The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

‘Breakthrough in AIDS cure in few years’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh July 23
‘‘We as scientists have failed to educate the public about the benefits of science,’’ said Dr Inder Verma while talking to mediapersons at the Panjab University’s Biotechnology Department after delivering a lecture on “Genes, Genetics and Gene therapy” here today.

‘‘The more the public understands the benefits of what we are doing, the more likely they are to support us. There is always a protest against things new, but then over the years, people begin to understand their value,’’ he said.

Answering a question whether diseases like AIDS, diabetes and muscular dystrophy could be curable, he replied that in the next five to seven years there was going to be substantial breakthrough in these fields.‘‘I wish I could give you an exact date of when the cures will be found, but they are certainly in the offing,’’ he said.

Talking about how India could contribute to this research, he said India had certain social cultures which were very useful to some of the genetic research being done, specially the tribes in Madhya Pradesh which had lived an almost static life all these years. ‘‘In fact the Department of Biotechnology has been providing a platform for quality genetic research in the country, but the department can only provide the finances, while most of the research has to be done at the level of the investigator and it depends on his will to do something and his innovative capacity.’’

‘‘The only thing is that in India the research done is follow-up research of that done in other countries. But India can also become a leader, as in the case of stem cell research,’’ he added.

Earlier, Dr Inder Verma had lectured on the kind of research he and his team was involved in at Salk University, Santiago USA. Giving examples of how acquired and inherited diseases could be effectively tackled using modified viruses as corrective agents of the diseases, he informed that this research group had harnessed the potential of modified harmless AIDS causing virus (HIV) to treat genetic defects of liver, blood, brain and other vital organs of the body. ‘‘More than 4,000 patients suffering from fatal diseases have been cured with help from gene therapy,’’ he said.

Born in Patiala and educated in Lucknow and Israel, Dr Verma made a strong case for Indian scientists to catch up with the rest of the world and do innovative work rather than remain a follower.

Dr Inder Verma is among the world’s top five scientists working in the field of curing genetic disorders by gene therapy. He and his associates have constructed various vectors for the introduction of therapeutic genes in humans. He is also on the advisory panel of various research bodies in the USA and India and has published over a hundred articles in the field of genetics.

Prof Ashok Sahni presided over the lecture, which was well attended by students and faculty members of CSIO, IMTECH, PGI and PU.

Yoga expert to visit China
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23
Dr Chhida Giri, a well-known Physical Educationist and Yoga expert of Northern India, has been invited for “International Congress for Psychotherapy” at Kunming in China from August 20 to 24 on the theme of “Psychotherapy-Dialogues between East and West”.

Dr Giri, elected Vice-President of the World Council of Psychotherapy at Viena, Austria (Europe) in 1998, during the 2nd International Conference of Psychotherapy, will deliver four lectures, dealing with clinical applications of techniques of Yoga for Psychotherapautic purposes along with suitable demonstrations. He will be assisted for demonstrations by Dr Ganesh Shanker, Head Department of Yogic studies, Sagar University, Sagar.

Yoga training camp
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23
Yoga has its own way of strengthening the weak parts of the body. Unlike strenuous exercises, yoga provides a pleasurable feeling during and after the practice. The joints of the body which become inefficient due to constant disuse could be rehabilitated by different stretching exercises of yoga.

Stating this at the Yoga Divya Mandir here on the third day of the yoga training and treatment camp organised by the Chandigarh Yog Sabha, Yogacharya A.P. Srihan explained to the participants that the practice of yoga postures improves of blood flow and other physiological adjustments. Mr Sarwan Kumar, secretary of the sabha , said 273 patients suffering from various health problems participated in the camp. He said the sabha had made all arrangements to provide free facilities of yoga training and treatment to the participants.

SPORTS

Sports Dept in need of full-time Director
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, July 23
Sport in the city is being accorded a less meaningful status as no full time director has been appointed to handle the large scale sports activities going on in the city. Though the Chandigarh Sports Department has post of a Director but its charge rests with the Deputy Commissioner, UT, who has more than 15 departments’ load on his shoulders. On some occasions, Joint Secretary, Finance UT, had also enjoyed the powers of Director, Sports, but ultimately the Deputy Commissioner was made ultimate in charge of the same.

At present Mr M. Ramsekhar, a sports lover and a tennis player, is the Director Sports. Surprisingly, Joint Director, Sports, UT, used to take care of every kind of hierarchical control. Sources told that last year during one of the routine meetings of the UT Administration, it was decided to decrease the load on sports department officials and instead another post of Additional Director, Sports, was created and a PCS officer, Mr P.S. Gill, was asked to take over the responsibility in addition to his other regular duties. When Mr Gill was repatriated another PCS officer, Wg Cmdr Sunil Bhatia, holding the post of Administrative Officer of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, was appointed Additional Director, Sports.

