Gurdaspur Diary: Railway level crossing has become bane for city’s economy
In school, teachers would often enlighten us by informing that the best example of parallel lines is railway lines. We were also educated that rail tracks are always a few feet apart but nevertheless they stay together — like a good marriage! Some famous quotes too revolved around the railways: “If you miss the train, those on the train will also miss something because every person has the potential to change the fate of every person they come across” or something like this: “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just keep sitting there.” Times have changed. The level crossings, an off-shoot of the railway system, are now seen as impediments in the growth of the economy. You blame the crossings if you get late for school or office. Ask the old and infirm occupants of the ambulance about the excruciating pain that runs through their bodies when they are forced to halt for long periods of time. They travel not to escape life but for life not to escape them. Ask the driver of the fire engine how he feels when he is unable to reach the site where several people are devoured by a fire just because the extinguisher could not reach on time. This, in essence, is the story of all crossings. In Gurdaspur, the one adjacent to the milk plant, directly opposite the BSNL office, is the villain of the piece. It closes, to be precise, 22 times in 24 hours bringing half the city to a standstill. People travelling from Gurdaspur towards Pathankot and also to half a dozen marriage palaces and hotels located on the other side have to spend more than an hour, even more in some cases, at the ‘Fatak’. The other day, a luxury bus, carrying foreigners from Pathankot to Amritsar airport got trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea — between the ‘Fatak’ ahead and the serpentine queue of traffic at the rear. Ms Emma Ingrid, a young Dutch lady, wanted to reach the airport before 5 pm to catch her flight to Amsterdam via Delhi. As the train was late, she was forced to twiddle her thumbs for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, she reached the airport at 7.30 pm. Despite repeated requests, she was declared a ‘No-Show.’ Actually, she was slated to travel to London after staying for two days at her Amsterdam home. She missed Amsterdam and London automatically missed her! Something needs to be done because this crossing is becoming one big wart on the face of the city.
Foreign dreams turn sour with new Canadian visa rules
It all began with a bang but has now ended with a whimper. Not long ago, Canada was the only thing on the minds of the students once they completed their schooling. Things have changed now. Earlier, droves of Gurdaspur-based youngsters used to fly to either Toronto or Vancouver after their parents paid, on a conservative estimate, anything between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh as college fees, air tickets and other expenses. Parents used to mortgage their agricultural land and pawn their residences to ensure their wards got settled abroad. All this has become a thing of yore. Youngsters are no longer getting jobs. Even after they complete their studies, which a majority in any case never care to do, students are finding it hard to get job placements. Like all good dreams, the Canadian dream too has come to an end. To complicate matters, Canada’s federal government has capped the number of international student visas for a period of two years beginning with the coming academic session. Fewer visas will mean fewer Indian students will be able to travel to Canada for a college degree. Indian students make up more than 41 per cent of Canada’s international student population, contributing significantly to the nation’s economic growth. At present, approximately 3.4 lakh students study in Canada. It is good if youngsters acquire some decent skills in India itself to support themselves in future because the doors to Canada are almost locked. And what sounds the death knell for starry-eyed students is the new ruling of the Canadian government that they will have to show that they have access to more than Canadia. $20,000, a considerable increase from the Canadian $10,000 that had been in place for the last 20 years. So folks, the Canadian bubble has burst, the Canadian dream has soured. Empty parking spaces near IELTS centres across Punjab tell you the entire story.
(Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)
