PGI to Celebrate World Immunology Day by Educating School Children

By 121 News

Chandigarh 28^th April:- 29^th April is World Immunology Day. On this day Department of Immunopathology along     with Indian Immunology Society and Regional Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization (ROTTO) is organizing awareness lectures for school children (classes IX to XIII), making them aware about the immune system and its relevance in diseases prevention in Bhargava Auditorium from 10am to 12pm. Cancers, Infections and Life style diseases are all preventable. This intervention at school level will go a long way in reducing disease burden of society. Awareness about organ donation is also included in the programme.

Prof. Subhash Varma Dean PGI will be the Chief Guest.  Prof. Mukut Minz and Dr. Vipin Koushal will be the guests of honor. 

Governor Launch Automatic Vehicle Location System of CTU

By 121 News

Chandigarh 28^th April:- The Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) Project of CTU was launched today by V.P. Singh Badnore, Governor Punjab & Administrator, U.T. Chandigarh at Punjab Raj Bhawan. With the launch of the system, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking has taken a step further to bring information technology in its operation. Envisaged in September-2016, the project was completed in January-2017 by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking. Post which, the project was put on testing for two months.

The Project provides the live positioning of all Inter-State Buses (Approx 130 Nos) of CTU. It also gives the Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) for all Bus stops on the way as well as final Destination of the Journey. The expected Time of Departure is also given for all the Bus Stops (including ISBT-17 & ISBT-43) for CTU buses. The calculation of ETA is automatically updated as per Traffic congestion on route.

All the information is available through an Android Based Mobile App "CTU Bus Tracker" which is available free on Google Play Store. The information on buses can also be found on CTU website www.chdctu.gov.in. CTU has also installed two Passenger Information screens on the two ISBTs. In the coming days, more screens shall be put up by CTU.  This project shall prove to be highly beneficial for the CTU Management as it shall be able to monitor the Schedule/ Route of the buses and any deviation therein shall be highlighted automatically. It shall enforce the time adherence & quality of service.

Black Lotus Chinese Restaurant at Taj Chandigarh Born Again

By 121 News

Chandigarh 28^th April:- Black Lotus, the fine dining Chinese restaurant at Taj Chandigarh has undergone a stylish renovation. The entire concept flows into a visual and culinary narrative picking up from the central theme of the space, as well as from the iconic scripture of the Ming Era, titled, Golden Lotus. The newly refurbished space includes a contemporary and comfortable bar area along with an effervescent alfresco, thematic interiors and an all new menu.

One of the first fine dining Chinese restaurants to have opened up in City Beautiful, Black Lotus already enjoyed a prestigious status. Known to serve specialties like crispy corn kernels, Peking duck, chicken chilli mountain and tiger prawn sesame chilli sauce, this was a place that saw its fair share of diners for both lunch and dinner.

As the space undergoes a transformation, it brings in a strong thematic tie-in with the cuisine service style and de décor, to create a unique experience. Accents from innovated textures from the lifestyle during this era have been used. The pairing of three dimensional fabrics woven specially for the occasion seeks inspiration in the architecture of the location. The cuisine story is of contemporary Chinese with a focus on modern flavors and plating. It also reflects the traditional cultural motifs, from China, albeit, given a modern and contemporary appeal.

The central theme, takes its name from the restaurant, thus picking up the motif of the Lotus. The key elements from a design stand point will be the three dimensional artworks created in metal, which talk about the growth of a lotus and how it slowly takes over the pond. The strategic use of privacy screens complements the space while making the overall ambience more intimate but yet open. The color scheme in the tones of grey accentuated with rose gold and claret add intrigue while bringing a sophisticated and muted touch to the entire space.

Having served for almost a dozen years, the restaurant welcomed the comprehensive renovation that it has received with a freshness of the menu. Black Lotus, in its new avatar brings to the table some very authentic dishes from the Schezwan belt of China. Expat Chef Wang, joins hands with Chef Gaurav to come up with a menu that flaunts some very unique additions.

