Bathinda, November 30
Even as 28 years have passed since the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered, the available cure to the fatal Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is nothing but prevention.

Awareness paves the way for prevention! The UNAIDS, a joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS supported by UN’s 10 organisations, last week pointed out that awareness campaigns, sex education and distributing condoms helped in checking the spread of HIV across the globe.

Agrees community AIDS educator appointed by the UNAIDS Narinder Kumar Bassi, “Awareness ingrained in adolescents can prove highly useful. Onus here falls upon parents and teachers, who should befriend and impart sex education among the children undergoing physical changes. Then, spiritual leaders have a big role to play as their followers run into large numbers and tend to believe their guru’s words.”

Awareness on the HIV/AIDS becomes all the more important in the region that has gained notoriety for drug-abuse. District Bathinda has witnessed a rise in number of HIV positive persons as reported in the columns of this newspaper on November 29.

Meanwhile, the Punjab State AIDS Control Society put the number of HIV positive persons reported since 1993 in the seven districts of Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Mansa, Moga and Muktsar at 1987.

Quacks act as propellers for the virus to spread its tentacles in the society, rural areas in particular. These unauthorised medical practitioners, who have a huge presence in the south-west Punjab, use non-sterilised syringes on number of persons making the latter vulnerable to contacting the deadly virus.

“Society must understand that the stigma attached to the disease harms the patient badly sending him in a state of depression. It should refrain from discriminating against an HIV positive person and instead empathise with him to help him lead the rest of his life in a better way,” says Priyanka Bhagat, project manager with a Delhi-based NGO working towards the social cause. An HIV positive person should also shoulder a responsibility of not spreading the virus, she adds.

Every 16 seconds, a person is contacting HIV in this world and every 12 seconds, a person is dying due to AIDS, says Bassi, adding that HIV hits the immune system of a person rendering him weak in fighting diseases.

In his message to the society on the World AIDS Day that falls on December 1, Yoga guru Swami Ramdev has strongly advocated for exercising restraint to avoid contacting the virus besides maintaining fidelity towards one’s partner, an integral part of the Indian culture.

Furthermore, assistant civil surgeon Indu Bhushan Aggarwal advises using safe blood for transfusion and has urged the society against demeaning an HIV-infected person socially or morally. “Help him live a long life,” adds Aggarwal.

Bathinda, November 30
Folk and sufi singers from Pakistan will be the highlight of this year’s three-day Malwa Heritage Fair that begins here on December 4.

According to deputy commissioner Rahul Tiwari, who is chairman of the Malwa Heritage Foundation, Pakistani artists Hussain Akbar, Kurban Niazi, Abdul Saleem Rajput, Dulle Shah and Aslam Lohar will recite chaste Punjabi folk songs and sufi music at the fair.

He said wrestlers from Iran and Pakistan were also expected to participate in the fair during which rural games, traditional gymnastics and art and culture of Punjab would be presented. The purpose of organising the fair was to revive the rich customs and culture of Punjab.

Dance troupes from the neighbouring states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir would also participate.

Bathinda, November 30
The district administration today issued over 35 challans to those who parked their vehicles haphazardly, illegal vendors and shopkeepers encroaching upon the public land.

To check the traffic menace in the city, Dr Joram Beda, assistant commissioner (under training), walked along with cops, staff from traffic department and municipal corporation from the Power House road to the railway station through 100 feet road, Ajit road, Fauji chowk and Mall road.

“I had a meeting with members of the Vyaapar Mandal and they told me that shopkeepers pay tax for doing business but vendors spotted in almost every nook and corner of the city do not pay tax. About 90 per cent vendors do not even have a licence to do the business. These vendors also lead to unnecessary congestion on roads because they stand anywhere they like forcing people to park their vehicles in No Parking zones,” Dr Beda said.

“People told us that vendors often fight for placing their carts at parking lots. We also nabbed those jumping red lights, driving on wrong sides, parking vehicles outside the yellow line meant for parking vehicles and cars with films on windows,” said traffic in-charge Bharpoor Singh.

“We often get complaints of jammed roads mostly from the busy market areas where one can find maximum vendors standing haphazardly. Vendors can go door-to-door for doing business. I do not understand why they don’t cycle around the city rather than standing at one place,” Dr Beda added.

The administration had recently issued warning to vendors but they were back on roads the moment administration’s team left, which forced the administration to take strict actions against these vendors. Authorities also pointed towards allotting a place near the Bibiwala chowk where vendors could do business.

The operation was undertaken on the orders of DC Rahul Tewari. 

Bathinda, November 30
Local Civil Defence Wardens’ Club, under the leadership of Amarjeet Singh Painter, is organising inter-school and inter-college painting competitions at the Teachers’ Home here on December 2.

In a press release issued here today, president of the club Surinder Monga said the subjects for the students of classes VIII to X competing on the day would be female foeticide or pollution. College students and those studying in classes XI and XII would be painting on the subjects of drug addiction and other social causes.

