HEALTH

‘TB endemic in city’s slums’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
Nearly 60 per cent of UT’s slum population may be infected with tuberculosis in one form or the other.

This startling disclosure was made here today by Dr Gurvinder Singh and Dr Poonamjit Kaur, a husband-wife medico team which has been running a clinical laboratory in the heart of the city for the past several years.

Talking to newsmen on the occasion of the installation of a new automated TB system at their centre , they said the percentage of TB-infected patients was quite high in labour colonies, slums and jhuggis of the UT, posing a threat to the health of even those who lived elsewhere in the city.

No section of the population was immune to it. About 2 per cent of even those who lived in Chandigarh’s spick and span sectors were also infected with TB.

“Coughing spreads bacteria into the air. Only a few bacteria, inhaled from the atmosphere, are good enough to carry the disease to another person in a crowded area,” they said.

“Most of the commonly used drugs for treating TB are becoming useless because the bacteria are becoming resistant to these drugs (like Rifampicin and Isoniazid). Treating the patients with the drugs without conducting sensitivity test is becoming problematic as the doctor may not get response to treatment for months,” they said.

Bacteriological investigations play a key role in the diagnosis of TB. Traditionally, LJ Medium was used to culture germs of TB which takes six weeks to grow the bacteria and further four to six weeks to find out the drugs which would kill those bacteria. Sensitivity tests are not being done in any of the institutions north of Delhi.

With the installation of the new automated TB system called “BACTEC-460TB”, the investigation is considerably speeded up. This system reduces the bacterial growth period of TB germs by about 14 days and provides the sensitivity report in another 7 to 10 days. It helps in saving the lives of TB patients and in deciding the drugs to be prescribed. This type of equipment is not available in any institute in north of Delhi.

City leads in blood donation
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
Voluntary blood donation in Chandigarh was highest in the northern region, said the UT Home Secretary, Mr Raminder Singh Gujral, while inaugurating a day-long seminar on blood transfusion at the Nursing Institute of General Hospital, Sector 16, here today.

Praising non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for holding blood donation camps at various places in the city, Mr Gujral added that the NGOs had a major role to play in collecting blood, besides the PGI, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and the General Hospital, Sector 16.

Mr Gujral hoped that the seminar would disseminate information among participants and promote the aim of safe blood transfusion. Stressing the importance of blood, he added that it was a critical component for accident victims.

SPORTS

Bronze for India in roller hockey
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, October 5
The Indian women roller hockey team won bronze medal in the 7th Asian Roller Skating Meet, in progress at Taitung City in Taiwan. As per reports reaching Ms Rajni Thareja, president of the Roller Skating Association of Panchkula, three of her school students, Priyanka Sharma, Amrita Singh and Reetika Sharma, were members of the team.

India also was five medals in artistic events and one medal in speed events. India got fourth place in men roller hockey.

Sanjay school win

Sanjay Public Senior Secondary School, Sector 44, blanked St Soldier’s International School, Sector 28, 9-0 to win the title in the final of the CBSE Football Tournament (Cluster XI) at Football Stadium, Sector 17. The third place in this section went to Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, who outplayed MRA Model School, Sector 27, by five goals to nil.

In the final, the first goal was scored in the seventh minute through right striker Stephen. The next goal was scored by Vinay after another minute. Sanjay boys struck with third and fourth goals in 20th and 26th minutes, respectively, by Ram Bilas and Sunil. Half-time score read 4-0.

The second half began with a flurry of goals by spirited Sanjay boys in the 36th, 38th, 40th, 43rd and 46th minutes of the match. Vishwa Nath and Sunil scored two goals each and Jagir scored one goal.

New meet record

Holinder Singh of Chandigarh police established a new meet record in air pistol (NR) senior men section by scoring 377 out of 400 on the second day of the 26th Chandigarh State Shooting Championship at Patiali ki Rao shooting ranges, Sector 25.