Grills featuring almost all kinds of meats and sea food bring in an all new perspective when it comes to Chinese dining. Presented on a hot plate, these dishes focus on retaining the flavor of the meats, with minimalistic use of sauces.

Another interesting section that has been added to the menu is clay pots. Here the food has been cooked in UN-glazed pots and is served in a mix of rice/noodles and the made to tailor sauces, of the guest's choice.

Other sections that are wining flavor with the diners are wontons and baozi. Dishes like stir fried lobster garlic pepper; Haricot beans with dry chilli in black bean sauce and steamed tofu on a bed of bok choy are definitely set to wow the guests.

The desserts, usually a neglected section in Chinese menus, have been given a lot of attention and some unique sweets like lemon grass crème brule or clove triangle pineapple with chilli and coconut milk, can be tried here. Old time favorites have been retained and given their place of honor in the new menu, which works wonderfully for Black Lotus patrons.

The service style of the restaurant has brought in some very interesting themes from China and adapted these to cater to the guests here. Right from the Ni Hao greeting to the elaborate jasmine tea serving style, all of it is in keeping with the oriental aura. The wet towel, welcome drink and palate cleansing sorbet combine to add to the dining experience in the restaurant.

Sumit Sharma, the restaurant manager has managed the art of service with perfection, by paying attention to detail and maintaining the Taj luxury benchmarks. 

With a private dining room, split level seating, casual lounge area and an alfresco, Black Lotus now offers a seating capacity of 80 people.  Be it a choice from formal to casual dining, a sophisticated serving module or an elaborate and authentic menu, Black Lotus offers it all. Open from 1 pm to midnight, seven days a week, it is clear that the restaurant is all set to change the course of Chinese fine dining in Chandigarh.

National Human Rights Commission organizes Regional Workshop on Good Governance, Development and Human Rights

By 121 News

Chandigarh 28^th April:- A regional workshop for Northern India on Good Governance, Development and Human Rights, jointly organised by National Human Rights Commission and U.T Chandigarh  with participating states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal  Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir was inaugurated today  by V.P Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab and Administrator, U.T Chandigarh. The workshop was inaugurated in the august presence of Justice H.L Dattu, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, Justice D. Murugesan, Member, National Human Rights Commission, S.C Sinha, Member, National Human Rights Commission, Smt. Jyotika Kalka, Member, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. S.N Mohanty, Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Ranjit Singh, Joint Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, M.P Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to Governor Punjab, Anurag Agarwal, Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, Ajit Balaji Joshi, Deputy Commissioner U.T, Chandigarh and other senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration, Judicial members, representatives from NGOs/Civil Society, Academicians and Research Scholars from Universities.

Anurag Agarwal, Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, welcomed all the Dignitaries and the participants to the workshop and conveyed his happiness on Chandigarh being chosen as the venue for the NHRC workshop. He said that this workshop will help in kindling new light, and knowledge to all the participants. The Choice of subject is extremely logical and meaningful adding a lot of emphasis to the current century's functioning.  

V.P Singh Badnore, Governor of Punjab and Administrator, U.T Chandigarh, addressing the gathering expressed his honour on being part of the workshop. He said that the topic for the Regional Workshop has been wisely chosen because all these three important aspects are interrelated and prove to be an essential tool for the development and growth of any country.

He added that in a world where human rights continue to remain a challenge in advanced as well as developing countries, the declaration stands as a beacon for the international community on the standards it should set for the defence and promotion of human rights. The Universal Declaration is a reference document from which all subsequent human rights legal instruments have evolved to ensure protection of the weak and disadvantaged from injustice and arbitrary treatment.

V.P Singh Badnore, in his address called upon our Government, the judiciary, statutory bodies like the National Commission and civil society to do their utmost for the promotion and protection of human rights. He said we must increase awareness for human rights by including it as a subject in school curriculum. A human rights culture should infuse our national consciousness.

