Amritsar, January 2
Failure of northern power grid due to a technical snag as a result of thick fog threw life out of gear in the holy city today.Rail traffic was hampered with almost all trains running 2-3 hours behind schedule. Passengers were stranded for hours together braving the bone-chilling temperature.

 Although not a single train was cancelled, many, including mail, superfast and express trains, were running late due to grid failure and dense fog that engulfed the region, said the railway authorities.

The city plunged into darkness about 3 am following tripping of the northern grid that connects various parts of North India, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. A PSEB official said the technical snag was due to long and dry spell during the season in region.

It was a double whammy for the local industry that is already reeling under an acute power shortage. “This power breakdown has paralysed the life, especially of various industrial units,” said leading exporter KR Sobti.

Thick cover of fog also led to cancellation and delays of domestic and international flights while throwing normal life out of gear here today.

Vehicular traffic remained off roads as people preferred to remain indoors, reducing attendance at government and private offices.

Jalandhar: Life here was disrupted for several hours due to dense fog and power blackout because of tripping in northern grid at around 3 am on Saturday. While rail and road traffic ran at a snail’s pace due to poor visibility, the general public could not even take their bath in the morning as water supply was also affected adversely due to the blackout.

A number of passengers were stranded at Jalandhar city and cantonment railway stations as over 30 trains reached here by two to 10 hours late than their scheduled time due to dense fog in the region and the power blackout.

Though Jalandhar Railway Station Superintendent (SS) Ashok Kumar told The Tribune that the rail traffic was gaining normalcy gradually after resumption of the power supply at 12 noon, yet most of the trains were running behind schedule till the filing of this report.

What to talk of other trains, even the prestigious Shatabdi trains reached Jalandhar railway station late by two to nearly four hours than their scheduled time of arrival.

Diesel engines were used to run the trains during the power blackout, the railway sources said. Stranded passengers were left with no option but to wait for their respective trains in extremely cold weather. Ankit of Jalandhar and Vishal of Amritsar told The Tribune they were waiting for any Amritsar- bound train for about two hours.

Similarly Zahir Ahmed of Jalandhar was waiting from Jammu Tawi, which was running several hours late than its scheduled time. Zahir said his two sons, Ehsan Ali and Ali Hasan, had boarded this train at Banaras to reach Jalandhar.

BATHINDA: The tripping of northern power grid today not only reduced the power to zero at power grids and substations, but also disrupted the generation of the two already “ailing” thermal power plants in Malwa - Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP), Bathinda, and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabbat.

Despite efforts, the plants could not run at normalcy, till the filing of the news.The GNDTP has the full generation capacity of 440 MW, while the GHTP has a capacity of 920 MW.

It is said that the GNDTP has already crossed its age but due to power crisis in the state, the government is not in the position to dismantle it. About three days ago, due to a major fire and blast in the GNDTP, one of its four units (110 MW each), went out of operation. On Friday, one more unit stopped functioning due to leakage in the boiler tube.

The GHTP, also in Bathinda district, is another victim of frequent technical snags. The plant has four units, two with the capacity of 210 MW each and two of 250 MW each.

Besides delay in the commissioning of the units, frequent technical and mechanical problems have added to the problems.

Ferozepur: A number of trains running on the Amritsar-Delhi electrified route came to an abrupt halt after the power supply failed due to a major power breakdown in the northern grid in the wee hours this morning.

Vishwas Chobey, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ferozepur, said that 12 UP trains and nine DOWN trains came to a complete halt on the Amritsar-Delhi electrified rail section due to power failure.

He added that diesel engines were arranged and were pressed into service to take these passengers trains to their respective destinations. However, all trains reached their destinations late, the delay ranging from four to five hours.

Chobey said due to dense fog, which had enveloped the entire region of Punjab, the speed of trains had been halved. The trains, which used to run at the speed of 100 km per hour, were now running at a speed of 60 km per hour. He said some of the trains had been running at a speed of 30 km per hour to avoid any mishap. 

Ferozepur, January 2
Year 2010 seems to begin on a positive note for the farmers of the border areas as the BSF authorities have started repositioning of cobra fencing along the border across the state.

In the initial phase, which is being executed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), about 20 km of the fencing in Ferozepur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts would be repositioned to bring it closer to the zero line.

