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| Thursday,
April 10, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Panel meets to check outbreak of diseases Chandigarh, April 9 The routine meeting, which was chaired by the UT Advisor, Mr Virendra Singh, discussed issues like providing safe drinking water, installing new tubewells, checking piggeries and keeping the dumping grounds clean. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, said it had been decided to install four tubewells in the low pressure areas of Dadu Majra, Kajheri, Palsora and Colony Number 5 within the next two months. These would be funded by the Administration. He informed that Sulabh public toilets would be provided in periphery areas to check open defecation, which was a major cause for the outbreak of diseases like cholera. At present there is provision of mobile toilets in some parts, but the problem persists in slum colonies. Meanwhile, the Director, Health Services, Dr C.P. Bansal, today visited some of the slum areas, including Palsora, Khajeri, Nehru Colony and Dadu Majra. He said barring a few stray cases of diarrhoea, there were no reports of outbreak of any disease. However, two children from Nehru Colony, Sector 52 came to the OPD at General Hospital, with gastroenteritis. |
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Flies come swarming Chandigarh, April 9 Alarmed authorities have launched a surveillance exercise and geared up to rapidly control the menace, local residents told TNS here on Sunday. The assault of flies has again found the health authorities of the municipal corporation and the Chandigarh Administration lacking in coordination. This was one of the reasons why cholera spread in Daddu Majra and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony in July last year. Though nobody is ready to link flies to diseases like
SARS, yet doctors say they could become a potential cause for
diarrhoea, dysentery, gastro-enteritis and vomiting. Private practitioners in the area said there had been an increase in the cases affected by water-borne diseases caused by flies, but the health authorities and Medical Officer, Health, sources said they did not get any report of such cases. A fruit seller near the dumping ground, Jaspal Singh, said the number of flies was still high but certainly less than two days ago when the authorities started the operation to control their unusual number. He said two days ago white clothes of a person would have seemed black because of the swarming flies. Residents complained that even the number of mosquitoes had alarmingly increased giving them sleepless nights. They also said their areas were not being cleaned by the contractor properly. The likely cause of a sudden spurt in the number of flies is being attributed to a possible delay in sprinkling malathion and dust as the task is under two different authorities. One of the causes identified for a sudden increase in the number of flies is the broken chain of the MOH Department’s chain dozer which could not be traced for three months. The chain dozer was recently borrowed from the Engineering Department to carry out a levelling exercise before finding it from Chennai. The health authorities of the Chandigarh Administration said there seemed to be a delay in carrying out the exercise of covering the garbage and sprinkling it with lime and
malathion. The authorities said the number of flies was normal but was felt more as garbage dumping had been continuing in the areas close to the colony. The corporation took action after residents complained to the Mayor who reached the spot on Thursday night and urged the authorities to take the problem seriously as the lapse could see a repeat of what was witnessed in the city last year when a large number of cholera cases were reported. |
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PGI audit report at variance with dept’s contention Chandigarh, April 9 Professor Suri said the department had given a suitable reply based on documentary evidence to the Audit Department, adding that the sum of Rs 22.92 lakh related to the expenditure incurred on the repairs of the CT Scan machine between August 1999 to August 2001 and not after October 8, 2001, as reported. She further said the amount of Rs 22.92 lakh included cost of an X-ray tube (Rs 16 lakh), which, as a matter of policy was always procured in advance and kept as a standby as the PGI could not afford to close the CT Scan unit even for a day. The tube is guaranteed for performing 60,000 slices, whereas it had already performed 62,000 slices. Professor Suri said the remaining Rs 6 lakh was spent on the purchase of spares that became defective in August 1999 (capacitor bank), April 2001 (compressor) and July 2001. TNS stands by its story as it is based on the observations enumerated in the PGI’s audit report. The contention of Professor Suri is at variance with the facts contained in the report about the expenditure of Rs 22.92 lakh made on getting a CT Scan machine repaired, after it had outlived its life. While Dr Suri, has stated that the money was spent on repairs between August 1999 and August 2001, the audit report gives different dates — April 10, 2001 — Rs 16.31 lakh, January 14,2002 — Rs 2.15 lakh and January 16, 2002 — Rs 4.45 lakh. As such, Rs 6.60 lakh was spent within three days for getting the machine repaired. The audit report read, “The Department of Radiodiagnosis should have made vigorous efforts for the installation of the two new machines which had already been received at the PGI in October 2001. This had resulted in a delay of 84 days and the department had to incur an expenditure of Rs 22.92 lakh on an old CT Scan machine which was out of order as already stated by the department.” |
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Rare surgery
