ESI health services not in the pink 
Parmindar Singh

Noida, January 7
The health services provided under the Employees State Insurance Scheme, with the cooperation of the Central and the State Government, are in a bad shape today in Gautambudh Nagar.

With a view to netting more revenue from the scheme, the salary slabs were repeatedly hiked, resulting in more number of employees coming under its ambit, while the standard of infrastructure and facilities remain the same.

About 15 years ago, the limit of the basic salary of the employees to come under the scheme’s preview was Rs 1,600 a month. The employees contributed 6 per cent of their wages to the scheme. In 1990, this limit was increased to Rs 3,000 a month and in 1997, the range of the salary for the eligibility was further raised to Rs 6,500 a month.

Consequently, today about 1.70 lakh employees are card-holders of the scheme, with the total number of people covered being about 9 lakh. And a 100-bedded hospital is all that caters to the needs of this vast number.

As a result, the employees, contributing 6 per cent of their salary to the scheme, are in for a big disappointment, while the ESI scheme earns a revenue of almost Rs 30 crore from Gautambudh Nagar district alone. Other facts that came to light are equally startling.

As a rule, two patients are accommodated on one bed in Sector 24 Noida hospital and on an average, 28 patients are admitted every day to this hospital. But surprisingly, the facility for MRI, CT Scan, or treatment like ECG, heart angiography, etc, is simply not available. The hospital does not boast of any specialised surgeon either.

Of a total of some 90,000 card-holders, a large number await their turn at the OPD of Sector 12 dispensary daily. There are another 67,000 card-holders for the Sector 2 dispensary.

Dr R K Mathur, Dy. Chief Medical Officer of the ESI Hospital, says that about 800-900 patients are treated in the OPD daily. The hospital has 42 doctors and 70 nurses and other paramedical staff.

Till November 2001, about 1.77 lakh patients had taken treatment from the OPD, out of which 7,775 patients were admitted for treatment of various ailments.

Of this, 2,107 were operated upon.

Besides, emergency treatment was provided to 28,602 patients. However, due to lack of a blood bank in the Noida hospital, quite a few patients have to be transferred to Basai Darapur Hospital in New Delhi, says Dr Mathur.

A proposal for the setting up of a blood bank has already been submitted and the approval for 50 beds has been received by the hospital. A computerised PFT machine is being used for the examination of lungs, which graphically shows the state of lungs of both the smokers and the non-smokers.

New ENT surgical techniques
Our Correspondent

Noida, January 7
The increase in pollution, infection and allergy has led to cases of
 sinus infection, nasal and sinus polyps, causing nasal blockade, persistent cold and headache. The incidents have becoming quite common these days.

But with the development of endoscopic sinus surgery techniques, a major advancement in the field of ENT, the treatment of sinus infection, nasal and sinus polyps has been revolutionised. 
This was the view of many ENT experts and sinus surgeons, who are attending a seminar at Metro Multispeciality Hospital here .

With the newly introduced techniques of endoscopy, sinuses can be diagnosed early and treated fully and safely, particularly where routine sinus surgery has failed. According to ENT experts, antibiotics and painkillers prescribed, usually give temporary relief and render the person a chronic sinus patient.

A national seminar has been organized under the guidance of renowned ENT surgeon, Dr. V. P. Sood of Metro Hospital at Noida, to create an awareness among patients affected by nasal and sinus disorder. Over 50 ENT surgeons from all over India and abroad received training for the specialized nasal and sinus surgical procedures. 

City Club down New Delhi Heroes in DSA League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Former league champions City Club scored a 2-0 victory against New Delhi Heroes in a Group A preliminary league match of the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Senior Division Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Monday.

In another match, Tarun Sangha held former league champions Indian Air Force, New Delhi to a goalless draw. Before the start of the matches, a two-minute silence was observed to mourn the death of former Delhi player Abdul Saeed, who died on Monday morning after a prolonged illness. He was 60.

He had represented City, Indian Nationals and the Delhi Transport Corporation in the local league and other tournaments.

City club found their scoring boots in the second half, after Sunil Chetri, Sanjeev Sharma and captain Bhupender Sharma made a hash of easy scoring chances in the first half.

Despite New Delhi Heroes putting up a stout defence, City managed to penetrate and score when mid-fielder G Ninja Kabui found the mark in the 64th minute, with a powerful shot from the top of the box, which could not be stopped by rival custodian Shanta Kumar.