With this, thousands of acres will be made cultivatable without any restrain for farmers. BSF personnel, who have been deployed to keep a watch on the activities of farmers tilling lands across fencing, will be free to perform other security duties.

DIG BSF (Ferozepur sector) Rajesh Gupta said work on shifting had begun and about 5 km of fencing would be repositioned in Ferozepur sector alone. It would retrieve about 3,000 acres from the fencing.

The distance of fencing from the zero line varies from place to place. At some point it is about 2 km and at others it is hardly 100 metres.

The farmers have been resenting their frequent frisking by BSF personnel whenever they go to till their lands. They have been pressing the authorities concerned to reposition it so that a large chunk of agriculture land can be taken out from the area falling between the fencing and the zero line.

Sources said after receiving inputs from various agencies and the state government, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned the repositioning of fencing and released funds for the same.

The reduction of distance between fencing and zero line would also help the BSF to check smuggling and also help in improving the relations between civilians and BSF personnel that had turned sour due to restrictions imposed by the BSF on the movement of civilians in areas close to the border. 

Moga, January 2
A proposal to convert the existing single rail line between Ludhiana and Ferozepur via Moga into double lines for the convenience of commuters is pending before the Ministry of Railways for consideration.

Sources in Northern Railways say this will not only help increase rail traffic on this route but also help in the near future to connect these lines to Chandigarh after the completion of the ongoing project to link Chandigarh to Ludhiana direct via Morinda. At present trains go to Ludhiana via Ambala in this area.

An official of the Railway division at Ferozepur said there were five passenger trains, one mail express and one irregular pair of trains twice a week running between Ludhiana and Ferozepur via Moga. On an average, 5,000 passengers travelled on this route daily.

The Railway authorities were of the view that once the double lines came into existence, the rail traffic between Ludhiana and Ferozepur would automatically increase because of the low fares and monthly passes being issued to daily commuters.

The further extension of travel facilities to Chandigarh through Ludhiana in the near future would be of great advantage to people in Punjab. Even Amritsar and Jalandhar would be directly linked to Chandigarh via Ludhiana.

Apart from this, a proposal to sanction new branch lines on the Amritsar-Ferozepur, Ferozepur-Bathinda and Jammu-Katra routes was pending with the Ministry of Railways along with this proposal.

However, there was no proposal under consideration of the ministry with regard to the electrification of the rail track between Ludhiana and Ferozepur due to poor power availability in the state.

Lok Sabha member from the Faridkot constituency Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, who is also a member of the Railway

Chandigarh, January 2
Controversy over the incidents of violence in Ludhiana last month refuses to die down as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) today demanded the resignation of state Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The CLP also wants the Home Ministry to constitute a commission of inquiry to look into the incidents of violence in the state during the past three years to ascertain whether the state government has been able to discharge its duty of maintaining law and order or not.

A panel of senior Congress leaders today met the Governor and submitted its report on the issue. Earlier, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Paramjit Singh Sarna also set a two-member inquiry committee headed by a retired high court Judge TS Doabia to look into the Ludhiana violence. The state government, however, did not allow the committee to hold its investigations saying it was unwarranted and amounted to interference by outside forces.

The Congress inquiry was conducted by an 11-member committee comprising Tej Parkash Singh, Rakesh Pandey and Amrik Singh Dhillon, Isher Singh Meharban, Gurdeep Singh Bhaini, Darshan Singh Brar, Harmohinder Singh Pardhan, Amarjit Singh Samra, Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Jasbir Singh Khangura.

It was Khangura who authored the 19-page inquiry report that was released by the Leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and former Speaker and minister Harnam Dass Johar here today. The committee members had visited the affected areas, met victims and their families and others besides examining the reports in the media.

Khangura said the committee looked into the issues of violence, manipulation of media and the overall breakdown of law and order in Ludhiana during those days.

The committee, besides indicting Chief Minister Parkash Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, also highlighted the abject failure of the district administration.

Bhattal said it was not an isolated incident but had been orchestrated by the government to divert attention of the public from burning issues like acute shortage of power, breakdown of law and order machinery, lack of development, rising unemployment and weakening fiscal health of the state.

Holding the SAD-BJP government responsible for its failure to maintain law and order in the State, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said it had lost moral right to stay in power because of its “total failure” on all fronts. The report also held Sukhbir responsible for authorising firing by the police and not allowing it to act independently. The committee maintained that the violence could have been avoided had the police been alert and responsive. 

