In brief

Woman hit by bike,dies
AMBALA: An elderly woman,identified as Madhu,died after she was hit by a motorcycle near the Dhulkot powerhouse on the Ambala-Chandigarh road on Saturday. The accident occurred when she was crossing the road with her daughter-in-law. Madhu was referred to the PGI in Chandigarh but succumbed to injuries on the way. A case was registered against the unidentified biker.

Workshop for doctors at Rajindra Hospital
PATIALA: The Department of Transfusion Medicine at Government Medical College,Rajindra Hospital,Patiala,in collaboration with the State AIDS Control Society and State Blood Transfusion Council,Chandigarh,organised a continuing medical education programme and workshop on ‘Blood components for clinicians’ on Saturday. Over 200 doctors attended the meet. The aim was to make doctors aware about the appropriate use of blood by dividing its components so that a unit of blood can benefit three to four patients. Jai Kishan,director,Research and Medical Education,Punjab,was the chief guest. Manmohan Singh,president,Punjab Medical Council,was the guest of honour. K D Singh,medical superintendent,Rajindra Hospital,Shashi Prabha,head,Department of Transfusion Medicine and professors R R Sharma,Dr Sabita Basu and Ravneet Kaur also spoke on the occasion. A souvenir was also released.

Youth run over by train
MOHALI: A migrant youth Arvind Kumar was run over by a train on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana railway line near Jagatpura village in Mohali on Saturday morning. Though the accident took place around 10 am,the police shifted the body from the spot around 5 pm. Kumar’s uncle Nand Kishore Chaudhary told the police that his nephew was working with a construction contractor. Eyewitnesses told the police that Arvind was walking along the railway track and when he saw a train passing close to him,he suddenly lost his control and fell on the track,following which the train ran over him. The police have begun inquest proceedings.

Convocation held at DAV College
CHANDIGARH: Over 900 students were conferred degrees at the annual convocation of the DAV College on Saturday where Prof R C Sobti,Vice Chancellor,Panjab University,was the chief guest.
Congratulating the graduates and postgraduates,Dr Sobti motivated them to be the agents of change and take charge of the future and utilise their optimum potential for establishing themselves in the competitive world. Sixty-five students were given medals for achieving distinction in Academics,Sports and Co-curricular activities.

Wake-up call for GMSH-16 authorities: Day after fire,parking managed by guards
CHANDIGARH: A day after a major fire broke out at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16,authorities finally seem to have woken up. Parking at the hospital on Saturday was streamlined by the private security guards as they made sure vehicles were parked properly.
The parking situation in GMSH is generally chaotic and vehicles can be seen parked haphazardly at various locations. The ongoing construction at the hospital also hinders proper parking. A fire had broken out at the trauma centre of the hospital yesterday. The centre and the adjoining emergency operation theatres on the first floor of the hospital were also damaged. An inquiry has been marked into the incident.

‘Mere granting of second language status to Punjabi in Haryana not enough’
AMBALA: Haryana Punjabi Sabha president and former minister A C Chaudhary said mere granting of second language status to Punjabi was not sufficient until its teaching was introduced in schools. He added Punjabis in Haryana were not being given due representation in the state government. Satisfied that the community was represented adequately in the Rajya Sabha,the minister demanded allocation of Lok Sabha seats to Punjabis in accordance with the population.

‘Use of medicinal,herbal plants should be promoted’
CHANDIGARH: Pradip Mehra,advisor to the UT Administrator,inaugurated a seminar on ‘Protection,Conservation and Propagation of Medicinal Plants’ at the Botanical Gardens in Chandigarh on Saturday. Mehra also planted a sapling of Elaeocarpus Ganitrus ‘Rudraksha’. Speaking on the occasion,Mehra emphasised the involvement of every individual as an active partners to initiate a revolution for protecting medicinal and herbal plants.
He further said: “Even if there are positive aspects of science and discoveries,we should not forget the disadvantages of excess use and application of science as well.”
Various eminent speakers expressed their views at the meet. Former Deputy Director (Ayurveda),Chandigarh,Dr Madan Gulati spoke on the utility of medicinal plants while Conservator of Forests,Ishwar Singh,presented an overview of herbal plants,their uses,benefits and importance. CEO of Garden and Parks,National Capital Territory,Sukhdev Singh,spoke on the marketing strategy to be adopted for medicinal plants. UT Finance-cum-Forest Secretary Sanjay Kumar was also present on the occasion. Farmers,teachers and lecturers from educational institutions,doctors and engineers from the Horticulture Wing also attended the seminar.

Sadho poetry film festival opens today
Chandigarh: The Department of Tourism,Chandigarh Administration,in association with Sadho,an NGO,will hold Sadho poetry film festival on March 28 at the Government Museum and Art Gallery Auditorium,Sector 10. The films to be screened during the festival are Adam Smith’s animated film The girl with liquid eyes,Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayasankar’s film Irani Restaurant- Instructions based on a poem of the same name by Nissim Ezekiel; Martin Earle’s film A galaxy over there ;Mark Saba’s film He was a poet and when he died,Farid Bayan’s I am here without you ;Taatske Peterson’s One person- Lucy; Parijat Kaul’s Panun Pan Parzan; Nandan Saxena & Kavita Bahl’s film O! Autumn Winds’ based on the Haiku of immortal Japanese poets Basho,Takahama Kyoshi and Masaoka Shiki.
Apart from this,there will be two films by thirteen-year old filmmakers Chail. The film explores the interplay between the worlds of monkey and man,played out in the fertile imagination of a child. Ek Sapna by Shashwat Mudgal is based on a poem by his 12-year old sister Anagha,published on the Sadho website. The programme will begin at 4 pm and entry is free and will be on first-come-first-serve basis.