B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Three days after wedding, groom crushed under train
Batala, November 10
Just three days after he had tied the knot at a village gurdwara near Batala, Amritpal Singh (23) was crushed to death late last evening as he stood too close to the Amritsar-Qadian rail line while a Qadian videographer ‘filmed’ him and his bride.

Thermal plants struggle to dispose of bottom coarse ash 
Faridkot, November 10
With concerns increasing over groundwater pollution with the leachate from disposal of bottom and fly ash of thermal plants, a 14-member team of scientists and experts from three universities of Canada today visited the Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant to assess the disposal of fly ash.

Puducherry Lt-Guv accorded warm welcome in his hometown
Abohar, November 10
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Virendra Kataria was given a red carpet welcome on his first visit to his home town Abohar four months after his elevation to the present office.

Farmer set ablaze, seven booked 
Faridkot, November 10
A 50-year-old farmer was allegedly set ablaze by seven persons, including a woman, in his field following a dispute over the possession of land in Gurusar village of Faridkot district. The victim, Jaskaran Singh, was rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, but he succumbed to his burn injuries today.

Three days after wedding, groom crushed under train
Tribune News Service

Batala, November 10
Just three days after he had tied the knot at a village gurdwara near Batala, Amritpal Singh (23) was crushed to death late last evening as he stood too close to the Amritsar-Qadian rail line while a Qadian videographer ‘filmed’ him and his bride.

The only son of his parents, Amritpal Singh of Nathpur village had tied the knot with Sandeep Kaur, 19, of nearby Bhagian village amid much fanfare.

A family member said that a Qadian-based photographer engaged by the couple’s kin for the wedding, asked Amritpal to stand near the rail track to “enhance the aesthetic value of the pictures.”

As the photographer clicked pictures, a train passed by. The force of the train was such that Amritpal lost balance and fell on the track. He was crushed to death instantly.

The photographer had also asked the groom’s parents and those of the bride to accompany the newly-wed couple for the photo shoot. Sandeep, her parents and her in-laws were standing at some distance from the track and, hence, escaped unhurt.

Amritpal’s body was cremated at his native village this evening.

Fatal Mistake

• A photographer engaged by the family asked the groom to stand near a rail track
• This, he said, would ‘enhance the aesthetic value of the pictures’
• As he clicked pictures, a train passed by
• The force of the train was such that the groom lost balance and fell on the track
• He was crushed to death instantly. His bride and parents, who stood some distance away, escaped unhurt

Thermal plants struggle to dispose of bottom coarse ash 
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, November 10
With concerns increasing over groundwater pollution with the leachate from disposal of bottom and fly ash of thermal plants, a 14-member team of scientists and experts from three universities of Canada today visited the Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant to assess the disposal of fly ash.

The Canadian scientists who are here to take part in an international workshop on "Water for Health" being held at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot , were informed by the Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant authorities that more than 88 per cent of the fly ash has been recycled into useful building material this year.

The proper disposal of the remaining 12 per cent of the fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion in thermal plants, is a big challenge for the thermal plant as a major part of this is the bottom coarse ash which cannot be used for making cement, said the members of the Canadian delegation after their visit to the thermal plant.

Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant has an ash pond, spreading over 165 acres for the disposal of bottom ash. While the fly ash of the thermal plant is recycled into useful building material by a cement factory, established adjacent to the thermal plant, there are environmental concerns regarding leachate from ponds where the wet coarse ash is disposed of, said the scientists.

The disposal of bottom coarse ash consists of constructing a large pond and filling it with coarse ash slurry, allowing the water to drain and evaporate from the ash over a period of time.

To check the seepage from this slurry, though a ring embankment has been formed with clay cores to enclose the disposal site, there are lurking fears of leachate from thermal ash which contains heavy metals, said the visiting scientists.

Two coal-based thermal plants in Bathinda are already under attack for emanating fly ash which contain a high quantity of uranium, said Dr GS Dhillon, a consultant engineer in water resources development projects and former chief engineer, irrigation and power, Punjab.

"Besides the high uranium concentration in the soil and water in the area due to the fly ash of thermal plants, the large emission of mercury is another problem," said Dhillon.

Ajay Sehgal, senior executive engineer at Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant, who is handling the ash disposal, said while 88 per cent of the fly ash is recycled, the PSPCL is working on various formula to use the remaining 12 per cent ash also for purposeful use to check all chances of water contamination. "As a major portion of this remaining ash is bottom coarse ash, we are hopeful of recycling it also in the coming days," he said.

Puducherry Lt-Guv accorded warm welcome in his hometown

Abohar, November 10
Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Virendra Kataria was given a red carpet welcome on his first visit to his home town Abohar four months after his elevation to the present office. He inspected an impressive guard of honour by the district police at the canal rest house where he was received by sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Paramjit Singh and representatives of different NGOs. Former Fazilka MLA Dr Mohinder Rinwa was also present to greet him.

Kataria inaugurated two buildings on the occasion of Gopashtami in the main gaushala complex. He lauded the Batra family which has pledged to donate Rs 4 crore to combat the problem of stray cattle and released Rs 50 lakh as the first installment for construction of another gaushala on Fazilka road. Kataria was informed that over 3,500 stray cattle roam in the old walled city and the fight between stray cattle had claimed a dozen lives in the recent past. He assured that funds for the project will also be arranged from the Central Government. — OC

Farmer set ablaze, seven booked 

Faridkot, November 10
A 50-year-old farmer was allegedly set ablaze by seven persons, including a woman, in his field following a dispute over the possession of land in Gurusar village of Faridkot district. The victim, Jaskaran Singh, was rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, but he succumbed to his burn injuries today.

The dispute over the ownership of the land started after the deceased sold his 3 acres of agricultural land to Virpal Kaur of Bhaini Sahib village some time ago. But Jaskaran’s family members challenged the sale deed in a court, which led to a dispute over the possession of the land. It is alleged that Virpal and six of her relatives reached Gurusar and demanded the possession of land. They reportedly tried to dig a borewell in the field to which Jaskaran Singh objected.

Kuldeep Singh, Jaskaran’s son, alleged that the accused set his father on fire to kill him.

The police has booked seven persons for murder. The accused claimed that Jaskaran set himself ablaze to put pressure on Virpal to abandon her right to ownership of the land.

SSP GS Randhwan said the case was being probed. — TNS