to overcome hearing inability Chandigarh, April 9 A team of doctors comprising Dr Mohan Kameswaran from Chennai and Dr Naresh Panda, Head of ENT Department at the PGI, conducted the first-ever cochlear implantation at the PGI. The cost of the implant alone is Rs 4.89 lakh, apart from the surgery cost, which at the PGI is very nominal. The patient, a 22-year-old business man from Panipat, will have to remain in the PGI for a few days. With only a few centres in India having this facility, the surgery is very effective in case of patients who are born deaf mute, lose their hearing ability due to viral labrynthitis, meningo encephalitis, head injury or drug usage. The device has gained popularity over the last decade since the introduction by William House in 1969. Dr Panda said the cochlear implant is an electronic device, a part of which is implanted in the cochlea of a deaf person through surgery. The implanted electrode stimulates the hearing nerve as a result of which the person recognizes sounds, with the help of a speech processor. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that covert mechanical sound energy into electrical signals which can be delivered to the cochlear nerve in case of a non functional inner ear. “The treatment of patients with bilateral profound hearing loss when conventional hearing aids fail, has been revolutionised by the use of this magical device,” said Dr Panda. Once the hearing-aid proves to be ineffective, cochlear implant is the only solution. Following surgical implant the patient has to be subjected to rigorous speech rehabilitation programme by an expert team of speech therapists of the speech and hearing unit. Speech therapy for Gurpreet, called mapping, will begin three weeks from today, when surgery has been performed. Even though 22-year-old Gurpreet will have to rigorously follow the speech therapy for one year, he cannot wait to start his lessons, which will help him lead a normal life. |
Sports activities adequate but scattered Chandigarh, April 9 Mr J.P.S. Sidhu, Joint Director, Sports, UT, opines that the city had now become more accident prone due to excessive vehicles and children have to cover long distances. The Administration should explore the possibility of having liaison with local transport authorities to start route plans for buses from a particular coaching centre during training hours to another centre on rotation basis, he added. Ms Ritu Pathik, Assistant Director, Sports Authority of India, Sector 18, said point to point buses from one sports centre to another, were must to make these centres easily accessible to must have the sport buffs. Mr Sanjeev Talwar, a former national player, said providing access to youngsters would be beneficial since they face difficulties in commuting on their own conveyance. |
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Stadium
XI crush SPS by 10 wickets Chandigarh, April 9 In yet another match, St John’s Coaching Center ‘B’ team defeated District Coaching Centre, Panchkula, by 10 wickets while in the last match of the day, MCA ‘B’ overpowered Little Flower School, Panchkula, by one wicket.
Tennis meet Garry A Singh and Fateh Arora moved up in the third and final leg of the under-10 junior section of the Total Tennis Academy, which began here today at the YMCA, Sector 11. Other winners in boys under-10 are Uday Mann, Vidur, Ankur Diwan, Rohan Markanda, Rahul Mahajan, Samin Bharghav, Nishchey Rawal, Sanyam, Manik, Raghav, Fateh and Jaivardhan Gupta. The winners in the under-12 section include Arjun Khanna, Navkaran Gill, Harry A. Singh, Akshat Joshi, Nischey and Manik Khanna.
Pandit Shikha wins Pandit Shikha of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, won the girls under-19 title in the 100 m in the UT Inter-School Athletics Meet here today at the Sports Complex, Sector 7. Shikha had got injured yesterday while taking part in the 400 m event, but determination led her to compete today again in 100 m where she excelled by securing the gold medal.
CRA inquiry The Chandigarh Rowing Association (CRA) has decided to institute an inquiry into the episode regarding one of its players, Laxman Singh, testing positive during a dope test at the 32nd National Games in Hyderabad in December, 2002. The decision to hold the inquiry was taken at a meeting of the CRA held today, chaired by Mr T.C. Gupta, president of the association. A press note issued by the association said the inquiry would be conducted by Col Madhu Berry, Director, Competitions, Colonel Berry will submit his report in a fortnight. It may be recalled that Laxman Singh was banned by the Rowing Federation of India for testing positive for consuming nandrolone, an anabolic steroid. |
MCC demands
grant from Admn Chandigarh, April 9 The MCC on Monday sent an official letter for the purpose to the Chandigarh Administration. The Administration had recently approved a grant of Rs 93.76 crore for this fiscal. The Chandigarh Administration had increased the grant this year but it was below expectations. The MCC had demanded Rs 100 crore grant from the Administration. During the last Finance and Contract Committee meeting, a table agenda was placed to write a protest letter against not accepting the Rs 100 crore grant and urge the Administration to further increase it to the level demanded by the MCC. The Administration increased the grant in non-plan head by Rs 17 crore to Rs 67 crore but marginally reduced it towards the plan side to Rs 26.76 crore instead of Rs 28 crore last year. The grant in the past had been coming to the Municipal Corporation in the middle of the month for the new fiscal after which developmental works took off ahead of the monsoon. |
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Jacob opens SDM’s office, orders shifting Chandigarh, April 9 The General let his displeasure known to officials of the Chandigarh Administration on having the SDM's office in the Sports Complex, sources said, while adding that the new site of the SDM office would be located in either Sector 42 or Sector 43 after a suitable site was found there. Though no time-frame had been fixed for this but it was certain that the location in the Sports Complex would be temporary in nature. Actually sport lovers had been protesting against the move to have the SDM office in the Sports Complex. Sources said the Chandigarh Industrial Tourism Corporation (CITCO) had been asked to open a health club in the complex. Also a basketball court with wooden flooring meeting international standards would come up in the Sports Complex. The existing sport facilities include, judo, weightlifting, wrestling and boxing. A brief demonstration of all sport was shown to the General. A spokesperson of the Chandigarh Administration said tonight that the new SDM office was opened in a transit accommodation. It may be re-collected that a decision to de-centralise the functioning of the government and have the SDM offices in their respective areas of operation was taken by the General himself as he saw a need to take the offices nearer to people rather than have people come to offices. During inauguration the General asked the Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, to expedite the work of linking the SDM offices through optic fibre link. This was aimed at bringing the registration of vehicles and licensing online. The new place had been readied at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. |
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