Latest news with #Khot
The Age
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Age
Horror as 1000 children to be tested for STIs. Here's what comes next
The decision to mass-test children – at testing centres across the metro area – came after Brown tested positive for an STI, according to two police sources not authorised to comment. A Health Department spokeswoman said the department would not comment on the specifics of suspected exposure to protect children's sensitive health information. A government source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said authorities wanted to rule out the possibility that the children had been exposed to infections such as syphilis given the spike in Victorian cases over the last decade. How long will parents have to wait? Dr Nisha Khot, the vice president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said parents should know their child's health status relatively quickly. Loading 'STI screening results usually only take 24 to 48 hours, depending on what test is done,' she said. Khot said Victoria's health system had the capacity to conduct the tests the Health Department is urging for the children, but that the bigger question was ongoing support for alleged victims and their families. 'The children will need appropriately qualified clinicians to assess their needs beyond the tests.' The state government has established a dedicated advice hotline to assist families with health and screening information, as well as link them to specialist services such as mental health support. Will any infections be treatable? Doctors who spoke to this masthead said most STIs could be treated with antibiotics delivered either orally or administered as an injection. Khot said the exceptions were Hepatitis B and HIV, which can be managed with other treatments but not cured. If left untreated, gonorrhea, for example, can lead to permanent health problems involving scar tissue, long-term pain and infertility. Late-stage syphilis can cause brain damage, heart disease and even blindness. But Chief Health Officer Dr Christian McGrath said on Tuesday that affected families and the broader community could be reassured that any infections as a result of this case could be treated with antibiotics. 'There's no broader public health risk to the community,' he said. A suburban GP, who declined to be named due to the sensitivities of the matter, said childcare workers at the centres and police working on the case should monitor their mood over the next few weeks and speak to family, friends or a doctor if they notice any changes.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Left for dead, 180-yr-old banyan tree thrives after transplantation
Nagpur: After seeing 180 years of life go by, the massive banyan tree near Katol Road Square lay on the brink of 'death' as decades of construction and concretization in its periphery choked off vital resources. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It was just after the monsoon in 2023 that the tree lay tilted, with an imminent end to an almost two-century-old life. But as the famous dialogue of the 1970s hit movie Anand goes – Anand Maraa Nahi, Anand Marte Nahi (Anand is not dead, Anands don't die) – this banyan had a different script written for its long dangling roots and branches. Swacch Association, an NGO from the city, kick-started the process of giving this 'Anand' a new lease of life with help from Gorewada zoo. Fast forward to June 2025, and this banyan tree is blooming with a 'second life', well settled in its new home at the Gorewada zoo, courtesy of a high-quality tree transplantation process by officials. Sarika Khot, assistant manager at Gorewada zoo, said, "Only after 1.5 years of transplantation can we say whether or not it was successful. When a tree is uprooted, it goes into shock, just like humans who meet with a serious accident. Like humans in the ICU, trees have to be taken care of daily till they reach a stage of self-sustainability." For the banyan tree, the trailer carrying it took hours to complete the journey of 9km because of the tree's size and weight. Khot said, "I am lucky that my seniors back me completely, due to which I was able to get the resources for scientifically planning everything. For the banyan tree transplantation, we had to bring JCBs, cranes, trailers, and a lot of labour force. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The transplant site was a 12-foot hole which was over 15 feet in diameter. " The site was prepared using a mix of organic manure and fungicide to ward off infections. "An entire day was consumed just getting the transplantation done because the tree had to be held at a specific angle by the cranes while JCBs filled mud around it," said Khot. The zoo, which functions under the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), is now becoming a 'hospital' for trees that were either getting cut or uprooted. Here, the green oxygen-exhaling patients range from mere one-year-olds to almost 200 years, and the scientific approach in not only transplantation but also their care means the survival ratio is high. As for the banyan tree, it's now blooming with green shoots and even had its birthday celebrated. Khot said, "This tree will live on for another 300 years easily." Planted somewhere in the 1840s, this tree has seen empires fall, countries created, and generations go by. And now, from Gorewada zoo, it will bear testimony to a future which we currently know of only through sci-fi movies.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gorewada herbivores get maize bonanza from its in-house farm
