Pharmacists in the city say that panic-driven demand has outstripped supply, dismaying people who are willing to pay almost three times the normal price of the mask, N 95, recommended by the World Health Organisation.

The tissue masks available in the market are apparently not effective against the H1N1 virus. “It is advisable to obtain the surgical mask N95,” said Ashok Patel, a pharmacist at Paras Medical Store on the Civil hospital campus. “We sold the masks for Rs80. Now, they are not available even at Rs200 per piece.” He said a new lot of masks was expected by Monday, though the price was not known.

It is reported that some Amdavadis are buying the masks for their relatives in Pune, which had registered the first death in India caused by the H1N1 virus.

·                        fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent

·                        cough

·                        runny nose or stuffy nose

·                        sore throat

·                        body aches

·                        headache

·                        chills

·                        fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme

·                        diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu

Signs of a more serious swine flu infection might include pneumonia and respiratory failure.

If your child has symptoms of swine flu, you should avoid other people and call your pediatrician who might do a rapid flu test to see if he has an influenza A infection. Further testing can then be done to see if it is a swine flu infection. (Samples can be sent to local and state health departments and the CDC for confirmation of swine flu, especially if a child is in the hospital.)

H1N1 by November this year!

CPL had set up a joint venture (JV) on July 9 with the US-based vaccine maker Novavax for manufacturing of vaccines, including one for swine flu. The JV company called CPL Biologicals Pvt Ltd is filling application with Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) this week for phase one clinical trial for swine flu vaccine.

Company officials were confident Cadila will be the first Indian pharma company to produce the swine flu vaccine. “Novavax has already received permission for pre-clinical trials from US Federal Drug Administration,” IA Modi, chairman and managing director, CPL, told TOI.

Modi said the vaccine is expected to be available in November 2009 if permission for clinical trial comes from the government immediately. The government has already decided to clear swine flu related applications on fast track basis.

Modi said to protect from swine flu pandemic, two dosages of the vaccine are required over two weeks. The company initially intends to produce 2 million vaccine on a monthly basis and scale up production to cater to global demand, Modi said. “Sky is the limit as far as production is concerned,” he said.

The JV has already started building a facility costing Rs 100 crore in the CPL campus at Bhat to produce the vaccines. The new facilities will be operational after one-and-a-half years but the company will be able to launch the vaccine in November, using existing manufacturing capacity of CPL.

CPL has 80% equity and Novavax 20% in the JV. It may be pointed out that Cadila Pharma also holds 5.75% equity stake in Novavax Inc USA and has a position on the board of directors of Novavax.

http://www.ahmedabadbrts.org/Transit%20Line%20Diagram.html

Characteristics of a BRT System

Some of the characteristics of a BRT system which distinguishes it from a normal bus service are:

• Segregated bus lanes
• Prepaid / Automated ticketing systems 
• Safe, secure and accessible stations 
• Platform level boarding 
• Quality service 
• Branding and marketing of a high quality bus service

Feast on Cafe Piano’s Saturday lunch buffet with a scrumptious range of vegetarian delicacies to choose from. For meager Rs. 199/- per adult you can choose from 3 mocktails, soups, Lebanese, Indian, Chinese dishes and 6 varieties of sweets and icecream. The food is piping hot and the service is good. Buffet lunches are only on weekdays and a la carte menu on all days

They have different seating arrangements suited to tastes-Rissottos and sizzlers continental,asian  and Indian-coastal punjabi as original as it gets they serve you the menu card that you will want to come here.

My personal favourites is Tiramisu MOcktail and Mexican food.

The winners take it all…
The evening kicked off with the Times Food Award ceremony that lauded some of the best food joints in the city and winners took home laurels for categories like Best Gujarati, Best Italian, Best Coffee shop, Best Confectionery shop, Best South Indian to name a few. Akash Kandoi, of Kandoi Sweets, the two-time winner in the sweets (Mithai) category sounded exhilarated as he said, “It is great that we have been recognised for sweetening people’s lives once again. It is wonderful to get the approval of Amdavadis once again and the timing couldn’t have been better.”
The glitteratti and the chatterati came together and the heady concoction of power and glamour seemed to have made the night even more bedazzling. Winner of the Best South Indian joint, Mukund Singh, the Vice President of Dasaprakash put in a word about the popularity of the Times Food Guide Awards, “We are delighted to have received the award as I feel that we can work with renewed enthusiasm after this huge win. It is always great to get recognition for your work.”
Singer and actor Devang Patel couldn’t have put it better as he says, “It is always great to be part of the Times Food Awards as I am a huge foodie. More so as an Amdavadi, I love experimenting with all kinds of cuisine. I think Amdavadis and their love for food just cannot be separated!”

