The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	protest for admission in Faridkot college Girl students keep cops in a bind Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, July 15 Two days after the police used force to disperse a large number of protesting students in Faridkot and rounded up 20 students, including seven girls, for raising slogans against the state government and the authorities of the government-run Barjindra College in Faridkot, it has left the police and the District Red Cross Society in a difficult situation. After rounding up these 20 students on Friday evening, while all 13 male students were sent to the judicial lock-up for breaching peace, the police used a Red Cross Hostel for Distressed Woman in Faridkot to detain the girl students. After the police left these girls in the hostel on Friday evening, it became a difficult task for the Red Cross employees in the hostel to rein in these agitating girl students. On Saturday morning, the Red Cross authorities requested the police to take custody or release these girls. Soon, a police party led by a DSP and duty magistrate, reached the hostel to prevail upon the girls and asked them to go home. But in no mood to relent, the girls sat on dharna in front of the Red Cross Hostel gate, leaving the hostel authorities in a difficult situation. The girls declined to leave the hostel until the police explained the reason for detaining them and released all 13 boys in the judicial lock-up. After a lot of persuasion, the girl students relented but they shifted their dharna from the Red Cross Hostel to the City police station. As the police did not allow these girls to enter the police station and slammed shut the door of the police station, the girls staged a protest in front of the police station on Sunday evening. After the Red Cross Hostel authorities, now the police seemed to be entangled in a difficult situation as the parents of these six girls are also not ready to take the custody of these girls until their demands were accepted. Gurmeet Singh, SSP, Faridkot, said the police detained the students for disturbing peace and violating law and order. “The police released all the girls but they were creating unnecessary problem for the police,” he said, For the last five days, the students are protesting against the college authorities for denying them admission on the pretext of merit. With limited seats in every course in the college, a cut-off percentage of marks have been fixed for admission but the students want the cut-off waived.
	Protests end as rail link to be inaugurated today Tribune Reporters Abohar, July 15 Anna Hazare’s “India against Corruption” on Sunday called off the 64-day-old dharna and chain fast as the railways finalised the arrangements for inauguration of the Abohar-Fazilka rail link by the Minister of State for Railways, KH Muniyappa. Interestingly, Muniyappa will be the first railway minister to visit this remote sub-divisional town. He along with Northern Railway general manager VK Gupta will arrive here by a special train on Monday morning to address the inaugural function to be organised on the main platform at 10 am. The first train for Fazilka will be reportedly flagged off at 11 am. A ‘havan’ was organised at the valedictory function. The chief guest, Virendra Kataria, who is a former Congress MP and ex-president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress, led the organisers in honouring the representatives of 35 NGOs that provided logistic support to the agitation launched to express resentment over the delay in making the 42.11-km link operational. The foundation stone of the rail link was laid in 2004. The IAC team members, Shyam Sharma, Rajinder Jigyasu, Ashok Garg, Om Parkash Sharma and Radhey Shyam Sharma, honoured Kataria for making tireless efforts to get the project executed. While appreciating the concern shown by the NGOs for the Abohar-Fazilka rail link, Kataria said his next mission would be to get the Sriganganagar-Fazilka-Abohar-Ferozepur Express extended to the holy city of Amritsar. Fazilka: Activists of the Sanjha Morcha, Fazilka, who were observing a chain hunger strike for the last 45 days, ended their protest this evening. The activists had been protesting against non-commencement of trains on the Fazilka-Abohar rail track that had been built at the cost of Rs 260 crore. Former Rajya Sabha MP Varinder Kataria offered Fazilka's famous sweet, Tosha, to members of the General Mazdoor Union, Fazilka, and the Manav Kalyan Parishad, Patiala, who were on hunger strike today, to mark the end of the protest. "Since the demand has been met and the trains would start running on the rail link from Monday onwards, the Sanjha Morcha has decided to end the strike," said Railway Passengers' Samiti president Amar Lal Baghla and Social Welfare Society president Raj Kishore Kalra. track Trail The foundation stone for the 42.11-km Abohar-Fazilka rail link was laid in 2004 The rail link has been built at a cost of `260 crore and was awaiting inauguration for a long time Members of various organisations have been holding protests against the delay in the opening of the vital rail link The Minister of State for Railways, KH Muniyappa, to inaugurate the rail link on July 16
