HEALTH

Burning of bio-medical waste
IMA seeks week’s time
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Nov 9 — With the Health Department having fixed Rs 200 as charges for every kg of bio-medical waste burnt in incinerator, the Indian Medical Association has sought a week’s time to submit its report. The decision was taken at a meeting held here today.

The IMA will also be required to form a registered society whose members will be allowed to use the incinerator at the cost. A move to lease out the incinerator to a private contractor is also under consideration, provided the IMA is interested in using it.

“Under such circumstances, we will be allowed to use it free of cost while the cost of maintaining the same will be with the IMA,” Dr H.C. Nagpal, Civil Surgeon, said.

Having evaluated the cost after running the incinerator for 12 days depending on the electricity used and the cost of transportation and segregation of medical waste, officials of the Health Department informed that a separate fund of Rs 40,000 had been sought for keeping the incinerator functional.

“The deadline for the same has been fixed for December 31 this year in case of all 250-bed hospitals. With a discharge of 1000 kg of bio-medical waste generated in a week in the entire district and a capacity of burning 20 kg of waste in one hour, the facility is only available to small hospitals only. The big ones will have to have incinerators of their own. They have no option,” Dr Nagpal added.

An official of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said that the site of the present incinerator was not suitable and that HUDA had been asked to look for an alternative site.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the deadline for the 500-bed hospitals in the state was July 31, that of 250 bed hospitals is December 31, while the time limit to have incinerators in 125-bed hospitals had not been fixed.

The issue of transportation of bio-medical waste from all over the district, its segregation and other related issues are yet to be sorted out.

The meeting was attended by the Environment Society, HSPCB, officials of the Heath Department and the administration.

Prof invited for cancer research
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — A Panjab University professor has been invited to the USA under a fellowship for cancer research.

The one and a half month-long fellowship has been granted to Prof R.C. Sobti of the Department of Biotechnology by the International Union Against Cancer, USA. The fellowship is supported by a group of cancer institutes, societies and foundations.

Professor Sobti said the main area under study in the project was molecular biology, particularly in prostate and breast cancers. He said there was also an effort towards identifying population groups more prone to the disease. The research area was aiming at identification of fundamentals of the disease appearance. Stone crushers at Panchkula were identified as one among several possible agent carrier sites for the disease, he added.

Professor Sobti has also to his distinction the Young Scientist’s Medal (1977); Science Award of the Kothari Scientific and Research Commission; Young Scientist Exchange Award between India and UK; INSA-Japan Society Exchange Award, besides many fellowships.

SPORT

Kho-kho tourney results
By Our Sports Reporter

Basketball championship

DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, bagged the Panjab University Inter college basketball ‘A’ division (men) championship, while Government College, Ludhiana, Panjab University campus and GGD SD College, Sector 32 secured the second, third and fourth positions, respectively.

In the PU Inter college Zonal Volleyball (women) tournament, MCM DAV College for women, Chandigarh beat Government College for Girls, Sector 11 at 3-0. In PU Inter college zonal hockey (men) tournament, GGD SD College, Chandigarh, beat Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh at 5-0.

Ranjeeta Rana

Ranjeeta Rana of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, and Amrish Kumar of DAV College, Sector 10, were respectively chosen to lead the UT Under 21 years boys and girls team in the fifth All-India Nachattar Singh Gill Basketball tournament going to be held at Kotkapura (Punjab) from November 15 to 1 9. According to Mr KS Bharti, Secretary of the Chandigarh Basketball Association, the team is: Boys—Amrish Kumar, Jaspreet Singh, Ankur Sharma, Parambir Singh, Narinder Kumar, Neeraj Hooda, Harjot Singh, Sukhbir Singh, Gauravjit Gill and Arun Rana. Standbyes: Amit Kumar and Gurmukh Singh. Girls-Ranjeeta Rana, Sunit Chandel, Harpreet Kaur, Anchal, Hem Lata, Kavita, Pushpa, Sapna, Babita, Ravneet. Amarjit Singh and Ms Paramjit Kaur will accompany the team as coaches.

Hockey trials

The Chandigarh Hockey Association will hold trials for the selection of probables for the camp to be organised by the association in preparation for the participation of the UT Senior hockey team for the 60th Senior National hockey championship to be held at Jammu from November 28. The trials will be held on November 11 at 2.30 pm.

According to the revised format issued by the Indian Hockey Federation, the championship has been split into two parts, for which eight pools have been drawn. The preliminary pool matches will be held at seven different centres spread across the country.

Golf is a passion for them
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — The generation gap ceased to exist at the Chandigarh Golf Club. The occasion was the ongoing 8th Punjab Open Amateur Ladies Golf Tournament where 45 participants from various parts of the country vied for top honours. The young and old all at a common platform of the golf course. Youngest in fray was Vaishavi Sinha of Noida, in the presence of 67-year old Ratna Bagai who came all the way from Mumbai to participate in the tournament. They all had come with the sole aim of playing golf and golf only.