Joy Paul scored City’s second goal in the 70th minute to give solidity to their victory. City have secured four points from three matches while Heroes have managed just one point from two games.

Air Force were lucky to share points with Tarun Sangha.

Air Force have gathered eighth points from four matches while Tarun Sangha have collected five points from three matches.

Tarun Sangha put up a spirited performance to get the better of the Airmen, but the former champions somehow managed to ward off the attacks to escape unscathed.

In an evenly-contested match, Sangha forwards Sanatan Murmu and Probir Roy made frequent forays into the Air Force goal area, but defenders Minhas, Sanat Kar and custodian Arbindo Bandhopadhaya foiled their attempts.

The Air Force forwards were also guilty of muffing their goal-scoring chances.

Tuesday’s fixtures: Indian Nationals vs Mughals (2.30 pm)—Ambedkar Stadium

Birsamunda thrive on Sangita Minz’s hattrick
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Sangita Minz scored three goals in a row to star in Birsamunda Vidyapitha's (Rourkela) 4-0 victory against SJPML Model Senior Secondary School, Yamunanagar (Haryana) in the 8th Nehru-NDNC Girls Hockey Tournament at the Shivaji Stadium in the Capital on Monday.

In another match, Government Higher Secondary School, Saitual (Mizoram) beat St. Xavier's Higher Secondary School, Mapusa (Goa) 2-0.

In a Group II match, Birsamunda were helped by a fine hattrick from Sangita Minz, who scored the first three goals in the eighth, 20th and 49th minutes. Asimabilchan Kispotta scored the fourth goal in the 54th minute, to complete the rout of the Haryana school.

In a Group I match, the Mizoram school also relied on the scoring prowess of one player, Lalthantluang, to get the better of the Goa team as she scored both the goals in the 29th minute of first half, and 47th minute of second half. Birsamunda Vidyapitha put the initial pressure on SJPML Modern Senior Secondary School, and especially from Sangita Minz.

Tuesday's fixtures: Birsamunda Vidyapitha, Rourkela vs Govt. Girls Senior Secondary School, Dharamjaigarh (1. 30 pm); SGNP Girls Senior Secondary School, Shahbad Markanda (Haryana) vs G V Raja Sports School, Thiruvanathapuram (3 pm)– Shivaji Stadium.

DDCA calls 21 players for Ranji Trophy camp
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) has named 21 players for a coaching camp in preparation of the Delhi team for the Ranji Trophy knock out round.

Vijay Dahiya has already been named the captain of the team while Rahul Sanghvi will be the vice-captain.

The other probables for the camp, announced by DDCA sports secretary Sunil Dev in the Capital on Monday, are: Akash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Mithun Minhas, Pardeep Chawla, Sarandeep Singh, Amit Bhandari, Ashish Nehra, Arun Singh, Sohail Rauf, Harender Chaudhary, Vivek Khurana, N S Negi, Virender Sehwag, Raja Sharma, Radhey Shyam Gupta, T Anand, Sonu Vaid, Siddharth Verma and Varun Kumar. Surender Khanna will be the coach and Rajeev Vinayak the manager.

Mr Sunil Dev said the probables should report to the manager and coach at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground on January 9 at 9.30 am. 

Venkat Sundaram Cricket Academy opens
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Yet another cricket academy took birth in Delhi when former North Zone and Delhi batsman Venkat Sundaram established a cricket academy at Greenfields School, Dilshad Gardens. Former India player Surinder Khanna inaugurated the academy.

Venkat Sundaram has captained both Delhi and North Zone cricket teams. He has also coached the Railways, Uttar Pradesh and Central Zone teams.

East Delhi now boasts of a number of cricket academies, which includes the Dronacharya Academy, run by former Indian spinner Maninder Singh and coach Gurcharan Singh, and former Delhi player Sumit Dogra, at the Yamuna Sports Complex of the Delhi Development Authority.

Shooters exhorted to create records
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Lt General Shekatkar, Commandant of Infantry School, Mhow, exhorted shooters to achieve excellence in their chosen sport, and create new records at the 45th National Shooting Championships, which began on Monday.

He said this while inaugurating the National Shooting Championships. Around 500 competitors representing 30 teams are taking part in the shooting meet, comprising 25 events, with 624 medals at stake. The last National Shooting Championship was held at Phillaur in Punjab.

