HEALTH

Water-borne diseases on the rise
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 18
Spread of water-borne diseases in the city has reached menacing proportions. Private clinics are receiving a number of patients of jaundice, typhoid, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea, whereas a few have been reported at the local civil hospital.

Dr Manisha, who practices in the Civil Lines area, said that gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, and typhoid cases had gone up in the past few days and that majority of sufferers were children. She said the water-borne diseases were on the rise as this was the breeding time for mosquitoes, flies and insects.

Dr Parampal Singh, another doctor at Model Town, said that in summers’, the number of such cases increased manifold. “Lack of clean drinking water, unhygienic conditions, un covered cut fruits and eatables are the main causes of these diseases. Insanitary conditions in and around an area also lend gravity to the problem”, said the doctor.

Meanwhile, Dr Rajinder Kaur, Civil Surgeon, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune today said that the Health Department was taking all possible preventive measures to control these diseases. She said awareness camps would be organised in the month of June in both urban and rural areas. The camps would be organised at district level, block level and sub-center level with senior secondary officials and multipurpose supervisors as their heads. She said that seven cases of malaria were detected in the district and the patients were given proper treatment and medicines by the department.

The civil surgeon said a control room with phone number 444193 had been set up at the district level to answer various queries regarding the diseases. Meanwhile, the District Health Officer said the drinking water should be properly cleaned, boiled and chlorinated. The eatables should be properly covered. Warm and fresh food should be consumed. Cut fruits and vegetables should be avoided.

ADMINISTRATION

Industry Dept to have WTO wing
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 18
The Punjab Government has decided to set up a WTO wing in the Industry Department for the protection of industry and agriculture, which would keep a watch on dumping of imported goods. These views were expressed by Mr Darbar Singh Guru, Secretary, Industry and Commerce, while presiding over a seminar on ‘Quality and Productivity Improvement to Face WTO’ here on Sunday. The seminar was organised by the Ludhiana Motor Parts Manufacturers Association.

Mr Guru said, “ The state government is fully alert and has taken several steps to face the new changes taking place in the industry. A separate cell for small scale industry has been set up in the Industry Department. Mere opposition to WTO is not sufficient and we should take special steps to improve our production activities, so that low-cost quality products can be manufactured.”

He disclosed that the state government had also granted Rs 25 crore for three Research and Development centres of auto parts, machine tools and bicycle parts in Punjab for modernisation of the industry. He revealed that the state government would pay excess interest over 7 per cent to the existing units for modernisation. A Technology Bank would also be set up in Punjab to compete with the WTO and the industry would get every type of information from it.

Regarding collaboration with foreign countries, he said, the Central Government would set up a Technology of Bureau for International Industrial Partnership (TBII). There would be four such centres, out of which one would be in Punjab.

On this occasion, Mr R.P. S. Kalsi, an expert on the subject, said that to meet and face the WTO challenge, one would have to change his mind-set and attitude. Mr J.S. Kullar, Director, Small Industries Services Institute, Mr Paramjit Singh, Mr R. P. Malik, DGM, SIDBI also expressed their views on technology and the financial policies of their institutions.