President’s visit to NIT Jalandhar cancelled due to dense fog

Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria presides over 21st convocation in Droupadi Murmu’s absence; 1,452 students awarded degrees.

President Droupadi Murmu’s scheduled visit to the Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology (NIT) for its 21st convocation was cancelled on Friday due to dense fog and poor visibility across the region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for the Majha and Doaba regions, citing dense fog on Friday morning. (HT Photo)

The President, who had stayed overnight in Amritsar after attending Guru Nanak Dev University’s golden jubilee convocation, was unable to take off as visibility was below 50 metres.

According to officials, the President was slated to land at Adampur airport and proceed to the campus via the Jalandhar-Amritsar national highway.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for the Majha and Doaba regions, citing dense fog.

While high-security arrangements led to early morning traffic diversions on the Jalandhar-Amritsar and Hoshiarpur roads, the restrictions were later eased following the cancellation.

In the President’s absence, Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria chaired the ceremony, where degrees were conferred upon 1,452 students, including 1,011 BTech, 238 MTech, 92 PhD, 90 MSc, and 21 MBA graduates, alongside 31 academic medals for top performers.