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Previous File: Sunday Dec 22 Back to Today's Headlines Power Failure All Over Northern India NEW DELHI: A power breakdown hit large parts of northern India early on Monday delaying trains and making hundreds of thousands late for school and work. Several Delhi residents complained about the almost three-hour blackout which threw life out of gear in the early morning winter chill. RP Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of the State-run Power Grid Corporation, said that breakdown of transmission lines leading to power failure is a common problem that's been faced by most of the developed nations. "Minor grid problem can happen anywhere in any country. Even in the United States such things happen during the snow storms and there is no electricity in big cities. If you have to fight against nature, there would be some problems. As there have been no winter rains in and around Delhi, our insulators have been highly polluted. So now as the fog is setting in, there are chances of a short circuit. I think there will only be minor disturbances. No major faults should be there as we are equipped," said Singh. Several trains such as the luxury superfast Shatabdi and Rajdhani express were running late because of the breakdown in a transmission grid and caused a lot of trouble to commuters. "We have come by Rajdhani Express. We had to face a lot of problems as the train was delayed. The railway officials should be knowing the main reason behind this," said Asha Khanna, a commuter. Earlier this year, businesses and homes across the country were hit by crippling power blackouts, some lasting 24 hours, as the country's creaking power system collapsed under the weight of rising demand at the peak of summer. Most of power generation and distribution remains in the hands of State governments, losing 6.85 billion dollars a year, hurting businesses and holding back economic growth. Several multinational companies which entered India's power sector after it was thrown open to private investors in the early 1990s have since quit, citing a slow pace of reforms and bureaucratic red-tape. In July, the Government handed over power distribution in New Delhi to private companies Tata Power and Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply. Balloon Festival Focus on Environment (Go To Top) -by Deepa Chaudhary GURGAON: The Balloon Club of India is organising the 18th India International Hot Air Balloon Mela 2002 from December 8-25 in the suburb of Delhi, Gurgaon, under the auspices of the Aero Club of India, forwarding the message of 'Clean Environment and Protect Nature from Pollution'.
The festival, which was inaugurated by the former Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Motilal Vora, aims at exposing the youth of the country to ballooning, promoting the adventure and clarifying the misconceptions regarding the balloon racing. The Balloon Port at Damdama, the first of its kind in the world, has been specially created for the festival.Vishwa Bandhu Gupta, the organiser of the festival, said that they have received a great response, and now more people are comong forward to learn ballooning. "We have received tremendous response from the people for the first time and specially from the young people. We are getting so many phone calls and emails from people who want to learn how to fly and, of course, now we have a programme for them to teach them, how to fly," he said. Balloon racing is a misnomer and is actually a test of the navigational skills, testing a pilot's ability against his fellow pilots and his knowledge of atmospheric conditions. If Iraq Is Attacked, Can We Be Far Behind, Ask Pakistanis (Go To Top) ISLAMABAD: The psychological scenario in Pakistan vis-a-vis the USA is undergoing a significant change. There is a growing suspicion about Washington's intentions, as also the fear that after Iraq, Pakistan may be the next American target. An assault on Iraq will harden opinion further even as the gulf of hatred involving both sides is widening, according to Pakistani observers and academics as well as Western diplomats, says an article in New York Times. Tanweer Ahmed, a middle class Pakistani shopkeeper, is quoted as saying that Presidents Bush and Saddam Hussein are "equally aggressive." And he cannot understand why the USA feels threatened by a small country like Iraq. He says it "goes without saying" that the USA is biased toward "the Jews" and discriminates against Muslims, a view that can cause worry among the moderates. "Over the last eight or nine months, the situation is gotten a lot worse and that's what Osama and the people on his side want to foster," one Western diplomat said. This, it is believed, can set off large protests and present a new set of challenges to President Pervez Musharraf and his military, custodians of the Islamic world's only known nuclear arsenal. There are already signs, adds the newpaper, that the changing mood here has reduced Pakistani enthusiasm for pursuing Al-Qaeda members believed to be hiding in Pakistan. A recent worldwide opinion poll by the Pew Research Centre reveals that 69 per cent of Pakistanis held an unfavourable view of the United States and only 10 per cent expressed a favourable one. Of the 44 countries surveyed, Pakistan tied with Egypt for the most negative perception of the USA. Again, a recent State Department poll showed rising support for Iraq, not America. Fifty-two per cent of Pakistanis polled said they had a "good" opinion of Saddam Hussein, an increase of 9 percentage points from that six months ago. And 67 per cent of Pakistanis polled said they would oppose an American military attack on Iraq, even if it blocked UN weapons inspections. Drought Grips Rajasthan (Go To Top)
