HEALTH

Exhibition on healthy living
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 24
An exhibition and a short play on healthy living were organised as a part of health education programme by the Command Hospital at the Manekshaw Auditorium at Chandi Mandir cantonment yesterday.

Inaugurating the exhibition, president, Army Wives Welfare Association, Mrs Deep Surjit Singh, emphasised the need for putting into practice the message of health, hygiene, sanitation and small family norms. She called upon the families living in the cantonment area to keep their homes and surroundings neat and clean, thereby making Chandi Mandir as the best cantonment.

The Commandant of the hospital, Maj-Gen Pratap Dayal, said the general health hints, if followed regularly, would prevent diseases and promote healthy living.

Nursing cadets of the School of Nursing, Command Hospital, presented the playlet, while the health exhibition was put up by the Station Health Organisation. These programmes covered important health issues like environment, sanitation, prevention of communicable diseases, immunisation, family planning, nutrition and malaria control.

SPORTS

Skating title for Mehak
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, June 24
Mehak Paul stole the limelight in road races and rink race II in the 11th City Skating Carnival organised by the Rollerbones at the skating rink, Sector 10, hear today. Mehak won the title in the below nine-year category in the girls’ section.

Other results — road races: girls — under four years’ category: Isha Sachdev 1 and Apurva Mittal; 2; 4 to 6 years’ category: Sumedha 1, Nupur Arora 2 and Manveen Kaur 3; 6 to 9 years’ category: Mehak Paul 1, Jyotika 2 and Nourin 3; 9 to 12 years’ category: Harshita 1, Japneet Kaur 2 and Veenus 3.

Boys: 4 to 6 years’ category: Samrath Sandhu; 1; 6 to 9 years’ category: Karandeep Singh 1, Shivam Thakur 2 and Shubham Narang 3; 9 to 12 years’ category: Gulsagar 1, Manjeet Singh 2 and Mayank Dwivedi 3; Rink race II: girls: under four years’ category: Apurva Mittal 1, Samridhi 2 and Manvi Arora 3; 4 to 6 years’ category: Sumedha 1, Manveen Kaur 2 and Nupur Arora 3; 6 to 9 years’ category: Mehak Paul 1, Nourin 2 and Jyotika 3; 9 to 12 years’ category: Devanshi 1, Harshita 2 and Veenus 3; 12 to 16 years’ category: Kriti Puri 1, Geetika Anand 2 and Chetna Bhatt 3; above 16 years’ category: Pallavi 1, Manisha Dhillon 2 and Neha Dwivedi 3.

Boys: under 4 years’ category: Divanshu Garg 1, Pulkit Grover 2 and Amish 3; 6 to 9 years’ category: Sny Chowdhry 1, Karandeep Singh 2 and Mudit Gupta 3; 9 to 12 years’ category: Gulsagar Jassar 1, Manjeet Singh 2 and Gulrajan Jassar 3; 12 to 16 years’ category: Harkiran Nippy 1, Surender Pal 2 and Mridul 3.

Gymnastics meet

As many as 50 gymnasts took part in the competition and were awarded cash prizes at the DAV College gymnastic coaching centre, Sector 10.

The competition comprised six different tests to compete in vertical jump, sit-ups, push-ups, broad jump and sprints.

Mr Rajinder Sharma, SAI gymnastics coach, helped in conducting the day-long competitions, which witnessed young gymnasts from different centres in the city. Experts in different fields were also invited to witness the gymnasts.

Results: 8 to 10 years’ category: boys: Jagdish Singh (MRA School-Sector 27)1; girls:Yogita (Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10) 1; 10 to 12 years’ category: boys: Dhan Bahadur (GMSSS-10) 1; and girls: Sarita Kumari (GMSSS-11) 1;

Mr RC Jeewan, Principal DAV College, was the chief guest.

Carrom tournament

Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (MARKFED) will hold a carrom tournament for its employees and their children in the events men and junior (under-18) and sub-junior (under-14) for both boys and girls from Monday at its office in Sector 35. The two-day meet will be organised with the assistance of officials of the Chandigarh Carrom Association. Ms Harbans Kaur Bahia, Additional Managing Director (Plants), MARKFED, will inaugurate the meet.

Shuttlers allege unfair selection
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, June 24
Javed T. Halim and Abantika Deka, shuttlers from Assam, were made to languish since June 11 at the Sector 42 sports hostel for no fault of theirs by the officials of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) where a camp in preparation of the Asian Schools Badminton Championship to be held in Malaysia from July 9 was in progress. It may be recalled that Abantika was a member of the Assam team that won the title in the under 17 section at the last National School Games held at Bharuch (Gujarat). Last month, her father enquired from the State Director, Sports and Youth Welfare, Mr Nityananda Barkakoty, whether Abantika’s name was included in the list. He was told that since she was a member of the winning team, her name could not be left out.

But later when she did not find her name in the list sent by the SGFI, she again approached the director. Meanwhile, another shuttler. Javed T. Halim who was a member of the Assam team which secured second place in the under-19 section of the last National School Games, could not find his name in the 12-member boys’ list, so he also approached the director. After talks with senior officials of the SGFI, Mr Barkakoty issued them a letter where by four boys, Brahnima Bora, Javed T. Halim, Parikhit Gogoi, Rajeev Goswami and equal number of girls, Krishna Deka Raja, Rimi Hazarika, Bibari Basumatary and Abantika Deka, were asked to report for the National Schools, coaching camp by June 10. Brahnima Bora and Krishna Deka were selected by the Badminton Association of India for an under-19 tournament in Iran, so they did not report at the camp. Javed and Abantika, students of Class X, reached Chandigarh on June 10.

Their practice at the camp started from June 11. After few days, Mr C.L. Negi, president of the SGFI who was on a visit to the camp, asked them to leave the camp by saying that the Sports Authority of India has refused to accommodate more players. Javed was also the last year under-16 national sub-junior champion at Mandya (Karnataka). While Abantika remained runner-up in singles in the national Mini Badminton Meet at Vijayawada in 1999. This clearly indicates their being among the best players in India.

Interestingly, Mr Satpal, chairman, selection committee, when contacted today at Delhi by this reporter over phone and asked about the biased selection said what to talk of any bungling in selection, he did not have any knowledge of any such camp going on at Chandigarh.

On Friday last, when Mr Negi was contacted and asked about the procedure of selection for this camp, had said that only those players who had secured first three positions in team or individual championships at the last National School Games were considered. But two players who are attending the camp were allegedly ranked fourth in the last National School Games.

The three-day selection trials entered the second day today and both the Assam players were still kept out of the selection trials.

Sources point out adjustment of some favourites of Mr Negi at some of the key posts in the June 27 annual meeting of the SGFI at Delhi as the main reason for the unfair selection.