‘Don’t transplant paddy before June 15’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 18
Agricultural scientists have called upon farmers not to transplant paddy before June 15 and vow not to go in for early paddy cultivation.

The appeal has been signed by PAU Vice-Chancellor Dr K.S. Aulakh, Punjab State Farmers’ Commission Chairman Dr G.S. Kalkat and Punjab State Planning Board Vice-Chairman Dr S.S. Johl.

They have called upon farmers to follow recommendations of the university and sow only varieties recommended by the university.

Farmers should not forget that the demand for paddy has been on the decline and Central procurement agencies hesitate to buy paddy, they have added.

Rival PCCTU groups trade charges
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 18
Rival groups of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) — the Jagwant-Brar group and the Hundal-Tiwari group — are gearing up for the forthcoming union elections.

By levelling allegations on each other, members of both groups are leaving no stone unturned to win the elections.

Prof S.S. Hundal, contesting for the post of general secretary, said the other group had been finding it tough to announce candidates for various posts.

He said his group had announced candidates, but the other group had failed to do so.

“They know that they are going to lose this time. The last date for filing nominations is April 21”, he stated.

Professor Hundal added that his group had improved its position last year.

“We had lost 26:52 in 2004, but 40:49 in 2005. This year, we are sure of winning all key posts. The Jagwant-Brar group had failed to produce anything for the benefit of the PCCTU. Members now want a change”, he said.

Professor Hundal alleged that the grant of Rs 8.28 crore was exhausted in March 2005 as it did not reach colleges on time.

Professor Jagwant said union members had been sidelined during the tenure of Professor Hundal

PCCTU members had not got any benefit during the Hundal regime, he added.

The pension benefit grant was scrapped and the Director, Physical Education, was denied career advancement, he further said.

These were the main reasons that their group had faced defeat for two consecutive years, he claimed.

“The state government has cleared a grant of Rs 18.68 crore and members will start getting the benefit this week. The Finance Department has cleared our demands of 50 per cent DA merger, refresher course relaxation upto December 2005, house rent allowance in rural areas and 95 per cent salary deficit grant”, Professor Jagwant stated.

‘Osteoporosis causes 1.5 million fractures yearly’

Ludhiana, April 18
“Osteoporosis or weak bones is a major health problem. It contributes to 1.5 million fractures every year. Half of all women above 50 years, sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture sometime in their life,” said Dr Harpreet S. Gill, orthopaedic consultant at SPS Apollo Hospital here while interacting with patients at a one-day camp to detect bone density.

“Men should also be concerned about osteoporosis as approximately one in eight men will have an osteoporotic fracture. The above figures are alarming and proper care is needed to prevent it,” he added.

Out of 185 persons, tested for bone density at the camp, 48 per cent were found osteopenic or osteoporotic. Since bone density is one of the factors that determines bone strength, individuals with low bone density have a higher risk of fractures and refractures.

A seminar was organised in the hospital where consultants of various departments discussed the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. “A fracture may be more than just a broken bone. It may be a warning sign that one has osteoporosis,” the specialists cautioned.

Dr Gill said that factors that contributed to osteoporosis were ageing, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol intake, low calcium dietary intake, reduced calcium absorption and inadequate vitamin D levels.

According to Dr Rahul Bhan, another orthopaedic consultant at Apollo, regular bone density scans should be done in persons above 45 years of age especially in post-menopausal women who have had a fracture earlier. Each individual should have a daily intake of 1000-1500 mg of calcium.

He further added that if one was diagnosed with osteoporosis, diet and lifestyle changes could reduce the risk of refracture.

Dr Bhan stressed that regular exercise was one of the best things that people could do to prevent osteoporosis. “The key to the treatment of osteoporosis lies in prevention, with the major goal being the preservation of bone mass.”

DMCH docs perform complex surgery
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 18
A city resident, Balbir Singh, aged 45 years, was not able to swallow anything and had a big wound on his right cheek. The diseased part of the face emanated foul smell, which even his family members could not bear. He was in real agony, as he could not move out of his house and felt like a social outcast. Having been brought to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) here, he was diagnosed as suffering from advanced oral cancer.

Dr G.S. Brar, Surgical Oncologist, and Dr Rajinder Mittal, Plastic Surgeon, at the DMCH decided to operate upon him. The procedure required the removal of right half of mandible, along with skin and soft tissue, which in simple terms meant the removal of right half of his face below the eye.

A marathon surgery was performed on the patient lasting more than six hours, in which the whole of diseased tissues were removed and the face reconstructed with skin and soft tissue flaps taken from his chest.

Dr Brar informed that the main cause of oral cancer was the chewing of tobacco in any form. He said in India the incidence of oral and oesophageal cancers was among the highest in the world. “Oral cancer constitutes 12 per cent of all cancers in men and 8 per cent among women. Oral sub-mucous fibrosis, which is a pre-cancerous condition, is more prevalent in India due to the chewing of betel nut”.

Dr Mittal commented that with reconstruction lot of cancer surgeries could be done without much deformity.

Dr Daljit Singh, Principal, DMCH, observed that all types of cancer surgeries along with reconstruction were being performed in this premier medical institution of the region. Mr Prem Gupta, secretary, DMCH Managing Society, added that very soon a comprehensive state-of-the art cancer centre should be started in the hospital.

250 patients examined at camp
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 18
At least 250 patients were examined at a free medical check-up camp organised by the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital in collaboration with the Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha Charitable Trust at Sarabha village in this district today. Free ECG and blood sugar tests were conducted and patients given follow-up advice.

Inaugurating the camp, Dr Rajoo Singh Chhina, professor and head, Department of Gastroenterology, stressed the need to make modern treatment affordable and accessible.

He emphasised the role of NGOs and village panchayats in organising such camps.

Doctors who conducted the camp included Dr A.K. Chaudhary, Dr Bishav Mohan, Dr Sunil Gupta, Dr Sanjeev Mahajan, Dr Naveen Mittal, Dr Deepak Bhatt, Dr Ravinder Pal Singh and Dr Amit Bery.

Sports meet
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, April 18
The preliminary matches in volleyball, table tennis and badminton were conducted on the opening day of the first annual sports meet of Bhutta College of Engineering and Technology at Bhutta village, 15 km from here, today.

In badminton (doubles), Rahul Sharma and Jagdeep Singh Pannu of mechanical engineering (sem II) won their encounter to advance into the quarterfinals, while in table tennis eight matches were played and Swaraj Singh, Chetan and R.V. Singh of mechanical engineering (sem IV), Paras Mehra of mechanical engineering (sem IV), Ghansham of electronics and communication engineering (sem IV), Amanjot Singh of electrical engineering (sem IV), Anish of computer science and engineering (sem II) and Vikrant of electronics and communication engineering (sem II) romped home victorious in their respective matches and reached the last eight stage.

In volleyball, mechanical engineering (sem IV) beat electronics and communication engineering (sem IV) 15-10 and 18-16 while computer science and engineering (sem IV) defeated electronics and communication engineering (sem II) 15-6 and 15-9.