Vote of thanks for offered by Kriti Garg, (South & Central) wherein she thanked His Excellency for gracing the occasion with his presence and also thanked the Chairperson, Secretary General, Joint secretary, members of NHRC and all the participants for being part of the workshop.

BIG Cricket League Winners Meet KXIP Players

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- 92.7 BIG FM has always been on the fore-front in undertaking path – breaking initiatives to establish its presence to occupy a position of strength. Taking this a notch higher, the largest radio network with their partnership with Kings XI Punjab which entered into its 10^th successive year provided a lifetime opportunity to its listeners at Chandigarh and Tricity under various on-air and digital contests this season like "BIG Cricket League", which offered a not-to-be-missed opportunity for cricket enthusiasts. Lucky winners got an opportunity to meet and greet the ace Kings XI Punjab players at Hotel Marriot. Lucky Listeners won autographed bats of KXIP players and Kings XI Punjab merchandise. Amongst the Kings XI players Manan Vohra, Gurkeerat Mann, David Miller, Sandeep Sharma, Marcus Stoinis were present for this meet & greet.

Big FM's RJ Abhimanyu interacted with players on this occasion and asked them about their likes, City beautiful-Chandigarh, their other interests and stuff.

Strict Action Against People Indulging in Food Adulteration: Commissioner FDA

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- A meeting of all officers of Food and Drug Administration was chaired here today by Commissioner Food and Drug administration Sh. Varun Roojam, during which he gave stern directions to take strict action against violators of Food Safety and Standards Act of India (FSSAI). The meeting was held at Punjab Health System Corporation, SAS Nagar and attended by Assistant Commissioners (Food Safety), all Food Safety Officers and Designated Officers. During the meeting the officers were told to deal the nefarious elements indulging in mal-practice of food adulteration with iron hands.

Varun Roojam stated that as per the directions given by Health & Family Welfare Minister, Brahm Mohindra, the Department is committed to curb the practice of food adulteration and immediately put an end to any possible nexus. It was emphasized that food adulteration was very sensitive issue, as it touches the life, well-being and health of common people, therefore all necessary measures must be taken by the food safety officers to ensure that only healthy and hygienic food items are sold in the market. Food Safety Officers were asked to work dedicatedly and also ensure that the adequate food samples are obtained to match the specified targets and routine inspections must also be carried regularly.

Commissioner FDA told the officers to identify the shortcomings within the department and remove them promptly and adopt the best practices to make the system completely transparent and responsive. While pulling up the districts that have not been able to accomplish the specified targets of food sampling, Varun Roojam directed them to step up their performance and give the desired results without any further delay. Any complaints being received from public should be looked into and redressed promptly so that a trust between Government and public could be build up. It was discussed that regular sampling of products of big companies, as well as loose food items being sold in the open market needs to be stepped up, with special emphasis on milk and milk products like Khoa, Ghee etc. as milk products are consumed more frequently by public.

Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Deputy Director informed that flavored/scented tobacco and gutkha etc is banned in Punjab under food safety and standard act and any commercial establishment having food license can't sell tobacco products. He said 90 percent of oral cancers are attributed to usage of chewable tobacco.

During the meeting the Nodal Officer, FDA, Dr. Amritpal asked the officers to ensure timely submission of monthly reports.

Jharkhand Man with Rare Tumour in Neck Gets New Lease of Life at Fortis Hospital

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- Ashok Kumar Mandal, a 41-year-old teacher in a village in Jharkhand, did not know what misfortune was in store for him when he started having fever around January 2017. He had urinary complaints as well and got initial treatment at Jharkhand and then at a Kolkata hospital, where he underwent a urological intervention.

Further investigations in Kolkata revealed that he had a left Parathyroid adenoma (parathyroid tumour) which was secreting parathyroid hormone, in turn increasing his calcium levels in blood to alarming levels. This led to multiple huge stones in both kidneys and severe urinary tract infection (UTI).