JAIPUR: On a two-day visit to Rajasthan on Sunday President APJ Abdul Kalam expressed his concern for the drought-hit people of Rajasthan. The spectre of drought looms large in all the 32 districts of the State. Nearly 42.5 million people in 41,000 villages continue to suffer. Kalam visited some of the drought-hit areas. He recalled his association with the Thar desert, where he guided nuclear explosions in Pokhran..Apart from sharing the grief of drought-hit people, Kalam also inaugurated a seminar on cancer in a city hospital where he emphasised on the urgent need for early detection and cure of the disease. Kalam was accompanied by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on his visit to Udaipur where he intracted with villagers regarding the relief works that are undertaken. Much of India this year was hit with the worst drought in a decade as monsoon rains, vital to the economy, were erratic.Facing its fifth continuous drought, Rajasthan has been the worst affected. Steve Waugh Will Rise to Career's Biggest Challenge: McGrath (Go To Top) SYDNEY: Australia's Test skipper Steve Waugh, whose international playing future is in doldrums, will rise to the biggest challenge of his career, according to paceman Glenn McGrath. "You look through his whole career, he's really been a fighter the whole way through. Determination and ruthlessness are a couple of words you could say about him. This is probably the toughest fight of his career but the type of character he is, he'll probably rise to the occasion," he told reporters at Melbourne airport on Monday. "Ideally it would be great to see Steve come down here, put a big score on the board in Melbourne and do the same in Sydney," said McGrath, referring to the fourth and fifth Ashes Test in Melbourne and Sydney, respectively. The fourth and penultimate match begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, while the fifth and final one begins at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 2. According to McGrath, Waugh should retire only when he wants to. "That's a decision he's got to make himself. He's been a legend of the game, really. The amount of times he's really fought and brought Australia back into a game when we've been in trouble...I consider myself lucky to have played with a guy of his calibre. It would be great to see him go out on his own terms, when he wants to." Kabul Signs Pact With Six Neighbours (Go To Top) KABUL: Afghanistan signed a non-aggression pact, "Declaration on Good Neighbourly Relations", with all six of its neighbours on Sunday, hoping to bring an end to years of foreign interference that has contributed to over two decades of war, reports the News. The agreement came exactly one year after President Hamid Karzai came to power on December 22, 2001 as head of an interim government created at a conference in Germany. Karzai was chosen president in June at a Loya Jirga. The foreign ministry said the 'Kabul Declaration' was designed to "emphasise constructive and amicable relations, respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from actions that may jeopardise peace and stability in the region". China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan signed the agreement. Also attending the conference were representatives from India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the European Union, the United Nations and the United States. US to Set Up New Bases in Afghanistan (Go To Top) WASHINGTON: The United States, in a significant shift in its posture on Afghanistan, plans to set up eight to ten new bases around the country over the next six months hoping to boost reconstruction and regional security, the Nation has quoted a Pentagon official as saying. In addition, the bases will endeavor "to dampen regional tensions" and to project the power of the Central Governmemnrt in Kabul into the provinces, Joe Collins, deputy assistant secretary of defence, said at a Pentagon briefing. Each of the bases will have a core contingent of about 60 people, including US combat troops, Special Forces soldiers, USAID personnel and others, he said. The troops are expected to engage in small-scale construction projects, such as digging wells, building schools and fixing minor bridges, Washington File quoted another official as saying. The reconfiguration isn't expected to increase the size of the US military presence in Afghanistan, which stands at about 9,000 troops, Collins said in a brief interview. Sajjan, 8 Others Acquitted in 1984 Riots Case (Go To Top) NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and former MP Sajjan Kumar was acquitted in the 1984 riots case here on Monday. Eight other co-accused were also set free. A special court disposed of the case registered against the nine accused because of lack of evidence and contradictory statements of witnesses. The prosecution has, however, said they would appeal against the verdict in the high court. It is widely believed that the inordinate delay in the hearing of the case resulted in acquittals. In the FIR registered by the CBI the complainant had accused Sajjan Kumar of leading a mob that killed many members of Sikh community during the riots which broke out immediately after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. -ANI |
