Chandigarh, November 18
Dr Ravi K. Gupta, hand surgeon and Consultant at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, was invited as a guest speaker at the 6th Congress of Asia Pacific Federation of Societies for Surgery of Hand (APFSSH - 2006) in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 15, 16.

Dr Gupta was invited in recognition of his work on ‘scaphoid fractures and distal radioulnar joint instability of the wrist’. He has devised his own technique of treating the distal radioulnar instability. He demonstrated his technique to the hand surgeons from all Asia Pacific countries.

Dr Gupta also demonstrated the technique of the use of H plate for the four-corner fusion of the wrist. H plate is traditionally designed for use in cervical spine. The actual implant designed for four-corner fusion of the wrist is called ‘Spider plate’, which is very expensive (more than $ 1,000) and is not freely available in India. The H plate is easily available and the cost of the local H plate in India is approximately Rs 600 only.

Dr Gupta has been working on hand injuries for the past 10 years and has received advanced training in Australia, Austria and the USA. In April this year, the Japanese Society for Surgery of Hand awarded him for his contribution in the field of hand surgery.

Chandigarh, November 18
Hosts Chandigarh lost to Punjab by seven wickets in the semifinals of the first National (Under-19) Twenty-20 Cricket Championship at Sector 16 cricket stadium here today.

The other team to reach the final was Delhi. In a one-sided affair, Delhi trounced Baroda by nine wickets.

Batting first, Chandigarh could put on just 101 for 8 in 20 overs. The first wicket fell on zero when Punjab’s Sukhdev snapped the wicket of opener Amit Prashar.

Average knocks by Karan Sharma (16) and Sarul Kanwar (15) provide some respite to the team, but Varun Sharma shattered their dreams by claiming 2 wickets for 20. The other wicket-taker for Punjab was Vishwajit, who took 2 for 10.

The highest scorer for Chandigarh, was Simran Singh with 28.

In reply, Punjab achieved the target by scoring 102 for 3 in 17.3 overs. Starting on a poor note, Punjab lost their first wicket on 19.

Vipandeep, who was declared man of the match, scored 38 slamming four boundaries and two sixes. Teerath Ram contributed an unbeaten 16.

For Chandigarh, Japneet and Rozal Batra took one wicket each for 11 and 10, respectively.

In the first semifinal, Delhi won the toss and elected to field. Baroda played 19.2 overs to score just 70 all out in 81 minutes. Only two batsmen, Jignesh Oza (11) and Raghuvir Jadav (19), could reach the double figure so.

Anuj Jain (3 for 7), Vishu Tomar (2 for 6) and Rohit Yadav (2 for 25) were the main wicket-takers for Delhi.

Displaying fireworks, Delhi made 71 in just 4.5 overs for the loss of one wicket.

Vishu Tomar and Naveen Srivatva guided the team to victory with their unbeaten 32 and 17 runs, respectively

Zirakpur, November 18
Adrij secured the first position, while Kaushal and Arshnoor remained second and third, respectively, in the under-4 category of the first Mohali District Roller Skating Championship held at Dikshant International School here today.

Over 175 skaters participated in the tournament being organised by the Mohali District Roller Skating Association.

Chandigarh, November 18
The initial euphoria over Panjab University winning the prestigious Osmania University Platinum Jubilee Trophy 2004-05 seems to be over. Though the PU had earlier announced that it had won the trophy, sources told Chandigarh Tribune today that Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, was actually emerging as a frontrunner for the same. The award is extended for overall excellence by women sportspersons in inter-university sports events.

Reason behind the mess was the letter, dated November 1, 2006, by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), received by the PU Sports Department. Admitting to the confusion over the winning of Osmania trophy the Director of PU Sports Department Dr D. N. Johar blamed ambiguous contents letter for the error.

Expressing disappointment over the unprofessional attitude of AIU officials, former sports director Prof D.S. Toor said the AIU did not send detailed annexure (the points of each university) along with the letter. “Later we received an illegible fax which was unable to clear the uncertainty on the issue. Now the matter pertaining to which university would receive the trophy would be cleared in the meeting to be held on November 20 at Delhi”, said Mr Toor.

On the other hand, Dr Raj Kumar Sharma, Sports Director of Punjabi University, Patiala, said he was in possession of the detailed annexure and is the winner of the Osmania trophy.

Chandigarh, November 18
After years of facilitating the allotment of dwelling units to slum- dwellers, the Chandigarh Administration has finally decided to extend the same "privilege" to the allottees of general houses. Under the plan, the allottees will not have to run from one department to another to get water and electricity connections. All documents relating to the occupation of flats constructed by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) will be given under one roof.

Confirming the development, Mr Mohanjit Singh, Chairman of the CHB, told Chandigarh Tribune that for this, facilities would be made available to the allottees of the dwelling units coming up in Sector 49. This would save the allottees from harassment, he added.

Explaining the special document-verification camp being held to shift 800 families of slum-dwellers of Madrasi Colony, Sector 26, to the newly constructed one-room tenements in Sector 56, he said it was being ensured that the possession of flats, complete in all respects and with electricity and water-fitted connections, was handed over to the beneficiaries on the day their applications were received.

A unique software developed by the CHB ensured that only the applications which were complete in all respects were accepted. Mr Ankur Garg, Additional Chief Executive Officer, CHB, said the digital photography of the applicants was being carried out on the spot.

To ensure that the dwelling units are not sold further, a smart card would be issued to the allottees. The dwelling unit would be transferred in the name of the allottee after a gap of 21 years, subject to verification that the units had not been sold.