Quacks pulling a fast one on hapless patients
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, February 3
Quacks are ruling the roost in the city and other parts of the district, exploiting gullible patients looking for a cure for various diseases.

According to informed sources, the quacks, posing as “sex experts”, have put up impressive hoardings at the bus stand and the railway station. They work from makeshift clinics in hotels in the area. Their visits are regularly announced in vernacular papers and handbills inserted in the newspaper supply.

The quacks, who charge an exorbitant fee, profess to cure impotence, AIDS, cancer and even infertility. Most of the quacks claim that the medicines prepared by them are based on secret formulae, unknown to doctors following the allopathic, homoeopathic, Unani or Ayurvedic systems.

Some opium addicts said that a quack operating from a hotel near the bus stand charged them Rs 10,000 for de-addiction treatment lasting a month. They were told that they would be cured within that period. However, the opium addicts found that the black pills they were asked by the quack to take thrice a day contained opium.

When this correspondent visited the clinic of the quack, he denied that his medicine contained opium but refused to give a sample of the medicines.

Similarly, some persons who were seeking a cure for impotence also fell into the trap of the quacks. The patients were charged Rs 5,000 for a week’s treatment.. When they did not show any improvement, they naturally demanded their money back, but the quacks refused to return it. A series of scuffle between the quacks and the patients were reported and the money was finally returned in some cases.

According to informed sources, more than 100 quacks are thriving in the area in connivance with the government health officials. Only a high-level inquiry may expose the racket going on in the district for the last many years.

L-G moots health insurance for poor
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3
Health insurance to poor by entering into a partnership with the private sector should be considered by Delhi Government said the Lt Governor Vijai Kapoor here today.

“Roping in the insurance sector in the healthcare segment will not only offload financial burden but also enable the government to utilise finances on developing healthcare infrastructure,” he said, while inaugurating a conference of the Delhi Neurological Association of the GB Pant Hospital.

He said the Delhi Government should also explore health insurance schemes for the poor who do not get proper medical facilities.

“It is very difficult to monitor the commitment of private hospitals to the poor patients,” Mr Kapoor said, adding that the state should envisage desirable healthcare projects to provide medical facilities to the poor.

Delhi Health Minister A. K. Walia declared that two more referral hospitals would be set up in the Capital. An emergency section will also be opened in the GB Pant Hospital, he added.

Free eye camp held
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3
A free eye care camp, including testing and cataract operations, was organized by Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission in collaboration with Shroff’s Hospital, Daryaganj. This was held at the inauguration of the `11th International Conference on Human Integration’, held in memory of Sant Kirpal Singh ji Maharaj, at Kirpal Bagh, near Nanak Piao on Feb 3.

Sant Rajinder Singh ji Maharaj, Chairman, Science of Spirituality and Head, Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission congratulated the people and doctors who put in their time to organize the camp for this very valuable service. He said that of the five senses that humans use to live in this world, the sense of sight plays the most predominant role. We conduct about 83 per cent of our life in the world through eyesight.

Offering patients the treatment, so that it helps them to see better with their Eyes, would make their lives much better and happier. About 400 persons were tested for their vision. 

City Club sink Navy in Durand Cup Tournament
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 3
City Club kept alive the hopes of Delhi when they drowned Indian Navy with a comprehensive 3-0 victory in a pre-quarter-final match of the Durand Cup Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Sunday.

In another match, which was an all-Delhi affair, Tarun Sangha spoilt the chances of defending Delhi Soccer Association Senior Division League champions Indian Nationals when they held them to a 1-1 draw.

Nationals will have to score a huge victory against Army XI on Monday to brighten their prospects. Striker Suklal Murmu put Tarun Sangha ahead in the 87th minute while Cassius Owino pulled back the equaliser for Nationals in the 90th minute.

City Club’s 3-0 victory against Navy XI was a revelation, as the young boys of City, sponsored by the famed Karim Hotel, played without any inhibition to create innumerable scoring opportunities, and converting three of them, to emerge convincing winners. Sunil Chetri, Afroz Ahmed and Shyam Kumar were the marksmen for City Club.

City Club started on a whirlwind note when speedy striker Sunil Chetri, who was part of the Indian School Boys team, ripped through the Navy defence to have a go at the goal in the very first minute. He was unlucky to miss the mark when his searing header was punched away by Navy custodian Anil Kumar, who sprang up on his feet, to deny the Delhi team a sure goal.

A few minutes later, Sunil Chetri charged into the box with a through pass from Afroz Ahmed, but this time too, Sunil Kumar read his movements well in time to block the ball.

But Sunil Chetri was lucky the third time when he latched on to a through pass from medio Irfan Khan, ran ahead, dodged defender P Sumesh, and then drew out custodian Kumar before neatly placing the ball in (1-0).

That was in the 22nd minute, and a few minutes later, Afroz Ahmed could have cemented the lead when he tried to tap the ball in off a move initiated by Mohd. Mobeen from the rear, but the ball missed the mark by inches.

