#!usr/perl/bin

use CGI;
use DBI;

$q = new CGI;
@data;

$department_type_local = "1";

my ($dbh) = DBI->connect("DBI:ODBC:messagestore") or die "Couldn't connect to database";

my ($query) = $dbh->prepare('SELECT message_table.message_id, message_table.message_date, message_table.message_time,message_table.message_sender_name,message_table.message_to_name, message_table.department_id FROM department_table INNER JOIN message_table ON department_table.department_id = message_table.department_id
WHERE message_table.department_id = ?');

$query->execute($department_type) or die "Couldn't execute statement";

if ($query->rows == 0){

   my ($errormessage) = "No Records Found...Please Select Again";
   print "Content-type:text/html\n\n";
   ...
} else {

   while (@data = $dbh->selectrow_array($query)){

      my ($message_id) = $data[1];
      my ($message_date) = $data[2];
      my ($message_time) = $data[3];
      my ($message_sender_name) = $data[4];
      my ($message_to_name) = $data[5];
      my ($department_id) = $data[6];

      print "$message_id $message_date $message_time $message_sender_name $message_to_name\n";

   }

      print "Content-type:text/html\n\n"
      ...
}

$query->finish;
$dbh->disconnect;