While making rounds of the course, three young girls were spotted, Vaishavi aged nine, Kanika Minocha (12) and Divya Kapur (12). Then we met Ms Ratna Bagai (67), Ms Saroj Jyoti 65) and Ms Deepinder Kaur Mahtab (64).

Vaishavi, a class V student of DPS, Noida, was inspired to golf by her father and her aim was to become a professional golfer. She said though this was her first tournament outside her home city, but she would now try to take part in maximum number of tournaments in the domestic circuit. Then there was 12-year-old Divya Kapur of Delhi. A class six student of Sanskriti School, Chanakyapuri, Delhi, she said that in another one year, she would improve her play and will be a force to reckon with. Divya siad that she took to golf at the initiative of her grandfather and said that at Chandigarh meet, Irina was her favourite.

Another young girl, 12-year-old Kanika Minocha, a student of Carmel Convent School, Sector 9, follows her mother Dimple, another prominent lady golfer, to learn the basic tactics of the game. At present she was taking coaching lessons in golf from Jassy Grewal and devotes three hours in the afternoon for practice.

Meet the old grannie, Ms Ratna, the 67-year-old Mumbaite told that she was into golf since 1955. Though her husband was no more, yet she was in active association with the sport which helps her to keep fit. Ratna is also regular to Yoga and instructs schoolchildren at her place. She said that her advice to youngsters was to seriously take up some sport and try to accomplish the dream heights.

Then there was 65-year-old Saroj Jyoti of Chandigarh who said that she took to golf only six years ago. She said that it was Mr IS Bindra’s wife, Ms Kamal Bindra, who motivated her to take to golf. She said that she was keeping fit after taking to this sport.

Another lady with strong will power was Deepinder Kaur Mahtab who is the wife of famous princely state ruler, Maharaja of Burdwan (West Bengal). She said that she took to golf in 1968. She said the game was good for the youngsters as they could become a top shot in their later days. She said that she was in favour of forming a grandmothers’ club to motivate younger girls to come forward and play golf to their optimum level.

ADMINISTRATION

Inquiry finds Inspector innocent
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — In the infamous stag killing case, the inquiry officer has reportedly held Inspector, Operation Cell, Mr Om Parkash, to be innocent.

According to sources in the Police Department, the inquiry officer has held that no evidence to connect the Inspector with the alleged offence could be found.

Inspector Om Parkash was placed under suspension by the Inspector-General of Police after the media had highlighted the case. A controversy had enshrouded the case from the very beginning. It was alleged by certain officials that the stag was killed in the Morni hills, others had insisted that the animal was shot down in the Kansal forests.

The inquiry into the allegations was marked to the Superintendent of Police, Mr Baldev Singh. He was asked to submit a detailed report into the incident after carefully examining evidence. Sources add that the report was submitted yesterday to the IGP, Mr B.S. Bassi, after recording the statement of certain witnesses.

Encroachments removed
From Our Correspondent

ZIRAKPUR, Nov 9 — Tempers of local shopkeepers ran high over the removal of encroachments by the enforcement staff of the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat here this evening.

Shopkeepers of the market gathered on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway as a team of the Enforcement Wing started removing their establishments set up on the encroached land on the road at about 4.45 p.m. The irate shopkeepers also had a tiff with the enforcement staff. Three of them reportedly sustained minor injuries.

According to them, the Nagar Panchayat authorities started removing the establishments without prior notices. ‘‘About 30 employees armed with batons and shovels came in tractor-trailers and started removing rehris. They dumped the rehris along with goods in the tractor-trailers,’’ said Mr Manoj Kumar, a shopkeeper.

Shopkeepers alleged that the inspector heading the team demanded money from meat shop owners and other shopkeepers.

To express resentment the Shopkeepers Welfare Association Zirakpur has decided to observe a bandh tomorrow. Mr A.L. Bansal, Executive Officer, expressed his ignorance about the incident and said that the shopkeepers had been informed many times about the drive.

Cops’ training with live ammunition may be banned
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — For avoiding cases of death by accidental firing, the Chandigarh Police is planning to impose a ban on training officials with live ammunition.

According to Chandigarh’s Inspector General of Police, Mr B.S. Bassi, live ammunition will be used only at the firing ranges. Blanks, he added, would be used during the training sessions.

The department, the IGP revealed, was also writing to the Chandigarh Administration for the grant Rs 50,000 as ex-gratia payment to the family of home guard volunteer Ram Rattan, killed after a bullet, fired accidentally by a woman volunteer during a training session, pierced through his head.

Regarding departmental action against officials found responsible for causing the volunteer’s death, the IGP said they would proceed against the guilty after receiving report from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory.

The incident, it may be recalled, had occurred at about 8.15 a.m. in Sector 26 Police Station. He, along with 11 other volunteers of Platoon No. 5, including three women, were being trained at the Police Lines under the supervision of Head Constable Ram Dhan.

Soon after the volunteer’s death, the police had asked the Deputy Superintendents of Police and Reserve Inspectors, responsible for training activities, to ensure carrying of unloaded weapons by security guards on duty. The orders, issued by the Senior Superintendent of Chandigarh Police, Mr Parag Jain, were applicable to all the forces posted in the city.