Border Security Force is organising the National Shooting Championships at Indore. Organising secretary M Ziaullah said the BSF has been given the responsibility of organising the event by the National Rifle Association of India.

Lt General Shekatkar said BSF has distinguished itself in the field of sports, besides fighting terrorism and patrolling the borders. He complimented Mr Ziaullah and his dedicated band of officials for making excellent arrangements for the National Championships.

All the shooting galleries and short ranges have the latest electronic gadgets and long ranges have also been modernised. The ranges also have an air-conditioned gallery, one of the best in India.

Asian-Oceanian Korfball in Delhi from February 13
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
The fifth Asian-Oceanian Korfball Championship will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi from February 13 to 16.

Korfball Federation of India (KFI) President M C Gupta said in the Capital on Monday that five countries – Australia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and hosts India – will take part in the championship.

India had hosted the first Asian-Oceanian Korfball Championship in Delhi in 1991, and the fifth World Korfball Championship in Delhi in November 1995. Twelve countries had participated in the World Championship.

Mr Gupta said that the KFI was sparing no effort in the preparation of the Indian team for the Asian-Oceanian meet. He said two coaching camps have already been completed and the final camp will be held in Delhi in the first week of February.

Korfball is a unique game, as it is the only game in the world in which men and women play together in one team. Each team comprise eight players -- four male and four female.

Korfball is otherwise akin to basketball as the goals are scored through a basket, though it is governed by different rules. The size of the court is 40 metres X 20 metres.

Korfball has its origin in Netherlands, and is a century old. It was introduced in India 20 years ago, and the game is being played in 25 States. Mr Gupta informed that the KFI has conducted 14 National Championships, and the last Nationals were held in Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, with Haryana emerging as champions.

Korfball has been recognised by the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports, but it has been put in the general category, therefore, obtaining grants for organising the national championships is a difficult task, though Mr Gupta claimed that the national championships in senior, junior and sub-junior categories and the inter-University and inter-school championships are being held regularly.

For organising international competitions, the federation is entitled for a grant or Rs 5 lakh.

Top players for Hero Honda Golf
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Leading players from Asia and India will vie for top honours in the Hero Honda Golf Open-Pune 2002, which begins at the Poona Club course on Tuesday.

The 15th leg of the Hero Honda Golf Tour, the tournament offers Rs 10 lakh in prize money with the winner getting to pocket a whopping Rs 1,62,000. The tournament will begin with a Pro-Am on Tuesday, and the main professional event will be held from January 9 to 12.

The presence of top players like Arjun Singh, Vivek Bhandari, Mukesh Kumar, Uttam Singh Mundy and Vijay Kumar have given the event a cutting edge.

"I am keenly looking forward to the tournament", said Mukesh Kumar, the top-ranked golfer on the Hero Honda Tour.

"The Hero Honda Open has acquired a prestige value on the Tour, and golfers are actually judged by their performances on this tournament. "As the leader of the Order of Merit, I will be satisfied with nothing less than a win", he added.

Vivek Bhandari, winner of the Hero Honda Open-South (Bangalore), sounded equally determined to come up trumphs. "The win at Bangalore was the turning point of my career. I have developed a sentimental attachment to the Open ever since and a win at Poona will certainly be the icing on the cake", said the eighth-ranked golfer.

Hansraj School enter Bro. Ambrose cricket final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, January 7
Fine batting by Kartik Bhatia (48, 6x4) and Kumar (31, 1x6, 3x4) helped Hansraj Model School, Punjabi Bagh beat Mount St. Mary School, Delhi Cantonment, by 106 runs to enter the final of the seventh Bro. Ambrose Memorial Junior Cricket Tournament at the Mont Fort School ground, Ashok Vihar, in the Capital.

Scores: Hansraj Model School: 193/6 in 40 overs (Kartik Bhatia 48, Anuj Jain 27, Kumar 31, Sohan 2/35, Rushil K Bhaskar 2/38).

Mount St. Mary School: 87 all out in 26 overs (Rahul Bhaskar 25, Yashvardhan 22, Neeraj Bansal 3/9, Puneet Anand 2/14).

NCT Western Expressway project work reviewed
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7
The work on the Western Expressway, which would decongest the National Capital Territory of heavy vehicles, was reviewed at a high-level meeting here today.