He was referred to Chandigarh for further management and he got admitted to Fortis Hospital, Mohali under Dr Vishal Bhambri, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, on February 22.

Ashok Kumar Mandal's fever refused to come down and he was diagnosed with XDR (Extremely drug resistant) bacterial infection (Klebsiella) in urine. He was given a combination of strong antibiotics for his severe infection and his fever resolved. Meanwhile, his calcium levels were normalized with Dr R Muralidharan's help (Senior Consultant, Endocrinologist, Fortis Hospital, Mohali). He was taken up for surgery by Dr. Naval Bansal (Consultant, Endocrine Surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Mohali) who operated upon him successfully and found that there was a thrombus (clot) in parathyroid draining vein as well (of which very few reported cases in the world are there so far).

The patient was also taken up for urology intervention (Bilateral PCN) by Dr. Priyadarshi Ranjan (Senior Urologist & Renal Transplant Surgeon, Fortis Hospital, Mohali) on March 3. The infection level in his kidneys was so high that it was felt by the Urologist to wait for it to settle down before undertaking a definitive stone surgery. So he was discharged from hospital on March 10.

He was admitted for the second time on March 25 and Dr. Priyadarshi Ranjan undertook a major urological procedure to open up his urinary system. His infection level was so high that he went into septic shock with multi-organ failure after this surgery and his condition deteriorated ever further. He developed deep jaundice and was on multiple medicines to maintain B.P. at one time along with being on ventilator.

Dr Vishal Bhambri said that good ICU support, teamwork & prayers brought him back from the brink of death to life. The patient's infection in blood and urine turned out to be resistant to all antibiotics. Despite this, he was treated well and got discharged on April 12 on patient's request.

He required a third admission on April 14 with recurrence of fever. His blood culture showed another very resistant infection (VRE). Dr Vishal Bhambri said that this was again managed well and he got discharged on April 20.

The patient, grateful to his doctors for their efforts, said he was thankful that all specialists were available to take care of all the complications. He said that he is returning to Jharkhand as a man who has been gifted life by these doctors.

Tyre Express Partners with Microsoft for Tyre Performance Management Solution

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- Tyre Express, a startup pioneering lifecycle management for fleet operators, has developed an IoT based Tyre Performance Management Solution. Powered by the Azure IoT Hub, Tyre Express with its solution,will help build operational efficiency for commercial vehicle fleet operators by tracking tyre performance.

In India, procurement of new tyres for a commercial vehicle approximately costs about INR 1.00 Lakhs to INR 1.50 Lakhs ($1,800-$2,200). Fluctuations in pressure and temperature can have a dramatic effect on the life span of a tyre. Tyre pressure varies across vehicles depending on the model, size, etc., depending on whether one travels on a light or fully loaded vehicle. Tyre Express powered by the Azure IoT hub has started working towards monitoring these parameters and taking preemptive measures to increase their performance.

Brijesh Shukla, Co-Founder, Tyre Express said that tyres are one of the largest consumables for fleet operators after fuel. Operating a vehicle with tyre pressure that is 20% below rated pressure increases fuel consumption by 5-10% and reduces tyre life by 15% to 20%. The new IoT platform helps customers monitor tyre performance in real time and track inventory.  Microsoft Azure enables us to create a superior customer experience by allowing us to seamlessly integrate our devices with the cloud, store, and analyze data.  It enables us to visualize the same in the form of easy-to-understand dashboards. We can help customers take suitable action based on such inputs to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve profitability.

Narendra Bhandari, General Manager – Developer Experience and Evangelism, Microsoft India said that tyre performance tracking can control premature tyre failure in vehicle, a direct impact to fleet productivity, costs and on time performance. Microsoft and Tyre Express have combined the power of IoT and Analytics for this innovative and game changing offering for the commercial vehicle industry.