Nagpur: Lush green maize fields sway in the pre-monsoon winds on the land owned by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), part of a unique experiment to provide herbivores at Gorewada Zoo with nutritious and varied food. Started last year, these in-house farms at Gorewada are meeting part of the herbivores' daily food requirements. Sarika Khot, an ACF-rank official who is currently posted as assistant manager of Gorewada Zoo, said, "Animals are similar to humans when it comes to food; they love variety. And we wanted to not only add to their already varied food but also introduce new items." To revamp the menu for herbivores, officials at Gorewada Zoo took up planting crops on a patch of land adjacent to the zoo's entrance. The current crop, maize, is something that herbivores are relishing. Khot said, "Every morning, a vehicle comes here to harvest fresh maize. Immediately afterwards, it's taken to the herbivore enclosure for feeding. The moment the herbivores see this, they chomp down on it. Whatever we put there is consumed instantly." The current land is being harvested in phases. Khot said, "It's a rotational-based system. You have plantation being done on one patch, then at the next, you will see saplings growing bigger, and finally, the next patch has fully grown crops which are ready for harvest." The fenced-off farm has been made herbivore-proof. Khot said, "Since we have forests all around, deer move around in this range, and they were jumping over six-foot fences. So we dug up a moat-like hole around the fence so that they don't get the platform to propel their jump." Similarly, the base of the fence was reinforced with sand/mud/clay-filled bags as wild boars were breaking in. With all systems in place, the crops are in full bloom. After the success of their unique experiment, Gorewada Zoo officials are set to expand the crop base. Khot said, "The adjoining fields are almost ready, and soon we will begin plantation with new crops."
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chembur resident crashes rented BMW into dumper, dies
MUMBAI: A 28-year-old man driving a rented BMW died in the early hours on Friday after his car crashed into a dumper on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), also known the Atal Setu. The deceased was driving at a speed of around 160 kilometre per hour (kmph) and the impact of the collision burst the dumper's tyre and sent it crashing into the guardrail, said police. The BMW was crushed beyond recognition and its driver, 28-year-old Punit Singh Devendra Singh Machra, died on the spot due to serious head injuries, the police added. According to the Sewri police, Machra was the son of a real estate broker. He lived in Gurukrupa Terrace near Basant Park in Chembur and assisted his father in the business, along with his younger brother. On Thursday, he left home at around 9pm for a party in south Mumbai, in a BMW he had rented from a car rental platform. When he left the party around 2am on Friday, he took the Atal Setu and proceeded towards Navi Mumbai instead of heading to his residence in Chembur, said Rohit Khot, senior police inspector, Sewri police station. 'Perhaps, he had wanted to go on a joy ride up to Ulwe and return to Chembur,' said Khot. Machra had travelled around 8.1km on the northbound lane of Atal Setu and was driving at around 160 kmph when he crashed into the dumper headed towards Panvel. 'The impact of the tail-end crash was so severe that a tyre of the dumper burst and the heavy vehicle crashed into the guardrail,' said Khot. 'Fortunately, it didn't fall into the sea and its driver, Ankit Vishwaskarma, escaped with minor injuries.' Machra was likely drunk when the accident occurred, said Khot. He was rushed to MGM Hospital in Vashi in an ambulance after the police was informed about the accident, said Deepali Dhate, deputy commissioner of police (port zone). 'At the hospital, he was declared dead on arrival,' said Dhate. 'We collected his blood sample and have sent it for analysis to check if he was drunk.' Machra was later booked under sections 106 (causing death by negligence), 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 125 (a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Time of India
Leopard alarm in 2 villages as goats, sheep & dogs disappear in Kolhapur
Kolhapur: Residents of Desaiwadi and Khotwadi villages in the district's Panhala tehsil have now written to forest officials here demanding they set up traps for a leopard which the villagers said was responsible for the disappearance of sheep, goats and several dogs from their villagers also warned that they would "lock up" the forest department's office in Panhala if the traps were not set. Desaiwadi and Khotwadi villages are located approximately three kilometres from each Khot, a resident of Khotwadi village, said: "In the last 10 days, the leopard has killed one goat, a sheep, 10 dogs and a calf here and in Desaiwadi. Farm workers are now scared to work the fields. We're unable to harvest ready crops. Because it's the summer, we get electricity to the agriculture pumps only at night, which means farmers have to step out after dark to turn them on." Another villager in Khotwadi, Tanaji Khot, said: "We're already faced with heavy crop losses due to gaurs (Indian Bison). Now, we're worried about the leopard. The forest department should trap it soon. If it fails to do so, we'll lock the door to the Panhala forest department office."Forest Ranger RS Rasal said the department was working to track down the animal. Pugmarks of a leopard were found in the vicinity of the 2 villages, he said.