The meeting presided over by the Lt-Governor, Mr Vijai Kapoor, was attended by among others, Delhi Urban Development Minister, Dr A. K. Walia, senior officials of Delhi and Haryana Government, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways, Delhi Metro Railway Board, National Capital Region Planning Board.

The expressway is proposed as a 95 km-long peripheral highway of which 74 km passes through Delhi’s territory. The expressway would serve as another major artery for the movement of traffic and would decongest the NCT of heavy vehicles destined to other states. It would also boost developmental activities on both sides of Delhi and Haryana.

The project is to be taken up as National Highway Development Project.

Mr Kapoor also visited the flyovers at Nodia Mor, Vikas Marg, Wazirabad Road and Trans-Yamuna area and reviewed their progress. They are being constructed by DDA at a cost of Rs 33 crore.

While the Noida Mor flyover has been targeted for commissioning in July 2002, the Vikas Marg flyover is expected to be commissioned in March and Wazirabad Road flyover by April this year.

The 627 mt-long flyover at Noida Mor will enable uninterrupted traffic flow from Noida side. The 680 mt long flyover at Vikas Marg will take traffic from Shahdara to Ghaziabad and the traffic from Vikas Marg will pass under the flyover.

The 740 mt-long flyover at Wazirabad Road will provide relief to nearby colonies in addition to traffic coming and going to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The DDA is constructing seven flyovers in different parts of the Capital. One flyover at Sarita Vihar has been commissioned and eight more are being constructed by the authority.

Rebate for autos with foolproof meters
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 7
As an incentive to Three-wheeler Scooter Rickshaw (TSR) drivers, the Delhi Finance Corporation (DFC) has decided to offer a 0.25 per cent interest rebate on the loan secured by them from the Corporation in return for installing tamper-proof electronic meters on their vehicles.

The sop was given in Monday’s meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. According to official sources, about 7,000 autorickshaw operators, who had secured varying loans from the DFC, would stand to benefit.

The decision forms a part of the “action plan” the government would present before the courts after the February 1 deadline expires for getting tamper proof electronic meters installed on TSRs.

Some 70,000 TSRs are estimated to be plying in the Capital and, as per the court’s direction, all of them have to have electronic meters in order to protect the commuters from inflated tariffs.

It remains unsaid though that such measures “taken in the larger interest of the commuting public,” as an official chose to put it, would also come handy while preparing the affidavit to be presented by the government when the matter comes up for hearing next month. The Weights and Measures Department has been instructed to calibrate electronic meters and certify them after contracting a private manufacturer for the purpose.

The Cabinet also took up for discussion the Clean Yamuna campaign, the second phase of which is slated to begin soon. And in that regard, the Cabinet is learnt to have approved the setting up of an eight-foot-high wire mesh on either side of the ITO Bridge to prevent contaminants and pollutants from reaching the river.

Rs 29.38 cr collected from erring motorists
Tribune New Service

New Delhi, January 7
The Delhi Traffic Police collected a sum of Rs 29.38 crore from the erring motorists challaned in the Capital last year. It is an increase of about Rs 8 crore collected in the 2000.

Special drives were launched last year to create an impact on motorists and strict actions were taken against vehicle drivers, who either parked their vehicles in no-parking zones or those that did not follow other rules.

The Delhi Police Commissioner, Mr Ajai Raj Sharma, said that strict action would be taken against those who did not follow the rules.

Speaking at the annual press conference here, he said traffic police focussed on three major areas – enforcement, engineering and regulation and education. He said efforts of the authorities had resulted in the reduction of accident cases in the Capital.

There were 1,778 fatal accident cases reported last year, which was 200 less than the previous year.

The Police Commissioner informed that the number of motor vehicles in the Capital had increased four folds in the last three decades, which is more than the number of motor vehicles in the three metropolitan cities – Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The increase in the number of vehicles had also led to the increase in the density on the Capital roads.

A number of new steps had been taken last year to facilitate better movement of traffic system, including the introduction of digital reverse counters. This system provides vehicle drivers information about the exact time gap between changes of traffic signals at traffic crossings.

While addressing the mediapersons, the commissioner said that there had been a revolution in the aftermath of the computerisation of the Notice Branch of the traffic police. The violators of traffic rules were now issued notices within 15-17 days as against 4-6 months earlier.

Besides, the traffic police installed two red lights and speed check camera systems at two intersections for checking rash driving. It has also used speed radar guns and interceptors to enforce speed restriction on the Capital roads.