The aggregator hub gathers data that is periodically sent to the Azure IoT hub for further processing and analytics. When a message enters the Microsoft Azure IoT Hub, the Stream Analytics casts the data to appropriate data types and sends it to Power BI for a visual demo and to a SQL database.

CME on Holistic Healing Held at Chandigarh

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- In a CME conducted by IMA, Chandigarh in association with  Department of Medical & Radiation Oncology at Max Hospital Mohali, doctors spoke about how to  empower and equip individuals with the 'Awareness of connecting back to themselves' to live meaningfully while dealing with sickness.  Dr Sachin Gupta, Senior Consultant Medical Oncology spoke on 'The art of Healing' and Dr Sajal Kakkar, senior consultant Radiation Oncology, spoke on 'Recent advances in Radiation Oncology'. Present on the occasion were Dr Ajay K Aggarwal, President and Dr Paramjit Singh, Secretary of IMA Chandigarh.

Dr Sachin Gupta said that we as Oncologists need to focus on interactions between the mind and the body how beliefs, attitudes, lifestyle choices, spiritual and psychological perspectives can dramatically impact the patient's health, the course of his recovery and overall well-being. Realizing the need to have a Support Program in place,  a team of Therapists from the Cancer Unit of Max Hospital came together to create a 'Healing Support Program' that has a Soul-Mind-Body approach for addressing patients concerns.

He added that we bring together the experts of the BODY (the doctors), the experts of the MIND (Mind Therapists) and experts of the SOUL  (Metaphysical Therapists). The idea is to harness the limitless potential of the mind, help patients learn coping strategies to change negative beliefs into healing thoughts and manage stress by meditation, self empowerment, eating healthy and exercise.  We help them manage and overcome anxiety and depression, understand how to deal with anticipatory nausea and vomiting, conceptualize a Healthy Diet that can strengthen the immune System.

Dr Sachin Gupta shared further that we have seen a significant improvement in the overall well being and health of patients, these workshops are beneficial not only for cancer patients but also for hospital staff and doctors who are constantly engaged in dealing with cancer patients. The workshop focuses on treating both the mind and the soul. We treat the body with chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, but are also trying to combine modern medicine and holistic healing approach.

The CME focussed on interactions between the Soul - mind and the body how beliefs, attitudes, lifestyle choices, spiritual and psychological perspectives can dramatically improve patients' health, the course of their disease, and our overall well-being.

Business owners Association Blames JLPL: Demand Matter Should Be Examined by the Sitting Judge

By 121 News

Chandigarh 27^th April:- Business owners Association of sector 82  feels that they were cheated by Private Developer Janta Land Promoters Ltd.   They mentioned that they smell scam of `75 Crore in F.A.R.

While interacting with media here in Chandigarh press club Gurmukh Singh, President, Business owners Association said that JLPL signed the MOU with Govt. of Punjab to develop an industrial mega project with the provision of F.A.R.-2. Accordingly the company advertised in newspapers and published their sales brochures. However the company inadvertently/deliberately submitted the Zoning Plan with F.A.R.-1 in 2010, perhaps to encash the F.A.R-2 at the later stage, to which CTP, Pb also gave the approval. In 2016 as pre-promised the Government sanctioned F.A.R.-2 to Sector 82. However JLPL revised the zoning plan with the same laid up infrastructure, for which the company did not paid any fees/charges to the Punjab Government.

He shared further that with an intention to generate extra revenue of approx. `75 Crores the company started demanding illegally `1000 per sq.yd. (`5 Lakhs per 1 Kanal Plot) from the allottees. The allottees who wanted to begin their constructions were not able to get their NOCs from JLPL, water connections or plot demarcations without paying such amount.

 In absence of directions and any departmental check on JLPL from the Govt. of Punjab, the company fraudulently, unethically, illegally fixed such charges and forcefully started collection without issuing any written demand notice.