On a platter
If the awards were any precursor to the revelry ahead, then the food was definitely the star of the night! From nachos, pastas, pizzas to our very own panki, food travelled the entire trajectory of tastes and sights and made for a delightful spread! Amid myriad cuisines, sumptuous desserts and exhilarating conversations, foodies just couldn’t have asked for more! As George Bernard Shaw had once said, “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” With a night like that, are we ready to fall in love again or what!

According to locals, there’s been frenetic activity at the site over the past few days. “Machines and equipment are coming in,” said a villager.

Adhering to their schedule to roll out Nano by the end of 2010, executives of Tata Motors have been working round the clock ever since the MoU to relocate the plant from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand was inked between Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the Tata Group.

Highly placed sources close to the project said the construction of ancillary plant buildings are in progress, and are expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks.

A drive down the road where the plant is coming up bears testimony to this, as beyond the barbed wire fencing, several sheds made of pre-engineered steel structures, have come up. Phenix Varco Pruden, pre-engineered steel structure building manufacturer, has bagged the Rs 50 crore-contract for constructing the ancillary plant buildings at the project site.

As much as 4,000 tonnes of steel components, designed with a heavy load bearing capacity with a mainframe structure to support the full load, are expected to be used for the construction of these buildings.

Construction of the power train facility, press shop, and assembly line is also in progress. If everything goes as per schedule, critical infrastructure is expected to be in place by this November.

Sources said Tata Motors is using multiple vendors to expedite the project.

Among the tasks which have already been completed are: fencing, construction of inner roads, compound walls, and pre-fabricated sheds. Work on the main building has also started.

The work of laying underground cables for broadband connectivity is also in progress near the site. The state government has also initiated a survey of widening of the roads leading to the site from the Sanand-Viramgam highway.

Tata Motors has roped in its leading private shareholder, Shapoorji Pallonji & Com pany (SPCL) for construction of the Nano plant on 1,100 acres of land, which once belonged to Anand Agiculture University (AAU).

But, dismantling components from the unfinished plant at Singur to the Sanand site is expected to take at least a year in view of the distance involved and the complexity of the machinery and the plant components.

Some of the major strategic advantages for Nano plant are its proximity to Delhi-Mumbai Infrastructure Corridor (DMIC) and plans of connectivity via state highways to major ports like Dholera special investment region.

Of the total 156 km of the DMIC that will pass through Gujarat, almost 22 km would fall under greater Ahmedabad. Auto ancilliary, engineering and ceramic ware sectors, according to a December 2007 CEPT University report on DMIC, are capable of generating employment for 44,090 people in the state.

Apart from this, industrial clusters like textile and apparel, gems and jewellery, pharma, biotech and agro-processing units are poised to come up in this region. Residential township projects would also get a boost with these investments.

Another effect of Nano project, according to GIDC officials, is that inquiries for space for small-scale industrial clusters in Dholka, Bavla, Dhandhuka and on Bopal-Sanand road have received a new impetus. The 25-odd villages around Dholera SIR too are set to see phenomenal growth in service sector.

“In an almost 70-km radius around DMIC-Dhanduka investment region, state government has already either set up or identified land for seven industrial parks, 19 GIDCs and 11 special economic zones (SEZ), out of which two SEZs have been notified. Nano coming to Chharodi has come as a boost for regions around greater Ahmedabad and Sanand taluka where the DMIC will pass through,” says a senior Gujarat Urban Development Corporation (GUDC) official.

“One of the major motives of charting out special investment areas is to create a hassle-free operational regime, state of the art infrastructure and support services,” adds the official.