The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

HEALTH

Oculoplasty surgeons provide perfect look
Payal Pruthi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
Doctors are designing eyes. Called cosmetic surgery, oculoplasty surgeons across India are not only rectifying birth anomalies and reconstructing defects acquired due to injury but are also making the perfect look even better. With advances in the field of cosmetic eye surgery many of us can now look forward to a better cosmetic appearance, assured the aesthetic ophthalmic plastic surgeons currently in the city for the Annual Conference of Oculoplastic Association of India at the PGI.

Areas of concern

Talking about the areas of concern in opthalmology, Dr Grover said the focus was now shifting from cataract blindness to corneal blindness, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. He added that the WHO project Vision 2020 in association with the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness and Government of India, was an attempt in this direction. At present India has the highest number of blind in the World.

While many of the surgeons at the conference agreed that cosmetic eye surgery had evolved in the past decade but said there existed a glaring lack of aesthetic awareness about such medical advancements in ophthalmology.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr A.K. Grover, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi and convener of the co-ordinating committee of the Eye Bank, informed that the surgery helped in getting rid of age-related wrinkles, baggy and laxed eyelids, crow’s feet and also drooping eye lids, a common problem among women and children in India.

He added that latest techniques like use of botulinum toxin, , dermal fillers and resurfacing by lasers were now available to correct these defects. According to Dr Grover the botulinum toxin when injected made the folds around the eyes disappear for a period of six months while the laser helped in treating abnormal pigmentation and uneven surface.

Dr Grover said the trend of getting botox injected before a party or a social function was fast picking up among women in the metros as not only did it make them look younger but also confident. Talking about the feasibility of such corrective treatments, he said a botox vial cost around Rs 18,000 and one had to pay anything between Rs 4000-10,000 for a single sitting. According to him the facility is available in all big cities in India and private clinics and the demand is slowly picking up as even the beauty clinics like VLCC are also providing such services through trained doctors.

Ayurvedic workshop on surgery
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
A three-day national workshop on “Surgical procedures in ayurveda” was inaugurated yesterday at Dabur Dhanwantry Hospital, Sector 46. As many as 70 delegates from North India comprising general practioners, teaching faculty from different institutes and interns participated in the workshop.

It was formally inaugurated by Dr Kamla Krishna Swamy, former Director, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, and a medical scientist.

Day one focused on live demonstration of surgical procedures like kshar karma and kshar sutra.

During the workshop, patients were operated upon by ayurvedic surgical experts.

Workshop on neonatal morbidity
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
A two-day Indo-US workshop on “Neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality: contributors, biology and intervention strategies” was on Thursday inaugurated by Prof K.K. Talwar, Director, PGIMER. The workshop is being jointly sponsored by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), USA. Hosted by the Department of Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, PGI, Prof Anil Narang, Dr Praveen Kumar and Prof Sarla Gopalan are the organisers.

Professor Talwar urged the delegates to convert the deliberations and recommendations of the workshop into actual implementation. Dr Yvonne Maddox, Deputy Director, NICHD, stated that discovery, development and delivery were parts of a process by which scientific discoveries actually reached the community. Dr Arvind Saili, Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, Delhi, spoke on the latest advances in the understanding of birth asphyxia. Dr Anil Narang, Professor of Paediatrics at PGIMER, said a newborn baby with asphyxia required a multi- pronged approach and it was essential to find optimal and specific interventions to administered during the crucial ‘window period’.

SPORTS

Rallyist to the ‘Xtreme’
Gayatri Rajwade
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
It is her stunts on Delhi roads that define her spirit. For 25-year-old Divya Miglani life is all about living her passion — driving.

As one of the few women motor rallyists in the country, Divya believes in zipping in the fast lane, albeit keeping road rules in mind!

“Driving is in me, I cannot do without it,” professes this youngster, who is being sponsored by a watch manufacturer in their endeavour to encourage youth participation in adventure sports in India.

As DGM (marketing) of the company Vikram Arora puts it: “The aim is to propagate active and out doorsy culture amongst young people.”

As one of three women participating in the “Raid de Himalayas”, a rally spanning 1,800 km of the toughest and most challenging terrain in the country, Divya hopes to shine.

The race, being flagged off in Shimla by Chief Minister Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh on October 1 this year, is no child’s play.

“It is very tough and very long. There are two categories — Xtreme and Reliability. I am participating in the Xtreme category and as the name suggests, it is all about going crazy with no top speed limit.”

Crazy is something Divya understands, for she has crossed that unspoken threshold of a male bastion — motor rallies. “People have a mindset that women are not good drivers and have poor road sense. I will be happy if I can help break that myth,” she laughs.

Year 2005 can safely be referred to hers. The Autocross in Delhi, where she was one of the finalists, the only lady driver in the JK Tyre National Championship, where she was also adjudged as Best Novice, and the title of Best Lady Driver in Airtel Rally, this lady is determined to say the least!

Who amongst the glittering stars of Formula 1 is her favourite? Pat comes the reply: “Narain Karthikeyan”. For she is partial, biased, she admits!

So is she training as hard as them? Her petite frame belies the question but she admits to taking to dirt tracks, skirting the edges of the Himalayas by driving in the hills as part of discovering us and the cars as well for rally driving is not only about speed but also practice.

Her family is her support system. Her brothers, one of whom is her co-driver at the rally, have encouraged her passion for cars at a very early age for both have professions where they tinker with cars. Her licence at the age of 18 signified the opening of horizons for her.