JLPL has never checked upon the profiles of the allottees while selling the industrial plots. The plots were sold in real estate market to all sections of the society industrial/non-industrial, irrespective of their backgrounds.

The industrial area is facing erratic power supply due to low capacity infrastructure installed and maintained by JLPL. Since the industry is consumer of PSPCL but the internal maintenance is done by JLPL. The area is sidelined by PSPCL and hence industry faces heavy production losses.

Demarcated 66 KVA grid station in sector-82 does not seem to be reality in the near future.

The water and sewerage system installed by JLPL is far from the required capacity of the area, which results into meager water supply and overflow of sewer systems. The 50% internal roads are still not metaled and the remaining are metaled with poor quality.

JLPL has not provided the promised infrastructure that includes setting up of Convention Center, Police Post, Dispensary, Fire Station etc. due to which the industrialists are being felt cheated for.

Sector 82 is money minting machine for JLPL :

As per MOU, Government had allotted the industrial mega project to JLPL for the period of just 5 years and the company has sold out all the land earmarked in the mega project. Still the company deliberately have been seeking extensions because the company collects huge revenue from the allottees in the form of non-construction fee which amounts to approx. `3.25 Crore per annum. The security amount which company collects against water and sewer connection amounts to `38000 per one Kanal plot whereas in other Govt. industrial areas it is `1000 only, which amounts to `1.90 Crore interest free deposit with the company. In addition the company is planning to impose maintenance charges whereas the infrastructure is far than complete.

JLPL retaliated by issuing notices for building violations to the industrialists very next day, since the association approached the M.L.A. for exposing the fraud. This does not come under the company's purview.

The officials of the Association appealed to the state Govt. for a fair investigation and demanded that the matter should be examined by the sitting Judge of the Honorable Court.

DishTV, World’s only Media & Entertainment organization to be Assessed at CMMI Level 4

By 121 News

Chandigarh 26^th April:- DishTV Asia's largest DTH brand has announced that it has become the only Media & Entertainment organization in the world which has been appraised at Level 4 (CMMI-DEV and CMMI-SVC V1.3) of the CMMI institute's Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) ®. This makes DishTV the newest member of a very elite club; the SEI website lists only 15 companies, in India, in last 3 years together who have been certified for Level 4 or 5.

Speaking on the achievement, Arun Kumar Kapoor, Chief Executive Officer, DishTV said that we are glad to become world's first Media & Entertainment Company to receive CMMI-DEV and CMMI-SVC V1.3 ML4 certification. At DishTV we are committed to delivering products and services of highest quality to our subscribers. With the CMMI LEVEL 4 rating we have demonstrated that we have built an infrastructure in our program that clearly shows our on-going commitment to serving our customers with highest standards of service, quality and exceptional delivery in what we do.

Arun Kumar Kapoor said that however we don't intent to rest on our laurels. For us this is an incentive to keep refining and fine tuning our system and processes in our quest to give non-stop entertainment to our valued subscribers.

Zee Action Presents Sunny Deol Starrer Action Drama ‘Salaakhen’ on 29th April

By 121 News

Chandigarh 26^th April:-  Zee Action, India's Hindi Action Movie Destination, presents Sunny Deol starred action drama 'Salaakhen' under its prime property 'Shanivaar Fight Club' on Saturday, 29th April at 8 PM.

The highly intense film Salaakhen revolves around School-master, Sachidanand Agnihotri (Anupam Kher) who is content with his life until he witnesses a rape and murder committed by the son of an influential and corrupt social worker Jaspal Rana (Amrish Puri). Just like a typical middle-class citizen he helplessly walks away from the situation disregarding what he saw.  His inner turmoil is further rattled when he sees Jaspal giving a speech on honor and commitment. It is then Sachidanand voices the truth about Jaspal, his son, and their wrong doings. After this Jaspal's henchmen torture him to such limits that Sachidanand commits suicide. It is then his son Vishal (Sunny Deol) takes upon himself to bring the perpetrators to justice.