant Kaur, Amrit Kaur, Suman Bala and Sushma (all from Chandigarh); Kamlesh (HP), Kawalpreet Kaur, Jai Mala, Hardeep Kaur,Tinu Bedi, Harpal Kaur, Iqbal Kaur, Sarbjot Kaur, Manju Bala, Gurinder Pal Kaur and Malkiat Kaur (all from Punjab), Babita, Sushila Sharma, Manju and Anju (all from Delhi). Ruchita Singh and Shradhha Yadav (both from UP); Kuljit Kaur, Parvinder Kaur, Harjeet Kaur, Laxmi Yadav, Usha Rani, Sangeeta Singh, Sunita, Rekha Sharma, Maya Rani, Radha Yadav, Shaifali Mehta, Deepti and Kavita (all from Haryana). Those who attended trials at Patiala were Vishu Lata,Vinita, Promila Jacom, Swati Singh, Sangeeta Chauhan, Sadhna, Poonam,Virinder Kaur, Anu, Sangeeta Kadiyan, Ranjit Kaur, Lakhbir Kaur, Bharti Prashar, Sushma Kharab: stand byes — M. Prema, Kanwaljit Kaur, K. Kaur, Rajni and Archna Dutta.

Basketball meet: The Children of Asia Basketball Meet will be held at Yakutsk (Russia) from August 5 to 11 and the national trials (under 16) will be held on July 18 at New Delhi. Giving this information, Mr K.S. Bharti, secretary of the Chandigarh Basketball Association, said told that the shortlisting of UT players for the same in both boys and girls section would be held on July 15 at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, at 5 p.m. The players appearing for the same should be born on or after January 1, 1984.

Selection trials: As many as 42 girls today appeared for the selection trials for the Sports Training Centre at Badal (Muktsar), which will be held in August at STC, Sector 18, in various sport disciplines, like hockey (23), volleyball (6), athletics (11) and basketball (2).

Earlier, the trials were held at Badal on June 19 and owing to poor response the repeat exercise was undertaken.

Cricket tourney: The Victor Cricket Club will organise first eight-a-side cash prize tennis ball cricket tournament from July 23. The matches will be played on league-cum-knockout basis. Entries close with Mr Sawtantar Kumar at 2580/1, Sector 38-C, on July 20.

Basketball championship from July 27
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, July 13 — The tournament activities of the Chandigarh Basketball Association for this session will begin with the UT sub-junior basketball championship for boys and girls from July 27 to 29 at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. Later, the UT youth state basketball meet for under 16 will be conducted from September 18 to 20, again at DAVSS school.

Stating this, Mr KS Bharti, secretary of the association, said the coaching camps for the UT sub-junior team for the national sub junior championship, which will be held at Pondicherry from August 27 to September 1, will be organised from August 7 to 22. The camp for the youth under 16 will be held from September 25 till the departure of the team for 16th national youth basketball meet to be held at New Mumbai in October.

The UT Junior State Basketball Championship for under 18 will be held at Sports Complex, Sector 7, from August 21 to 23 and the camp for junior team will be held from August 25 to September 7. The 51st national junior basketball championship (under 18 years) will be held at Sarkaghat (HP) from September 9 to 15. The Senior State basketball meet for men and women will be oganised at Sports Complex, Sector 7 from December 7 to 9.

Squash contest: According to information received by Amitoj Inder Singh, a squash coach in city, Joshna Chinappa of India, secured third place in the Australian Junior Squash championship in the girls under 15 section, which concluded in Perth (Australia) on Wednesday. Joshna outplayed Kylie Bell of Australia to bag the third place. She lost to Kasey Brown of Australia in semi finals after giving tough fight in four games. Later Kasey won the title also by defeating Sally Looi of Malaysia in finals.

ADMINISTRATION

Flood-control steps taken
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, July 13 — The district administration will spend Rs 54 lakh on flood-control measures in the district. This was stated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.K. Monga, here today.

He said various measurers were being taken in view of the Ghagar, Tangri, Kaushala and Sirsa rivers passing through the district. He remarked that though the situation was not very grave since a part of the district was hilly, the problem of soil erosion existed. He said the cumulative experience of the Revenue, Drainage, Agriculture, Health, PWD Public Health and Forest Departments had been taken to bring out brochures for the areas likely to be hit by floods.

Mr Monga informed that 11 schemes for flood control were underway at a cost of Rs 53.69 lakhs in the district. He said villages of Nayanagar, Nagal, Lehrondi, Johluwal, Mandawal, Rajipur, Sampur Suri and villages in the sub-tehsil of Raipur Rani which include Jallaha, Talanwali, Kazampur, Bhud, Narainpur, Kheri, Barwala, Tibba Majra, Parwala, Rookee, Shampur were sensitive in this regard.

In Barwala, the villages identified included Bataur, Sultanpur, Jololi and in Panchkula the sensitive villages include Nada, Khetparali, Chowki and Natwal besides Rajiv colony and Indira Colony.

He stated that as a part of the flood-control exercise, separate control rooms had been established at the block, tehsil and sub-division level. The four control rooms established at the block level would belong to A category while those at the tehsil level in Panchkula and Kalka would form the B category. Those at the sub-division level in Kalka and Panchkula would belong to the C category while that at the district secretariat has been allotted the D category.

The Forest department was also setting up control rooms at Morni which will have the wireless facility, he added.

Rehri market team meets DC
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 13 — A delegation of the Gandhi Rehri Market, Sector 18-C, today met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, and urged him to construct “pucca” booths in the market.

According to a press note, the delegation pleaded that since the sector was to be developed as a model sector by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), the booths should be constructed on a priority basis.

The representation informed that according to the survey conducted by the Estate Office, 104 shopkeepers had deposited an amount of Rs 3,000. The shopkeepers should be handed over the site after constructing the booths up the plinth level, the representation added.