GH-16 to have incinerator, waste boxes
By Sonoo Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 25 — The Union Government had notified that all hospitals and nursing homes with a capacity of 500 beds should install waste treatment facilities like incinerators or microwave systems latest by December 31, 1999. With less than two months to go, General Hospital, Sector 16, is in the process of complying with the orders.

The hospital, which reportedly produces 150 kg to 200 kg of bio-medical waste products daily, was sanctioned Rs 35 lakh in June to install an incinerator. "We are hoping that by the end of December, we would be able to install the incinerator through the Engineering Department. If the project is not completed in time, we would coordinate with the PGI for managing the waste," said Dr Joginder Singh, Director, Health Services, Chandigarh Administration. The incinerator to be installed here, behind the canteen building, would take a load of 100 kg waste per hour.

Almost two years ago, the Supreme Court had issued a directive to hospitals and nursing homes in the country on the issue of waste treatment facilities, which lays down not only the segregation, packaging, transportation and storage of bio-medical waste but also its treatment and disposal. According to experts, since the sanction of money and the allotment of place and equipment take time, the installation of incinerators has been delayed.

Hospital waste comprises general waste, which includes non-hazardous domestic waste; pathological waste that includes human foetus, blood, body fluids and body parts; chemical waste which may be both non-hazardous and toxic or corrosive and reactive; infectious and potentially infectious waste, which may contain sufficient quantity of pathogen to produce infection; pharmaceutical waste and radioactive waste.

Items like syringes, blood bags, saline bottles, uro bags, medicine foils, rubber tubes, surgical gloves etc are salvaged for reselling. In many cases, sweepers are known to store these items from the hospital waste and then sell them off.

According to Dr G. Diwan, Deputy Medical Superintendent, General Hospital, who has done a thesis on the subject of management of medical waste, "It is important to create awareness on this subject, starting from the level of the sweeper to the highest level, in order to make people react to the impact of handling hospital waste on sanitation and health".

In the next 15 days, General Hospital plans to have put containers throughout the hospital for the disposal of bio-medical waste. The hospital has coloured empty phenol boxes as per the Central Government notification.

Yellow boxes would be used for human anatomical waste, animal waste, microbiology and biotechnology waste and solid waste. Red boxes for microbiology waste; waste generated from disposable items other than 'waste sharps' like tubings, catheters, intravenous sets; and items contaminated with blood and bloody fluids, including cotton, dressings, soiled plaster casts and beddings. Black boxes are for incineration ash, chemical waste and discarded medicines and cytoxolic drugs.

The hospital also has plans to educate its staff members on the management of waste through classes and pamphlets and leaflets in Hindi and Punjabi.

'Give students free atmosphere'
By Poonam Batth
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 24 — ''In a system where the child is perpetually burdened with vast syllabus, homework and examination system, schools should try to give an atmosphere of freedom to the child,'' says Mrs Indu Maitra, principal of Sri Aurobindo School of Integral Education, Sector 27.

According to her, schools should follow a free education system in which child can imbibe knowledge and information without hindering his natural growth.

Mrs Maitra maintains that in her school, all this is done with the help of activities and experiences given to the child. ''We try our level best to make the concepts very clear so that what they learn is deep and lasting,'' she adds.

We try to avoid cramped syllabus and burden of homework, but the problem comes when parents feel that the pace of teaching is slow and their children may not be able to compete with other children, she says.

Hence, sometimes the demand for examination and syllabus comes from parents even as we as teachers are quite confident that whatever they are doing will give them a good training to face the world.

Talking about teaching methodology, Mrs Maitra pointed out: ''while teaching we strike at the creativity, intuition and imagination of a child''. The emphasis is on the allround growth of the child so as to ensure that even the quietest child opens up and becomes confident in whatever he does. This is the aim of integral education, she says.

A postgraduate in English, with a diploma in teaching of English from the CIEFL, Hyderabad, Mrs Maitra has spent more than three decades in the field of teaching. She began her career in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, in 1968 and also worked as a senior education officer in Nigeria for five years. She worked as an English teacher in sacred Heart Convent, Sector 26, for over eight years before joining the Sri Aurobindo school as the founder principal six years ago.

