The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Bank employee held for aiding thefts
Tribune News Service

Lalru, December 31
Jaswant Singh alias Raju, a bank employee, and Manjit Singh, a resident of Lalru, were arrested today for helping thieves burgle houses in the area.

Jaswant Singh was working as peon in Punjab and Sind Bank and was a member of a gang operating in Lalru and Ambala.

According to Lalru SHO Sukhvinderjit Singh, Raju used to inform his gang members about those people who had withdrawn large amounts of cash from the bank. The gang then struck at their houses.

The Baldev Nagar police arrested two members of the gang, Priyaranjan and Gobind, for various crimes at Ambala. During their interrogation, the two reportedly revealed that they took help from Jaswant Singh and Manjit Singh for thefts.

The two were brought to Lalru on transit remand and Jaswant Singh was arrested. However, Manjit Singh is still at large.

According to the SHO, the three admitted that they had stolen Rs 3 lakh from Gulab Singh’s house a few days back. The stolen amount, too, was recovered from them.

They told the police that Gulab Singh had withdrawn the amount from the bank on December 20. Jaswant Singh informed his gang who struck at his house when he had gone away for a few hours and decamped with the cash.

The three also reportedly admitted to have stolen computers and mobile phones from Lalru. Sukhvinderjit Singh said two theft cases have been solved following their arrest.

HEALTH

Blood Safety
HIV positivity in screened units decreases in city
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31
The quality of blood donors in the city is improving. The blood safety scenario in Chandigarh has become better as number of donors, who were HIV positive, has decreased over the past year at four blood banks in the city.

While in 2006, HIV positivity in screened blood units at Chandigarh was 0.2 per cent, this year it is down to 0.1 per cent, indicating that blood banks are targeting safe donors - an urgent mandate under National AIDS Control Programme III. These figures were discussed at the annual meeting of State Blood Transfusion Council, which met recently to discuss policy matters related to blood donation and safety.

It is also learnt that Chandigarh has significantly improved upon its voluntary blood donation levels. Where as last year, it had collected 58, 000 units, this year the number is up to 65, 000 units. Bulk of this blood - about 38000 units were collected by the PGI, followed by GMCH-32 and Rotary collecting 10,000 units each and Government Multi Specialty hospital, Sector 16, collecting 7000 units.

Component separation also looks heartening, with 80,000 units of blood separated in the city’s blood banks this year. Last year, 92,000 units were separated. Marginal decrease in component separation this year is due to significantly low demand of platelets this time. “Since there was no dengue outbreak, platelet demand was restricted. Despite that, we have separated about 80,000 units of blood this year,” Dr Suvir Saxena, secretary of the council today told The Tribune.

At the end of 2007, voluntary blood donation level in Chandigarh stands at 78 per cent against the national average of 51.6 per cent. However, voluntary blood donation by women continues to be low in Chandigarh - 17 per cent at the end of 2007; though it continues to be better than the national average of 6 per cent.

Data collected from blood transfusion council further shows that 75 per cent blood banks (three out of four) in the city are already equipped with blood component separation facilities. The national average is only 8 per cent, with Bihar and West Bengal being the worst in terms of component separation. In Bihar, only one out of 28 blood banks is equipped for component separation; in West Bengal the number is eight out of 54 blood banks.

In Chandigarh right now, PGI, GMCH-32 and Rotary blood bank in Sector 37 are equipped for component separation. The state transfusion council has now approved upgradation of all existing blood banks so that they can receive more funds for better functioning and delivery.

“PGI will be upgraded to state of the art blood bank. Right now it is a regional blood transfusion centre, blood component separation unit and nodal training centre. GMCH-32 was recently equipped with component separation. We will try to help Rotary blood bank get NACO support for blood component separation which it is doing on its own right now,” Dr Saxena said.

Only Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16 does not have blood separation equipment right now.

Early detection can prevent cancer deaths among women: Expert
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31
Lack of awareness about cancer among women was major reason for lakhs of deaths annually in India.

And majority of these deaths could be avoided if the cancer was detected in early stages, says, Dr Sunaina Bansal, a cancer specialist.

A little awareness and alertness can prevent cancer, which is like any other disease. Cancer has usually four stages. In the first stage, it remains confined to the organ concerned. It starts spreading out in the second stage.

High-risk groups

Early marriage or early age at first intercourse

Multiple partners or your partner having multiple partners

Being overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure

Women having viral infections like HIV and HPV

In the third stage, it spreads in the whole neighbouring areas. And the fourth stage finds cancer cells in distant organs and blood, the doctor says.

Talking about various types of cancer, Dr Bansal says that there were four main type of cancers found in women - cervical cancer, breast cancer, cancer of the uterus and the ovary.

Cancer of the external genitalia or the tubes is uncommon.

Certain women are more prone than others to get cancer. Early marriage or first intercourse at early age, multiple partners or even the woman’s partner having multiple partners, being overweight, diabetes, high blood pressure, women having viral infections like HIV and HPV, and women having a family history of cancer, are more prone to cancer than others, she says.

Bleeding after intercourse, bleeding in between two periods, foul-smelling watery discharge, bleeding after menopause, blood in urine or stools, a lump in the breast, neck or armpit and sudden loss of weight could be due to cancer. However, if you have any of the above signs, these do not necessarily mean cancer, the doctor, who is a former register of the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, asserts.

Regarding detection of cancer early, the doctor recommends pap smear and breast self-examination (BSE) for the women. Pap smear is a very simple and painless test which can pick up cancer of the cervix in very early stage long before it manifests, she said adding that more than 75 per cent women who died of cancer of cervix had never undergone a single pap test in their lives. To check out breast cancer in early stage, (BSE) is also a reliable tool.

Women above 30 must do it themselves every month. It is also recommended that women above the age of 40 should undergo an annual mammography, she adds.

ADMINISTRATION

Replacement of streetlight poles: SDO suspended
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31
Municipal Commissioner R.K. Rao today ordered the suspension of a subdivision officer, repatriation of a junior engineer (JE) and called for an explanation of an executive engineer in the alleged irregularities in the installation of streetlight poles.

The action comes days after the CBI raided the MC office for inspection in the alleged fraud.

While SDO Gursharan Dass faces suspension, JE (electrical) Karamjeet Singh, who was on deputation, has been repatriated to Punjab, with recommendation of his suspension. Rao also sought the explanation of XEN Surinder Singh.

CBI sleuths along with the UT Vigilance wing had conducted a raid on the office of the Chandigarh MC on December 29 in connection with the alleged fraud, committed during replacement of streetlight poles, wires and other items along Dakshin Marg.