HEALTH

Polio camp provides hope to many
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, October 5
Parents of Rattan, a three- year-old boy from Nakodar, are very happy because their only son, who had developed some deformity in his right leg about two years ago, has been successfully operated upon to cure him of polio. ‘‘He will be kept under observation for about 48 hours and his plaster will be removed after two months.

Doctors have assured us that he will lead a normal life once his plaster is removed. I consider myself lucky that God has not been unkind towards my only child,’’ said Nirmala, Rattan’s mother who had lost hope that her child would ever get rid of this deformity.

Not only Nirmala, but parents of several such children are optimistic that their wards will be able to get rid from this ‘curse of god’, after getting treatment at the free corrective polio surgery camp being run in the city.

Beant Kaur, an eleven-year-old girl from Barsal, a village near Jagraon said,‘‘I want to run, walk fast and play with other girls of my village. My friends tease me because of my deformity in both the legs, but I am confidant that I will be able to compete with them after the medication or surgery’’.

The two-day camp has been jointly organised by Shri Krishna Charitable Society and Shri Krishna Pranami Jan Kalyan Trust. The organisers had received over 3,700 registration forms. One of the organiser said,‘‘ More than 1,800 patients have been examined and 413 patients have been successfully operated upon by a team of doctors from Visakhapatnam’’.

Dr S V Adinarayan Rao, orthopedic surgeon and director general, Prema Hospital, Visakhapatnam and Dr B. Muralikrishna, executive director, Prema Hospital, Visakhapatnam, the two main doctors and their other teammates told Ludhiana Tribune that they were in the city to perform surgeries on polio-affected children, men and women.

The patients have come from places like Nakodar, Kangra, Jind, Ambala, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepore, Moga and Patiala.

Dr B.Muralikrishna said that more and more patients were pouring in daily. He said that theirs was a charitable organisation in Visakhapatnam, rendering free service to such suffering patients.

Dr Hardeep Singh, orthopedic surgeon, Shri Krishna Charitable Society ,said that the team of doctors would conduct over 600 operations in the camp. This is second camp organised in the city. In the previous camp, about 300 operations were conducted.

Dr Hardeep Singh said that total cost of treatment per patient would be about Rs 4,000 (including boarding and lodging). He said,‘‘An industrialist from Ludhiana has donated Rs 30 lakh (gupt daan) for the construction of a hospital for polio patients. Donations are daily pouring in for this noble cause and we are really thankful towards all our donors’’.

More than 60 volunteers are working in the camp. The patients are provided medicines, food, free of cost, and shelter. Those who can not be treated with surgery, have been advised certain exercises by the doctors.

One of the organisers said, ‘‘We are giving preference to children and girls. The complicated cases will be sent to Visakhapatnam by the organisations. All this noble work has been done under the guidance of Swami Sadanand Ji, who wants to see polio-free India’’.

This was 35th such camp organised by the charitable organisations in the country. ‘‘We get regular donations and funds from the philanthropists of Ludhiana and other cities for the polio eradication programme. Many patients have benefited from the camp whose deformities have been corrected and stabalised’’, said Dr Hardeep Singh.

SPORTS

Hockey championship in PAU
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, October 5
After hosting the International Schools Hockey Championship successfully here last year, the Sports Wing of the Punjab Education Department has been planning to organise an International Cricket Tournament. This was disclosed by Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister, Punjab, here today.

The minister was speaking after inaugurating the Champion Colleges Hockey Tournament being organised jointly by the Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, and the Aryan Hockey Club, Ludhiana, in collaboration with the Hockey Promotion Institute at the Astroturf ground of Punjab Agricultural University.

He said cricket tournament in which eight teams would take part, was expected to be held in last week of November.

The team of England has already confirmed its participation in the tournament. The matches will be played at Ludhiana, Patiala, and SAS Nagar. Mr Tota Singh further said that the state government had enhanced the daily diet allowance for the players from Rs 30 to Rs 100 per day.

Ms Usha Sidhu, District Education Officer (Secondary), Mr S.L. Lottey, District Sports Officer, and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh were also present at the opening ceremony.

In this tournament, eight teams each of boys as well as girls and four teams (u-17) of academies are taking part. In the inaugural match of the tournament (boys section), Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, scored a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Guru Hargobind Khalsa College, Gurusar Sudhar. In the women’s section, Government College for Women, Ludhiana, beat Government College, Sector 11, Chandigarh, 2-0.

Cricket tourney

A scintillating knock of 113 runs off 94 deliveries and then a fine spell of bowling ( 4 for 9 runs) by Yogesh Kumar enabled Sargodha National Public School to thrash Government Model Senior Secondary School, PAU, by 101 runs in the inaugural match of the Parle- G Inter-School Cricket Tournament ( u-16 ) being organised by the Ludhiana District Cricket Association on Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, campus here today.

Put into bat first, Sargodha National Public School amassed 227 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 40 overs. Yogesh Kumar hammered 113 runs and was ably assisted by Amarpal Singh who contributed 45 runs.

In reply, Government Model Senior Secondary School were skittled out for a paltry 126 runs in 24 overs. Only Yadwinder (25) and Gurvinkal (29) stood the ground for PAU school.

Earlier, Sister Sobal, Principal of Sacred Heart Convent Senior Secondary School, inaugurated the match. The next fixture slated for Saturday is between SAN Jain Senior Secondary School and Government Model Senior Seconadary School.

Breif scores — Sargodha National Public School 227 for 8 in 40 overs ( Amarpal Singh 45, Yogesh Kumar 113, Pankaj 15 n.o, Sumit 2 for 33, Virender 2 for 26 and Lalli 2 for 33 ); Government Model Senior Secondary School, PAU 126 all out in 24 overs ( Gurvinkal 29, Bharat 16, Yadwinder 25, Yogesh Kumar 4 for 9 and Sushyant 5 for 42 ).

Cycling meet from October 10

Arrangements are in full swing for the All-India Inter-Varsity Cycling Championship for men and women to be held here at the PAU velodrome from October 10 to 14. In a communication issued by the PAU, it was informed that Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, on October 10.

The sequence of events will be 1500 m team time trial (men) on October 10; 1000 m time trial (men); 100 m time trial (women) and 1000 m massed start (men) on October 11; 4000 m individual pursuit (men) (1st and 2nd place); 3000 m individual pursuit (women) (1st and 2nd place); 1000 m sprint (men) and 1000 m massed start (women); 4000 m team pursuit (men); 3000 m team pursuit (women) and 20 km point race on October 12 and 50 km road team time Trial (men) and 30 km road race (women) on October 13; and 100 km road massed start (men) on October 14.