Though City came by so many scoring chances, they had to be content with a 1-0 lead at half time, and their second goal came only after warding off a couple of menacing raids by the Navy forwards. City custodian Vijay Gupta brought off a remarkable save when he baulked K Chandra’s curving kick off a corner.

City’s second goal came in the 32nd minute following a flag kick, when Aftab Ashraf’s floater was headed towards the goal by Virender Bakuni, which rebounded off the custodian, and Afroz Ahmed shot in the rebound. Two minutes later, Aftab Ashraf’s shot was punched forward by goalie Anil Kumar, but substitute striker Shyam Kumar, lurking inside the box, pounced on the ball, and blasted it into an empty goal (3-0), with the custodian out of position.

In the first match, the fancied Indian Nationals were stunned into disbelief when Suklal Murmu caught rival custodian Biswa Nath Deb laden-footed when he diverted a cross from the right by captain Gopal Santra into the net (1-0).

Thereafter, it was a desperate fight for survival by Nationals who eventually managed to score the equaliser when Gurjinder Singh’s dipping pass over the heads of the rival players was trapped by foreign recruit Cassium Owino, who dribbled into the box, and shot into the net (1-1).

Nationals will have to beat Army XI by a big margin to qualify for the quarter-final line up while City require only a simply victory against Border Security Force (BSF) to stay put in the tournament.

Monday’s fixtures: Indian Nationals vs Army XI (1 p m); City Club vs BSF (3pm)–Ambedkar Stadium.

Indian Oil roll into hockey semi-finals
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 3
Indian Oil edged past Delhi XI 4-3 to sail into the semi-final of the fourth Chhatrapati Shivaji All-India Hockey Tournament for the Dhyan Chand Cup at the Shivaji Stadium in the Capital on Sunday.

Delhi XI, who opened the account first when Navabeer Singh converted a penalty stroke in the 20th minute, could not protect their lead as Indian Oil fought back to eqaulise through Satish in the 30th minute (1-1). Two minutes before half time, Sunil converted Indian Oil’s second penalty corner to give them the lead (2-1).

Eight minutes into the second half, Indian Oil consolidated their lead when Rakhwinder Singh struck a fine field goal (3-1).

The comfortable lead seemed to put the Oilmen in some sort of complacency, and Delhi XI seized the opportunity to stage a remarkable rally, to reduce the margin through Amardeep Singh in the 45th minute, and then scored the equaliser through Navbeer Singh, who converted Delhi’s second penalty stroke, in the 57th minute (3-3).

But Indian Oil made a timely fightback to earn yet another penalty corner, which was hit into the goal by T Khandekar.

Indian Oil take on Border Security Force in the first semi-final while Punjab and Sind Bank clash against Northern Railway at the Shivaji Stadium on Monday.

The title winners will be given a cash prize of Rs 21000 along with the “K P S Gill Trophy for hit the target”. The best player of the tournament will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 5000.

The Dhyan Chand Cup will be followed by the Champions Challenge College Hockey Tournament to be organised by Nehru Society.

Indian boxers steal limelight in YMCA meet
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 3
Twelve Indian boxers put themselves in line for medals when they scored convincing victories in the semi-final bouts of the seventh New Delhi YMCA Junior International Boxing Championship at the New Delhi YMCA ring, Jai Singh Road.

Vikram Dhuli of India recorded the quickest victory when he knocked out Yannik David Medor in the very first round. With a flurry of left-right punches, he had Yannik David on the mat, and the latter could not recover from the blows.

Khimanand Belwal of India Y charged at Chien Hua Huang of Chinese Taipei with such vicious punches from the word go that the Referee Stopped the Contest in the second round, in the light fly weight. In another light fly clash, Arun

Singh of India G scored an overwhelming 26:6 points verdict against Shokbhat Nurmuhamedov of Turkmenistan.

In the fly weight, Robindev of India Y outpointed Aziz Uluguv of Uzbekistan in a close fight (17:15). V Durga Rao of India G got the better of Jean Micheal Evarisie in another fly weight bout. Bijender Singh of India G did not have to exert much pressure at his opponent in the bantam weight bout, as Nzam Abdulaev of Turkmenistan retired from the contest in the first round.

In another bantam weight bout, Dwakar Prasad of India Y scored a second round RSC against Dushan Kahatapitiya of Sri Lanka.

M Ahteshamuddin of India G scored a close points verdict against Arsalan Shadurdev of Turkmenistan while Jai Bhagwan Singh of India Y outpointed Nathan Brough of England in the feather weight bouts.

In other bouts, Vijender Singh of India Y beat Brian Ruse of England on points in light weight while Gautam Bhargav of India G beat Nianen Lung of Chinese Taipei with a unanimous verdict, in the same weight category.

In the light welter, Thomas Coward of England put India’s Surendera Singh on the receiving end, when he scored a close 49:43 points verdict, while another Englishman, Kaylem Lowe decimated Jasvir Singh of India on points at 16:2.

Parvinder Singh of India Y moved into the middle weight final when Lee Siner of England was disqualified in the fourth round. In the light middle, Joesmy of England A recorded an second-round RSC victory against Hsien Yao Huang of Chinese Taipei.

The final bouts will be held on Monday from 4 pm.