Other shooters leading in respective sections till today were Arjun Pratap at 554/600 in air rifle (ISSF) senior men, Prabhleen Chauhan at 367/400 in air rifle( ISSF) junior women, Jasbir Singh Dhillon at 500/600 in small bore free rifle (ISSF) prone senior men, Sarabjit Singh Randhawa at 314/400 in air rifle open sight (NR) senior men, Rajesh Kumar at 238/400 in .22 std rifle OS (NR) prone senior men and Aarti Mehta at 247/300 in women section. In air pistol (NR) for junior men, Akhil Pahuja shot 347/400 while in sub-junior section, Akash Pahuja shot 286/400. In the senior womensection, Amrinder Kaur Sangha was leading with 314/400.

Inter-college meet

SGGS College, Sector 26, boys and GGS College for Women bagged the Panjab University Inter-College Cross-Country Championship by securing 62 and 38 points respectively. The individual all-round champions awards went to Puran Chand of SGGS College and Jasbir Kaur of SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur. In men section, GGDSD College, Chandigarh, in men section, while GN Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana, in women section, secured second place.

CBSE basketball

Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, will take on IS Dev Samaj Girls School, Sector 21, in the final of the girls section of the CBSE (Cluster XI) Basketball Tournament. In boys section, DAVSSS-8, GHPS-38, SD Public School, Sector 32, and Guru Nanak Khalsa School, Sector 30, made it to the semi-finals of the boys section.

ADMINISTRATION

52 representations against delimitation
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 5
The Deputy Commissioner has received 52 representations from various political parties, welfare associations and welfare societies till this evening, which was the last date for receiving objections against delimitation of wards announced by the district administration.

These objections had been filed under Rule 9 of the Haryana Municipal Delimitation of Ward Rules. Officials in the office of the Deputy Commissioner said today they received 26 representations, raising the total to 52.

Most of the representations raised objections to the divisions of sectors. Their argument was that this had created chaos among the residents . Some of the residents were confused about the ward in which their houses were.

The argument of the officials was that rules were to carve out 31 wards on the basis of population. Panchkula had 28 sectors and the district administration had to divide the entire population of the town and a few villages into 31 wards.

They pointed out that the Deputy Commissioner had nothing to do with the objections raised by various political parties and social organisations. She would send all these representations to the Commissioner of Urban Development for further action.

Probe indicts Head Constable
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5
The Senior Superintendent of Police, UT, today ordered the registration of a case against a Head Constable in the UT Vigilance department. The said cop had posed himself as posted in the Punjab Chief Minister’s security and had impressed upon a trader in Sector 26 to vacate the rented premises at the instance of the landlord or pay for the party fund.

According to information available from sources, Head Constable Sohan Lal was indicted on charges of impersonation and for demanding graft from Mr Ajay Garg. The said cop was indicted after an inquiry was conducted by Inspector, Public Grievances Cell.

This inquiry followed a letter from the DIG Security, Punjab police, wherein he had alleged that a city cop was impersonating as a member of Chief Minister’s security and troubling Mr Ajay Garg and his partner, Mr Singhal.

It had been alleged that the complainants had taken a shop on rent in Sector 26 for trading safety gadgets. The owner of the shop wanted to get this shop vacated. The accused cop was in collusion with the landlord and had threatened the complainants.

The Head Constable had approached Mr Ajay Garg and Mr Singhal at their shop and told them that he was with the Punjab Chief Minister’s security. He had instructed them to either vacate the shop or to pay for the CM’s party fund.

Following this, the complainants had approached the DIG Security, Punjab police, and lodged a formal complaint. The said officer conducted an inquiry and found that the accused was a Head Constable with the Chandigarh police.

He had then sent a letter to the SSP, UT, asking him to conduct an inquiry, the report of which was submitted to Mr H.G.S. Dhaliwal, officiating SSP, today and he ordered that a case be registered against the erring cop.