Now for the past almost more than 50 days, Joint Director, Sports, Mr JPS Sidhu, is on an national assignment as sports psychologist with Indian Hockey Federation and was still in Edinburgh where pre-world cup qualifying rounds are going on. Further, it is not certain when Mr Sidhu’s services will be made available to the UT once again. In case India qualifies for the World Cup, then he might be called by IHF again. Though there were other international tournaments like Afro Asian Games, at Delhi, where Indian hockey team will participate. In his absence, though Mr Bhatia comes to Sector 42 Sports Complex as and when required to clear the pending files, but he too cannot be there full time.

The District Sports Officer is thus left as the only sports official and he too remains busy in meetings and other office jobs spending less time on future planning or other regular sports activities.

The department has now a fleet of 49 coaches both of UT Sports Department and those on deputation from the Sports Authority of India. The discipline wise distribution of coaches is: athletics (4), badminton ( 3), basketball (3), boxing (3), cricket (3), cycling (1), football (2), gymnastics (4), handball (4), hockey (3), judo (2), kabaddi (1), kho-kho (2), lawn tennis (3), rifle-shooting (1), skating (1), squash (1), swimming (3), table-tennis (1), volleyball (2), weightlifting (1), wrestling (1). There were three managers with one each posted at Sector 46 Sports Complex, Sector 7 Sports Complex and Sector 42 Sports Complex.

Over the years Chandigarh has become a nodal centre of this region comprising Punjab, Haryana, HP and best of the players study and play from here. Then are feeder centres of SAI whose trainees also represent Chandigarh. There is a Department of Youth Affairs and sports which has one in charge to look after various youth-related schemes prevalent in rural schools.

Though the department has got lion’s share in the annual plan of 2001-2002, Rs 15 lakh have been entrusted to the Chandigarh Football Academy whose overall control from this year has been shifted from Chandigarh Sports Council to Chandigarh Sports Department. The fate of other sports is uncertain as is evident from the deteriorating condition of the centres like Sector 7 indoor hall and badminton hall in Sector 42, whose wooden surfaces are in a pathetic state. In above circumstances, it is imperative that UT Administration should think of having a full fledged Director Sports.

YPS in finals of badminton meet
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, July 23
Yadavindra Public School, SAS Nagar, made it to the finals in both boys and girls sections in the Ist ICSE Schools (Chandigarh region) Badminton Meet being played here at indoor hall of YPS, SAS Nagar. YPS will meet St Kabir High School, Sector 26, in the boys section while in the girls section, it will take on Little Flower School, Sector 14 Panchkula.

The two-day meet was inaugurated by the principal Dr H.S. Dhillon. Wg Cmdr Satish Bhatia, a former international badminton player, was also present on the occasion.

Results: semifinal: boys: St Kabir-26 b St Stephen’s-45, 2-1, (Gautam b Salil, 15-8, 15-2; Daman lost to Puneet, 5-15,3-15; Salil and Prateek b Sidhharth and Divya1, 5-5,15-7.

YPS, SAS Nagar, b Little flower, 2-0; and St Stephen’s-45 b DAV School, Dera Bassi, 2-0.

Girls; semifinal: Little Flower b St Kabir-26, 2-0 (Kannu b Sukriti 11-0, 11-1; Pallavi b Prerna 11-0,11-3); YPS b Col VR Mohan DAV School, Dera Bassi, 2-0, (Manpreet b Mandeep, 11-1, 11-0; Opender b Sonica Sharma, 11-5,11-1).

ADMINISTRATION

Work on replacing water meters on
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23
The public health wing of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh has started the work of replacing defective water meters in the city on a war footing. The new water meters of all sizes are now being installed by the MC in accordance with the revised notification following the Punjab and High Court directions.

Giving details, Superintending Engineer ( Public Health), Mr Swaran Singh Kanwal, said 15,000 new meters had been purchased in the first lot. While at present nearly 50 defective meters were being replaced by the employees of the SDO offices in Sectors 32, 37 and 18 every day, they intended to replace 250 meters daily in the next few days. The target was to replace all defective water meters after getting them duly tested at these centres by mid-November.

As per the plan chalked out, nearly 4,000 meters would be replace in July; 9,000 in August; 7,800 in September; 7,540 in October and 2,340 meters in November. The SDO concerned disclosed that of the total 54, 227 defective water meters in the city, 15,108 were replaced till March 31, the deadline set earlier by the civic body for replacement of water meters. As many as 29,609 meters had been replaced by June-end. The remaining were yet to be changed so that the consumers were charged in accordance with actual billing and not average billing.

The cost of the water meters would be charged from the consumer in water bills. As per the revised notification, the security charges had been enhanced from Rs 350 per connection to Rs 500 per connection. The same was refundable only at the time of disconnection of water connection.

123 encroachers challaned
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 23
Enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, today issued as many as 123 challans to rehri, phari vendors and other shopkeepers for encroaching upon public corridors and MC land in few northern and southern sectors, besides Mani Majra.

As part of the MC drive, nearly 50 challans were issued in the northern sectors of 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 18 and 19, about 43 challans were issued in Sectors 36, 39, 20, 21, 22, 30 and in Mani Majra.

Meanwhile, the enforcement wing of the UT Estate Office impounded 15 rickshaws for plying without licences and removed 62 banners from various parts of the city.