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Showing posts from January, 2017

Railways undertake coal transportation

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Pakistan Railways has embarked upon another profitable operational venture by starting exclusive coal transportation for upcountry coal-fired power plants.  The Pakistan Railways, Karachi Division, has dispatched the first coal-carrying train for Yusuf Wala Power Plant in Sahiwal.  The train left Karachi on January 29 and was expected to reach its destination in 32 hours.  According to a spokesman of the Karachi Division, the train comprised 25 wagons loaded with 1,500 tons of coal.  Initially a couple trains carrying coal will be dispatched daily and this number would be increased to five trains gradually, the spokesman said.

Railways procure GE manufactured diesel electric locomotives

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) “Pakistan Railways has embarked upon an ambitious plan aimed at strengthening its freight transportation service and has purchased 55 diesel electric locomotives, each of 4000 to 4500 horse power, for the purpose,” Mohammad Javed Anwar, General Manager (Operations), Pakistan Railway, disclosed. Talking to journalists on the occasion of delivery of seven of the 55 engines at Karachi Port, he said these freight specific locomotives, manufactured by General Electric (GE), USA, will be particularly utilized for coal and freight transportation.  About the seven locomotives, the GM (Operations) revealed that these will carry coal from Karachi port to coal power plants in the up country. These will soon be carrying coal to Sahiwal power plant.  To another question, he said that an agreement worth US$ 213,689 million had been signed with GE to procure these locomotives for phase wise delivery to Pakis...

SSUET projects clinch UNIDO awards

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, added another feather into its hat when two of its projects in bio-medical engineering and Telecom engineering won the UNIDO awards worth Rs three million.  The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) had, in March 2016, organized a contest. Around 80-90 projects were initially selected from all over Pakistan with four from SSUET. Since then theses projects were being monitored and surveyed how to commercialize them.  Out of total number of projects, five are to be selected for inclusion in the final round for the 15 K and 20 K US dollars prize money and to be taken to Silicon Valley USA as well while two from the SSUET have already been selected.  The news about these SSUET achievements were broken by Prof Dr Haleem and Prof Dr Aamer during their speeches at the recent Orientation Programme its...

SSUET holds Orientation Day

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Orientation Day of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi, for the new entrants (Batch 2017) was held at the Karachi Expo Centre on January 18 in a glorified manner with Chancellor Jawaid Anwar exhorting the students to strive to raise their level of thinking along with their academic pursuits so as to achieve success in their practical life and help raise the heads of their parents, teachers as well as the university. The programme was attended by over 1,400 new entrants who got admission in 11 different engineering disciplines alongwith their parents and were educated about their respective fields by the concerned Chairmen of departments. In a highly motivational address, the SSUET Chancellor told the students that they are going to start a new phase of their life. The university which they selected for their academic career is a unique and ideological institution wh...

SSUET Orientation Day on Jan 18

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) All arrangements have been finalized for the traditional Orientation Day to be organized for the entry of 2017 of newly enrolled students of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi. The Orientation programme will be held on January 18 at 10 am at the Karachi Expo Centre. The orientation programme is arranged for the newly enrolled students to educate them about the engineering disciplines they opted for their future career.  The day's salient feature is mainly the address to students by the SSUET Chancellor, Jawaid Anwar, besides speeches by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Jawaid H Rizvi and Dean Faculty of Engineering.  The chairpersons of the various departments will apprise the new university entrants about their respective disciplines.  According to the university notification the regular classes for first semester will commence from January 19 and for the re...

Pakistan’s newborns face rising risk of non-communicable diseases

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Stress, unhealthy lifestyle habits, and the prevalence of chronic diseases in adults are leaving Pakistan’s newborns more vulnerable to the threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), according to speakers at a recent event at the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi. Experts at the International Conference on Stress and Conditioning: Impact on Maternal and Generation Health noted that economic, social and psychological pressures lead to stress and high levels of stress hormones affect the baby in the womb.  These chemicals can trigger genetic changes which stall the development trajectory of the brain and heart of a fetus resulting in lifelong effects on the fetus’s learning capability, social functioning and ability to fight disease.  Pakistan has approximately 80 million people who suffer from NCDs or life-style related illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity...

HEC Inter-University Football Tournament underway

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The four-day HEC Inter-University Football Tournament (Zone G) commenced on January 10 at the 16-star Football Ground in Federal-B-Area, Karachi, with Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) being the host for the first time. Inaugurating the tournament, the SSUET Registrar, Syed Sarfraz Ali described sports activities in educational institutions as most imperative as, according to him, only a health generation proves itself the best asset for the country.  In the opening match IOBM University defeated SSUET 4-3 on penalty shoots after the encounter had remained locked at 2-2 till the end and both teams were allowed five penalties each to decide the fate of the match.  In the other matches, PIMSAT trounced Dow University 5-4 on penalty kicks, Iqra University overpowered Sindh Madressatul Islam 5-1 and Agha Khan overcame Dawood University 3-1. A total of 15 teams are taking pa...

Khawaja Naveed tipped to be new Sindh Governor

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The name of former Justice Khawaja Naveed Ahmed is circulating in the power corridors for appointment as new Governor of Sindh as replacement of the ailing Governor former Chief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi. According to reports emanating from power corridors, the name of Khawaja Naveed is being considered as a noted lawyer having very prominent legal back ground.  Earlier the names of former Governor Lt Gen (Rtd) Moinuddin Haider and PML(N)'s Senator Mushahidullah Khan were also considered for the coveted office and now Khawaja Naveed has emerged as the most likely candidate.  Barrister Khawaja Naveed is in the legal profession for the last 41 years and had worked as Advocate General Sindh and as a Judge in the High Court of Sindh.  He has the distinction of being a keynote speaker at the International Law General Symposium of Harvard University, USA, and is also a member of Internationa...