Only four students from a particular school or college can participate in the competition that would carry cash prizes of Rs 1100, Rs 600 and Rs 300 for top three positions, respectively, in that order. Consolation prize money is Rs 200. Besides, the winners would be awarded a trophy and a certificate. There is no entry fee for the competition.

Fazilka, November 30
Civil Surgeon of Ferozepur Dr Dalip Kumar during his visit here today convened a special meeting of doctors of the local Civil Hospital, Primary Health Centres of Dabwala Kalan and Jandwala Bhimeshah to streamline the functioning of the school health scheme launched under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Dr Mira Nanda, district programme officer, school health scheme, Dr YK Gupta, SMO civil hospital, Fazilka, rural medical officers of both the health centers and para medics attended the meeting.

While addressing the meeting, the civil surgeon said that under the school health scheme, students up to primary classes are examined by specialist doctors for their general health, dental care and vision twice in a year.

Students from middle to secondary classes are examined once in a year.

All the school students are provided Albendazole tablets for de-worming, iron and folic acid tablets to check anaemia along with mid-day meal. Besides, referral cards have been issued for children suffering from congenital heart disease and other ailments.

The civil surgeon revealed that if any child suffering from heart disease needs eco-cardiogram check-up, the government provides Rs 600 to each child for getting the test conducted in any private hospital.

The district health chief further disclosed that for the eradication of tuberculosis under the ‘Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme’ (RNTCP) special screening camps would be organised in the rural and slum areas with co-operation of the rural medical officers and para medics.

Dr Dalip Kumar called upon the officials and staff to promote institutional deliveries particularly in the primary health centres and mini-primary health centres for better mother-child health care.

He said for this, purpose special staff has been posted in these health centres to conduct delivery round-the-clock. 

Bathinda, November 30
The West Point School, Kotkpaura, celebrated its IX Founder's Day with a concert. President of the Municipal Committee, Paramjeet Kaur, Kotkapura and S. Jagdeep Singh Nakai, chief parliamentary secretary, were the chief guests on the occasion.

The tiny tots kept the audience spellbound through their dances and skits ‘Nikri Suee’, ‘the Ramayana’ and the English play ‘Piped piper of Hamlin’. Dances included a ‘Kathak’ performance, followed by the Punjabi Play ‘Chand Jado Roti Lagda’ directed and written by one of the Punjab's eminent directors of Punjabi theatre, Prince Kanwarjeet Singh of Kotkapura. Nakai congratulated the students and donated Rs one lakh to the school. 

Ferozepur, November 30
The Ferozepur police has arrested seven persons involved in robbery at a petrol station on the Ferozepur-
Fazilka road on November 22.

Police sources said Gopal Ram, serving as manager at the petrol station, had lodged a complaint with the police that some miscreants came to the “Bhola Petrol Pump” on the Ferozpur-Fazilka road and took away cash worth Rs 39,000 lying in the almirah after locking him and other the staff inside the bathroom.

The police constituted a team under the DSP Fazilka Karamjit Singh, who apprehended the robbers within a week time.

A sum of Rs 31,500, two sharp-edged weapons, a chain of gold, five mobile sets and two motorcycles from their possession.

The alleged culprits admitted their involvement in the crime, police sources said.

Mansa, November 30
Mansa residents have been facing shortage of water as out of four water tanks, two are non-operational.

In some parts of city, people are bound to drink contaminated groundwater from hand pumps. It is notable that the groundwater of this area is not fit for drinking. City resident Kamal Kumar Singla said the department concerned should arrange drinking water.

Another resident, Baldev Sharma, rued that they could not get drinking water from waterworks for the last three days.

Rajinder Kumar, JE of water supply and sewerage board, also admitted shortage of drinking water in the city.

The work of setting up inlet and outlet pipes connecting the two water tanks was lying pending due to which the water tanks were rendered non-operational.

Meanwhile, DC Kumar Rahul said that tender for completing the pending work of waterworks was passed and he expressed the hope that these tanks would become operational by the end of December. 

Ferozepur, November 30
Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav inaugurated the Fifth Mohan Lal Bhaskar Art and Theatre festival on the premises of the Manav Mandir School here today. In this festival, organised in the memory of former Indian spy to Pakistan, Mohan Lal Bhaskar, students of various schools participated in the cultural and literary events.

Prabha Bhaskar, manager, said that the aim was to bring the hidden talent of the students to the fore and provide them with a platform to showcase their talent. Parminder Singh Pinki, general secretary of the PPCC, presided over the closing function during which he gave away the prizes to the winners of various events.

Results: Poem recitation: Arun Jyoti School I, Army School II, Manav Mandir School III; Skit: Army School I, Dev Samaj School II; Mimicry: BSM Jain School I; Painting: Jasbir Kaur of DDB DAV School I, Raju Nahar of Government School for Boys II and Babita Rani of Government Girls School III.

Abohar, November 30
The month-long campaign aimed at promoting Punjabi language and culture concluded at the Government High School in village Gobindgarh today.

The headmistress Seema Verma informed that thought of the day, news reading, lectures on moral education were regular features during the morning assembly throughout the month.