Chandigarh, January 2
A regulatory mechanism to control the operation of agents and introspection by both the education providers and beneficiary students can be major steps in checking both exploitation and violence against international students in Australia. Australia is a very tolerant society but unfortunately it has been distancing itself from the growing Indian community in general and students in particular for their unacceptable conduct and behaviour.

These are some of the observations of Gurpal Singh, a Mohali-based Solicitor-cum-Barrister, who has been practising law in Melbourne for the last five years. He was introduced by Navkiran Singh, a human rights activist and a Chandigarh-based lawyer. Navkiran Singh had visited Melbourne twice during the incidents of violence targeting Indian students.

“After 11 years of practice in India, I moved to Australia where I went for higher qualification, taught law classes for a couple of years before starting my own practice. But unfortunately, the number of Indian students appearing in courts from minor to serious offences has been rising alarmingly. Non-payment of lease money or house rent, traffic offences and thefts are some of the common charges levelled against them,” adds Gurpal Singh, holding the influx of Indian students during the past five years responsible for this unsavoury situation.

Until the beginning of the new millennium, the number of Indians in Australia was around 30,000 that has now grown to over four lakh.“The subsequent social pressures and tensions have been aggravated by total disrespect for local laws, etiquettes and civic mannerisms by a fresh crop of Indian students who have been antagonising an otherwise friendly and tolerant Australian,” feels Gurpal Singh.

He admits that some of the shady colleges have been involved in the immigration racket. They neither have infrastructure nor any intent to teach students from India. They have opened shops to get prospective immigrants to India by promising green pastures to them. Though the Australian government has tightened control over such institutions, some still remain undetected.

“It would be befitting on the part of the Indian Government by bringing in some regulatory mechanism so as to break this nexus between education providers and recruiting agents in India,” suggests the Melbourne lawyer.

All students from India going to Australia need to be given proper counselling about the education environment, local laws, local etiquettes and civic mannerism prior to leaving shores of the country.

Jalandhar, January 2
Though chilly weather accompanied by a thick blanket of fog has disrupted life, it is proving useful for rabi crops especially wheat, barley and also fruit crops such as kinnows. People from other walks of life may be upset owing to the chilly and foggy weather, but the farming community is upbeat owing to the ongoing cold wave in the region.

Farmers as well as agriculture officials and experts have been worried because of the relatively high temperature about a week ago. They were eagerly waiting for a fall in the mercury. “It is the most conducive weather for the tillering of the wheat crop at this stage,” said Balwinder Singh Sidhu, Director, Agriculture, Punjab.

“We were feeling concerned as the temperature was high during the last week. However, it is okay now,” said Sidhu. “If the temperature continued to be low for some more days, we can expect a bumper wheat crop this year,” he asserted. At the growing stage of wheat, the night temperature should remain below 4 degree Celsius and day temperature should also stay around 14 degree Celsius. The temperature should go up steadily in February and March for healthy formation of grains. A sudden rise in the temperature in February and March is considered bad for the formation of grains.

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana sow wheat varieties drawn from cold regions such as Mexico. Such varieties need low temperature at the plant growth level and high temperature at the ripening stage. That is why wheat in Punjab is sown at the time of the onset of winter season and harvested during mid-summer.

Sidhu said the foggy weather would also help in natural irrigation of wheat and other rabi crops. Though the weather was foggy but it was free from frost as yet. Kinnow harvesting is at its peak in the state. Kinnow growers were a bit upset owing to the fall in its price in the wholesale market. However, in the retail market, kinnow is still fetching a good price.

Patiala, January 2
Khalsa College, Patiala, organised the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) programme of Rotary district 3090, which comprises Rotary clubs of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, in collaboration with Rotary Club, Fatehgarh Sahib.

About 60 youngsters, sponsored by the clubs of three states, will be participating. While inaugurating the programme, Dr Manjit Singh, dean Colleges, Punjabi University, Patiala, said it would promote the youth.

Educationist Dr DR Vij said the focus would be to transforming the students into civilised citizens. He termed self-confidence, positive attitude and determination important. College principal Dr Dharminder Singh encouraged the students to learn most from the programme. Convener of the programme Prof Jasleen Kaur and organising secretary Prof Jaspreet Kaur presented bouquets to the guests. Prof Jasleen said it aims at enhancing the youths’ intellect.