A deeply spiritual (no garlic and onions) party animal who is a movie buff to boot (she de-stresses by watching comedies), she is also a freelance compere and choreographer, a typical urban (born and brought up in Delhi) idealist who dreams one step at a time.

So from here the path is clear, tough and rough for its all about competing, completing and coming first in rallies. That is her big dream!

St Kabir football cup from Oct 18
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
With a view to catch them young, the Chandigarh Football Association (CFA) will be organising the St Kabir Football Trophy for boys under-12 from October 18 at St Kabir Public School, Sector 26.

According to Mr J.P. Singh, Principal of the school, students up to class VII and born on or after November 1, 1993, are eligible to take part in the competitions.

He said school teams from Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali were invited to take part in the tournament which would be an annual feature. There will be no entry fee. Entries may be sent to St Kabir School by October 10 till 12 noon. The draw will be announced on October 14.

Mr Singh announced that the CFA would depute technical staff for the smooth conduct of the tournament. During the tournament, a selection panel will judge the best goalkeeper, the best stopper and the best forward. The best player of the tournament will also be voted for an award.

Kaira to lead Panchkula in cricket
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 1
Umesh Kaira will lead the Panchkula district cricket team ( under-22) which will participate in the Haryana State Inter-District Cricket Championship organised by the Haryana Cricket Association from October 2. The following players have been selected after the trials held at the JR Institute of Cricket Technology.

Vishal Sahni, Nitin Mehtani, Mandeep Singla, Ravi Shankar, Manav Asopa, Varun Khanna, Tejwinder Singh Gill, Ashutosh Walia, Roopal Kapil, Jitender Billa, Arvind Rawat, Nipun Gupta, Vipin Dhiman, Karan Malik and Deepanshu Rajanwal. Stand-bys: Kapil Pandey and AmanVerma.

St Stephen’s lift tennis title
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
St Stephen’s School, Sector 45, claimed the girls under-17 title by beating Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, by two games to one in the final of the Chandigarh Inter-School Tennis Tournament for girls at St Peter’s School, Sector 37, here, yesterday.

Akta registered a hard-fought three sets 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win against Roop Saran in the opening singles to give Sacred Heart 1-0 lead.

Ramneek Rihal restored parity for St Stephen’s by defeating Mrignaynee in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Roop Saran Rihal and Ramneek Rihal beat Ankita Singh and Divya in a straight set defeat too 6-2, 6-3.

Water sports meet concludes

Chandigarh, October 1
Parveen secured first place in the single scull rowing competition of the UT Water Sports meet, which concluded here on Thursday.

In double scull section, Jaspal and Navdeep got the first place followed by Vikender and Laxman. In coxless pairs section, Parveen and Gaurav emerged winner while Angrej and Nanak bagged the second place.

In coxless four section, Gora Singh, Krishan, Rakesh and Jasbir stood first while Nanak, Angrej, Laxman, and Shokinder secured the second place. OC

KVS sports meet from tomorrow

Chandigarh, October 1
The 36 th KVS National Sports Meet is going to be held in Chandigarh from October 3 to October 7.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Regional Office, Sector 31, Chandigarh Region will organise this sports meet. It would be opened on October 3 at 4 pm at Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, Chandigarh. Gen (Retd) S.F.Rodrigues, UT Administrator, Chandigarh would be the Chief Guest and Mr Rang Lal Jamuda, Commissioner KVS, New Delhi would preside over.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, Zirakpur, will host girl teams of (Hockey from 11 regions. Opening ceremony of hockey matches (girls) will be held on October 3, at 9.30 am at 474 Regt hockey ground (K-Area), Zirakpur. The meet will be declared open by the school managing body chairman Brdg G.D. Chadda.

Kendriya Vidhyalaya No. 2, 3 BRD, AFS, Chandigarh, has been entrusted with the conduct of six disciplines i.e. in chess, taekwondo, skating, judo, kayaking and shooting. The competitions in chess and taekwondo are scheduled to be held on the school campus from October 3 to 6; 9 am onwards. Competitions in Judo will be held at Judo Hall, Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, here, from October 3 to 6; 9 am onwards. — TNS

ADMINISTRATION

Create space for e-waste, ministry asks Admn
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1
In a communication from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Chandigarh Administration has been asked to adhere to the guidelines for the maintenance and environmental upkeep of the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, with a special reference to the e-waste.

Computer hardware-related e-waste is the foremost area of concern for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and it has cautioned the UT Administration. The city authorities have been specifically asked to create a special space for storage of computers, floppies and compact discs (CDs).

A senior official said, “e-waste is not normal waste. The waste of floppies, computers and CDs cannot be burnt or buried. A special space needs to be created for it.”

The Administration has been asked to dispose of the e-waste as per the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board, which will be looked into by the local chapter. The Ministry has made a list of other conditions which the IT park will have to comply with according to the prescribed national standards.

The housing and commercial project, to come up in 250 acres marked for Phase II of the park, will mean extra care will have to be taken in ensuring environmental norms. Environmental health of the area for the park has been given the top priority on the list of conditions which also underlines the aspect of rainwater harvesting.

The executing agency will have to be careful about the storage and use of topsoil and also about disposal of the muck and the excavated material during the construction. A special reference has been made to ensure standards in quality of air and noise on the campus.

The ministry has asked the Administration to submit a report of satisfaction with regard to the functioning of the sewerage in the IT park. Open spaces in the park will have to be landscaped and covered with vegetation of indigenous variety.

The Administration will be required to submit a monitoring report after every six months.