	Gidderbaha power project in limbo NTPC wants changes in MoU signed with PSPCL Umesh Dewan Tribune News Service Patiala, July 15 With no end to the deadlock between the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) over the issue of amendments in the terms and conditions mentioned in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed to set up a 2,640-MW coal-based thermal power project at Gidderbaha, the fate of the much-publicised power project seems uncertain. After signing of the MoU in October 2010, the project, the estimated cost of which was Rs 15,000 crore, is yet to take off. In a letter dated August 5, 2011, addressed to the then Punjab Chief Secretary SC Agarwal, NTPC CMD Arup Roy Choudhury had stated that they want to set up only two units of 660-MW each against the earlier envisaged capacity of four units of 660-MW each. Another major amendment sought in the MoU by the NTPC was to reduce the land acquisition for the project from 1,999.12 acres to 1,000 acres. Inquiries made by The Tribune have brought to light that PSPCL authorities have replied back to the NTPC letter clearly stating that they have to stick to the terms and conditions mentioned in the MoU. "Since then, there is no written communiqué between the NTPC and the PSPCL authorities. However, there had been verbal talks on the issue but that too are inconclusive till now," said a senior officer of the PSPCL. Sources in the Power Corporation have stated that the NTPC itself is not interested in undertaking the Gidderbaha project. "The amendments sought by the NTPC are in complete deviation from the terms and conditions of the MoU and are practically not feasible. In reality, seeking the amendments in the MoU is nothing but a deliberate attempt so that the Power Corporation scraps the MoU," said another senior officer of the PSPCL. Neither NTPC nor PSPCL officials were willing to comment on the issue on account of sensitivity of the matter, technocrats working with the PSPCL said it would be better to terminate the MoU. Pointing out that lack of seriousness over undertaking the project could well be gauged from the fact that it has been more than one and a half year since the MoU was signed and there is no further progress, PSEB Engineers' Association president Baldev Singh Dran said NTPC was not keen to take up the Gidderbaha project. "We are demanding for a long time past that the MoU should be scrapped and the project should be undertaken in the state sector", he added.
	HC stays State Info Commission’s order Tribune News Service Ferozepur, July 15 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed an order passed by the State Information Commission (SIC) directing the Principal Secretary, Technical Education, to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the director of a state managed engineering college for not providing information to an RTI applicant in time. Justice Rajesh Bindal passed the interim order on a petition filed by Dr TS Sidhu, Director, Shaheed Bhagat Singh State Technical Campus. The commission had recommended that disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against Sidhu for minor misconduct under the Punishment and Appeal Rules although the latter acted only as the First Appellate Authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005. In this capacity, the Director decided the appeal and directed the RTI applicant to deposit a fee of Rs 1822 as per the decision of Public Information Officer of the college for providing the information but he never denied information to the applicant. It was also submitted in court that in terms of Section 20 (2) of the act, disciplinary action cannot be directed against the appellate authority for non-compliance of the provisions of the act and at the most the order passed in appeal could be set aside.
	Amogh Division celebrates 41st Raising Day Our Correspondent Abohar, July 15 The Amogh Division celebrated its 41st Raising Day somewhere in the western sector today. The Division was raised on April 15, 1971 as the Foxtrot Sector, just prior to the 1971 war. It was re-christened as an Infantry Division on July 15, 1972. Living up to its name (‘amogh’ means invincible), the division always kept itself poised to take on operational challenges and has participated in various operations since its raising, including the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the Operation Vijay and the Operation Parakram. The division shoulders the responsibility towards the welfare of ‘veterans and veer naris’ by organising ex-servicemen rallies and medical camps on a regular basis. Besides assisting civil authorities in terms of providing relief and rescue operations during floods, the division has also adopted a number of schools in the border areas with an aim to provide computer education to the students. The raising day festivities included a ‘Barakhana’ and a Special Sainik Sammelan. The GOC Amogh Division paid homage to the martyrs by laying a wreath at the ‘Shaurya Sthal’ installed at the military station in the western sector. All ranks pledged to rededicate themselves to the honour and glory of the motherland.
	ART centre opened in Ferozepur Our Correspondent Ferozepur, July 15 The State Health Department has opened its seventh ART (Anti Retroviral Therapy) centre in Ferozepur. Civil Surgeon Dr Jasbir Singh Minhas inaugurated the centre on the premises of the local Civil Hospital. Dr GS Dhillon, who has been appointed as the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of the centre, said the facility was launched in association with the Punjab State Aids Control Society in accordance with the guidelines of the NACO (National Aids Control Organisation). Dr Dhillon said at present, around 129 HIV positive cases in the district were already taking treatment for the disease, adding that the ART centre would also cater to AIDS/HIV positive patients from nearby districts of Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar and Fazilka. "Around 400 patients from these districts are likely to benefit as they would not only get free treatment but also the requisite drugs," he said. Dr Dhillon said AIDS was being considered as a manageable disease, adding that the right intake of drugs could prolong the life of Aids patients by several years.