60 pc kids given polio vaccine
Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, December 11
The district health authorities and the civil administration coordinated to supervise the mopped up immunisation programme to provided supplementary protection to the children against polio.

The authorities claimed to have administered vaccine to more than 60 per cent of targeted children in the town and the surrounding areas. The rest of the children will be provided vaccine during the door-to-door campaign in two days to follow.

According to Dr K.C. Goel, District Health Officer, and Dr Indu, SDM, Malerkotla, the local Civil Hospital had arranged 26 booths to cover all areas in the town and surrounding villages. Vaccine was provided to new-born children at their residence and the service was provided by volunteers of the Sachha Sauda organisations.

Dr Goel claimed that elaborate arrangements were made by the district health authorities to ensure achievement of the target as per the directions of the World Health Organisation. More than 1,500 members of the medical and paramedical staff were deputed to reach all corners of the district.

The authorities had identified 75,136 children in the district and 26,229 in Fatehgarh Panj Garaian, out of which more than 60 per cent children had been administered vaccine today, claimed the DHO.

Inaugurating a booth at the Ram Mandir dharamshala, Dr Indu said the health authorities and the Civil Administration had coordinated their efforts to insure smooth running of the immunisation camps.

Dr Krishan Pilani, in charge of the Civil Hospital, and Mr Jatinder Bhola, president, Municipal Council, urged the local leaders, including councillors, to help the Health Department reach the targeted children.

School NSS kids help in polio drive
Our Correspondent

Samrala , December 11
As per the directions of the Assistant Director, Youth Services, Ludhiana, Mrs Hirdeypal, a big rally was organised by NSS volunteers of Government Senior Secondary School Ghungrali Sikhan, in Ghungrali Sikhan village and its nearby villages under the guidance and leadership of Principal Gurmeet Kaur Dhaliwal and NSS programme officer Jatinder Kumar.

An inauguration ceremony was performed by the Principal at Ghungrali Sikhan.

With the help of the programme officer and Manmohan Kumar Puri in charge of the mini primary health centre at Ghungrali Sikhan, NSS volunteers helped the Health Department throughout the day at Ghungrali Sikhan, Sangatpur, Bhangalan, Unchi Bondal and Dyalpura villages in giving polio drops to 0-5 year children. The gram panchayats of different villages thanked the Principal, programme officer and NSS volunteers for their cooperation.

Villagers amused to see hi-tech bicycles
Our Sports Reporter

Doraha (Ludhiana), December 1
Residents of villages along the National Highway No1 and others living in the outskirts of the city came in droves to view the spectacle zooming past of the ‘hi-tech’ cycles driven at breath taking speed by colourfully dressed cyclists who pedalled from Doraha to Khanna in the road races held today on the opening day of the week-long 25th BSA Asian Cycling Championship and the 12th Asian Junior Cycling Meet.

People from the country-side who include young as well as the aged, turned out in large numbers to witness the ‘rare’ event. They were amused to see the participants from all over Asia, having hi-tech bicycles.

They were seen looking very keenly at the equipments of the cyclists from Korea, Japan, China, Kazakhstan and other countries who had come with the latest version of the bicycles. However, it were the participants from India who received the maximum applause though they failed to finish among position holders.

The Punjab police personnel and the volunteers of the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) had a tough time to control the crowd who had thronged the venue. The CFI had deputed a large workforce of volunteers that include sports officials and sports in charges of different schools to assist the participants and members of the technical committee.

The organisers made repeated requests to the onlookers to get out of the event route so that the participants had no difficulty in giving in their best and the spectators responded positively as the first day’s proceedings went off safely.