HEALTH

‘Focus on malaria, TB research’
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, September 12
“The pharmaceutical industry of India can become a potential international player if it focuses its energies on bulk drugs and intermediates,” said Prof M.M. Sharma, a former Director of the UDCT. He was speaking at the first convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) here today.

Prof Sharma said drug delivery system was another area on which Indian pharmaceutical industry should focus. He said the country was weak in medicinal chemistry and industrial microbiology. He said even universities were not providing the industry with the required manpower.

He said multinationals were not interested in promoting research on tuberculosis, malaria and kala azar because the business potential was not much in these areas. “The country has a rich heritage of herbal drugs, but we have not cashed on it. We should focus on research on veterinary drugs,” he said.

Dr R.S. Mashelkar, Director General of the CSIR and Chairman of the Board of Members of the NIPER, said there was a need to produce a new generation of professionals for the pharmaceutical industry. He said, with the intellectual capital available, the country could become a platform for research and development globally.

Earlier, Dr C.L. Kaul, Director of NIPER, said education programmes had been prepared keeping in mind the needs of the industry. Research on malaria, tuberculosis, diabetes and standardisation of herbal drugs was going on in the institute.

Dr R.A. Mashelkar awarded M.Pharma, M.Tech (pharmacy) and MS (pharmacy) degrees to 38 students of the institute.

Meeting to review malaria situation
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
The inter-state border meeting to review malaria situation in the inter-state border areas and to develop an action plan for co-ordinated containment activities was today inaugurated by the DHS (UT), Dr Rameshwar Chander.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr P.K. Phulan, Additional Director, NAMP, Delhi, emphasised the need to sort out border issues for the containment of malaria . The role of the IEC in the control of malaria was also emphasised by the delegates.

The meeting is being organised with the joint efforts of the office of the Assistant Director ( Malaria), UT, and the office of the Senior Regional Director, Regional Office for Health and Family Welfare, and representatives of Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Delhi are participating in the meeting.

Focus areas in the three-day meeting include developing joint action plans for effective malaria control in border areas and drafting modalities for monitoring and evaluation of implementaion of joint action plans.

Power supply affected in PGI
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
Power supply to the PGI was partially affected today in the evening when the hospital witnessed fluctuations for almost two hours.

According to PGI officials, problem continued from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. However, services were completely back to normal and remained so till late night. “Anyway, we have emergency power backup already in place to meet any requirement for emergency services,” they added.

SPORTS

GCG-11 win softball meet
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, September 12
Government College for Girls, Sector 11, scored an impressive win over SDP College for Women, Ludhiana, at 14-13 in the Panjab University Inter-College Softball Championship (women) played here today. The scorers were: winners — Parul, Shikha, Taranjot, Rama, Regzin and Maninder (two each); losers — Ranjit-three, Jyoti, Poonam and Meenakshi — all two each.

In another match, A.S. College for Women, Khanna, outplayed S.D. College for Women, Moga, at 12-1. Sunaina, Amarjit, Gagandeep and Simerjot scored two homes each for the winning team.

Earlier yesterday, in the PU Inter-College Cycling Meet, Kirandeep Kaur of MCM DAV College for Women, was adjudged the best cyclist. She won two gold medals.

Cricket tourney

Chandigarh piled up a huge total of 438 runs in the PCA Katoch Shield Cricket Tournament match played here today between the Chandigarh District Cricket Association and Combined team of Minor districts team. After winning the toss, Chandigarh decided to bat first. Test star Dinesh Mongia hammered 107 runs which included 12 fours and a six. Harminder Kaku also scored a century with 104 runs while Yuvraj Singh hammered 89 runs with 14 boundaries and two sixers.

Brief scores: Chandigarh — Harminder Kaku 104, Yuvraj Singh 89, Dinesh Mongia 107, Amandeep 57 n.o., Bhageshwar Visht 47, Kailash Sawal 3 for 128.

Football meet from Sept 21

The Chandigarh Sub-Juniors Football Championship for Guru Teg Bahadur trophy which was being sponsored by Guru Teg Bahadur School, Sector 15, will be organised from September 21 to 24. Girl players born on or after January 1,1986, will be eligible to take part. Entries close on September 18, said Mr Rakesh Bakshi, Secretary, Chandigarh Football Association.

TT tourney from Sept 21

Rotary Chandigarh Central and New Public school, Sector 18, will jointly organise 2nd Chandigarh Ranking Table-tennis Tournament under the aegis of the Chandigarh Table Tennis Association at TT hall, Sector 23, from September 21 to 23. The events to be held in singles section such as, men, women, junior boys and girls (below-17), sub- junior boys and girls (below-14) and cadet boys and girls ( below-12).

Taekwondo championship

As many as 14 medals were won by taekwondo team led by B.S. Thapa from Haryana Choi Kwang-Do-Martial Arts in the recently held Ist Inter-state Taekwondo Championship organised by the Chandigarh Taekwondo Association. The medals were bagged by Surjit Singh, Rudal Kumar, Gaurav, Gurpreet, Priti, Minisha, Dakshi, Purva, Ramesh, Romi, Kritika, Nitesh. Earlier in July this year, the team had proved its worth in a karate championship held at Shimla.

ADMINISTRATION

Draft list of polling stations revised
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
The State Election Commission today partially revised the draft list of polling stations for the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections after scrutinising the objections filed in this regard. The objections filed by individuals and political parties pertaining to wards No: 19 and 20 were found to be of serious nature and were rectified accordingly.

The Joint Election Commissioner, Mr D.M. Khaneta, said fresh list of polling stations of ward Nos; 19 and 20 have been given to those who had filed the objections. Mr Khaneta who conducted a spot visit of the two wards yesterday, made the changes in consultation with the concerned Returning Officers and found the same to be genuine, However, since there is doubt over one polling station, a decision in this regard will be taken after another visit of the area tomorrow.

Mr Khaneta further pointed out that as per the revised list, there are 25 polling stations in ward No 19 instead of 44 earlier and 39 polling stations in ward No 20 instead of 18 mentioned earlier. The total number of votes in wards No 19 and 20 are 52,314 and 21,737, respectively.

Mr Khaneta said the process of MC election will be completed within 27 days of the issuance of the call upon notice by the Administration. He also said that the contestants of recognised national political parties will have to give the name of two proposers for contesting the elections, while the independents will have to give the names of at least 10 proposers.

Mayor for revival of sector meetings
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12
The Mayor, Ms Harjinder Kaur, has in a letter written to the UT Administrator, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), sought the revival of the sector-level committee meetings to ensure better liaison with the public and proper upkeep of the city.

In the letter, she has pointed out that these meetings, which were attended by senior officers of the Administration and the MCC, besides representatives of various welfare associations, were very effective in ensuring overall development of the sectors.