''Teachers ought to be hard working and should use their imagination. They cannot depend solely on textbooks for teaching but should be more innovative to invent new methods of teaching,'' says Mrs maitra.

Parents have an important role to play in the development of the child. ''Don't expect too much from your child and put unnecessary burden on him,'' she asserts. parents should not compare the syllabus and method of teaching with other schools, but should see their wards' performance at the end of the session.

Mrs Maitra is strongly opposed to corporal punishment in schools and the philosophy of the school management is also against the use of even harsh word.

She is of the view that children, particularly those studying in the junior classes, would stop going in for tuitions if teachers of various subjects do justice to the topics in class.

The evaluation of a child should not be done just on the basis of his scores in the terminal and annual examinations, but on his daily performance in the class.

Mrs Maitra believes that curriculum of various subjects should not be given much importance as mere learning or cramming of a set syllabus will not yield 100 cent results. The schools should use their discretion in selecting syllabus, keeping in view the grasping power of the students.

Committed to the cause of education, Mrs Maitra, who lost her husband at a very young age, says: ''I would strive to teach and impart right values to my students based on my vast experience. In fact, there should be no retirement age for teacher and they should be allowed to work as long as they can.''

Roads not repaired for 5 years
From Our Correspondent

ZIRAKPUR Oct 25 — Poor roads in Zirakpur and its adjoining villages have become a cause of concern.

Residents of several villages, including Zirakpur, Bartana and Dhakauli, demand immediate repair of roads which are full of potholes. Villagers complain that no work has been done on these roads for the past five years. Non-carpeting of roads has virtually turned them into death-traps, they say.

"The authorities concentrate on urban localities and they do not bother about the villages. It shows the indifferent attitude of the administration which claims itself pro-people," says Mr Partap Singh, a resident of Bartana.

The Zirakpur-Ambala and Zirakpur-Shimla highways are also in a poor state. Heavy rush of traffic on these poor roads pose a serious threat of accidents, say a number of residents.

Residents blame the ''illegal'' construction going on outside the ''lal dora'' for the deteriorating condition of roads. Brick-kiln owners and agents have formed a brick market near Bartana. Trucks crossing from here have further made the road deplorable.

Mr Kartar Singh, a resident of Lohgarh village, feels that the main cause of deterioration of roads is lack of proper drainage of water.

Jagman Singh to head Institution of Engineers
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 25 — Mr Jagman Singh has become the first engineer from the Punjab and Chandigarh State Centre to be elected President of the prestigious Institution of Engineers.

The Institution of Engineers, which was established in September 1920 and was granted Royal Charter on September 9,1935, by King George V, is now a premier and renowned professional body in the world.

Popular in engineering fraternity here as "Dam Man", he was one of the prominent engineers who built the world famous Bhakra Dam. He had 17 years' association with US dam builder M.H. Slocum, who was in India for the construction of Bhakra Dam.

A graduate in mechanical engineering from Maclagon Engineering College, Lahore, Mr Jagman Singh has several prestigious awards and honours to his credit. He has been felicitated by both Punjab and central governments on several occasions.

Mr Jagman Singh becomes the third irrigation engineer to head this prestigious body. Several lieutenant-generals, vice-chancellors and prominent engineers have been the President of this premier body in the past.

Last night, the Punjab and Chandigarh centre of the Institution of Engineers at its Sector 19 premises organised a function to felicitate Mr Jagman Singh.

The Institution of Engineers has 94 centres in the country, six overseas chapters and has over 4 lakh members, including 80,000 corporate and about 3.2 lakh incorporate (student) members and disseminates continuing education in 15 different divisions of the engineering field.

It conducts AMIE examination, twice in a year, to give diploma and non-diploma holders opportunity to improve their qualification to engineering degree level while in job.The government recognises AMIE as equivalent to engineering degree. It is now producing more than 3500 engineering graduates annually in the country.

Meanwhile, Dr T.S. Kamal has been unanimously elected as new Chairman of the Punjab and Chandigarh centre for the next session 1999-2001.