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indianexpress THE city’s roads, already burdened with 18 lakh vehicles and only so much space to expand, narrow bylanes and new constructions with inadequate area for off-street parking, are a nightmare.

However, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) refuses to wake up to reality and build parking lots even though it is in possession of four plots — at Shivajinagar, two in Gultekdi, and Bopodi— totally admeasuring 1.075 hectares.
The 1987 Development Plan has reserved as many as 29 plots for parking. Of these, parking could be developed only at 11 plots, reservation on three plots was cancelled and plans to develop a plot in Dapodi fell through since it is outside the city limits, while the civic administration still has to take the initiative on the remaining 14 plots admeasuring 3.7076 hectares.
At the acquired plots in Shivajinagar, Gultekdi and Bopodi, vehicles cannot be parked because the civic administration has to invite tenders from contractors. “Till now, we were not aware of the status of parking reservations shown in the DP. Only after we compiled the data of civic property holdings in the city, that we got to know of the four plots,” said deputy municipal commissioner (land acquisition) Suraj Mandhare.

Traffic expert Sujit Patwardhan says, “Parking is the strongest instrument in traffic management. There should be lots in Peth areas where people can park and walk to Laxmi Road, Mahatma Phule Mandai and JM Road ,” he said.

Numberwise
* Total parking reservations: 29
* Reservation outside city: 1
* Reservations cancelled: 3
* Reservations developed: 11
* Land acquired for parking: 4
* Land acquisition in process: 2
* Land to be acquired at once: 5
* Land encroached on: 3

indianexpress OVER 20,000 ornate artefacts showcased at the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Shukrawar Peth, single-handedly collected by art connoisseur DG Kelkar will soon get a better display. In a first-ever gesture, the Foreign Office of the Government of Germany has announced a grant of 50,000 euros to the museum for maintenance and preservation of its artefacts.

As per an agreement signed on Friday between Consul General Walter Stechel of the German Consulate in Mumbai and the museum’s co-director Sudhanva Ranade, the German government will hand over 50,000 euros to be used for purchasing equipment needed for the museum’s artefacts.

A proposal was submitted to the German Foreign Office as part of the International Cultural Preservation Programme. The German government funds various cultural preservation projects across the globe based on their merit. Kelkar Museum’s proposal of ‘Bringing India to the World’ was selected from among other proposals considered from across the world.

One-man collection
The Kelkar Museum was founded by DG Kelkar in memory of his son Raja, who died an untimely death. The museum comprises an exhaustive collection painstakingly put together by Kelkar after travelling across the country. The collection includes intricate items used in traditional households, including mirrors, jewellery boxes, nutcrackers, utensils, sindur boxes, writing instruments, lamps and toys. The museum is run by the Government of Maharashtra since 1975.

indianexpress THE Pune Municipal Corporation has proposed a hike of 15 per cent in the water tax for the year 2007-08. The hike, if approved by the civic body, will come into effect from July 1. However, there is no hike in property tax, entertainment tax or any other cess.

The civic administration has put up the proposal to the standing committee stating that in the effort to provide pure water, more electricity is being used and therefore a hike of 15 per cent is proposed in the water tax. The proposal mentions that the electricity bill at the water works has increased by 50 per cent while the price of chemical used to filter the water has gone up by 20-30 per cent. The 15 per cent hike is expected to rake in Rs 115 crore.

indianexpress GENERAL Motors India is all set to add some spice to the luxury sedan market in India. The company is bringing a diesel variant of Chevrolet Optra to India next month. This will be the company’s third car to be launched in India after Aveo U-VA and Chevrolet Spark in a span of four months. Chevrolet Optra diesel is expected to compete against Skoda Octavia, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. “This is the first time that the company is entering the diesel segment in sedans and we are hopeful of doing sizeable numbers,” Sumit Sawhney, general manager - sales, General Motors India said. According to market sources, the company is looking at manufacturing 800 to 1,000 units of the diesel variant after the launch next month.

“The petrol version of Chevrolet Optra is currently averaging 400 units per month. We are looking at tripling production after the launch of the diesel version,” he said. The Indian market typically opts for diesel because of the fuel efficiency and the subsidy given by the government on diesel, he said. Sawhney was in Pune for the launch of Chevrolet Spark.

The Spark has been launched in the north and west in 25 cities through 40-odd dealerships. “Due to capacity constraints, the Spark will be rolled out in southern markets in the next 45 to 60 days,” Sawhney said. The company has introduced safety features such as the driver air bag and anti braking systems (ABS). Customers also have the option of tubeless tyres. Sawhney said the company would open 125 service centres and 110 sales centres across the country by the year-end.

indianexpress  WHEN Sunil Tukaram _ a Yerawada-based auto-rickshaw driver _ came to Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) on Friday for his permit renewal, he was asked to pay Rs 300 as fine for overcharging a passenger in April. His papers had an application describing the complaint by a passenger.

The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) has received around 143 complaints in the last year against auto-rickshaw drivers for over-charging, rude behaviour and denying service to passengers. The RTO accepts complaints from commuters regarding offences like service denied, rude behaviour, overcharging, drunk driving, driving without meters, driving with inflammable material, using false tariff cards, driving without uniform and badges.

However, the officials find the quantum of complaints less when compared to city’s population.” The number of complaints we have received last year is very less in comparison with city’s population and number of auto-rickshaws that ply in the city’s jurisdiction,” said an official from prosecution department.

indianexpress UNTIL now it was relegated to the kitchens of Maharashtrian households, with it’s gastronomical value treasured only by a homely few. But the rustic charm of the legendary bharli vaangi and bhakri (stuffed and spiced brinjal served with jawar rotis) is now gaining ground even in hotel menus.

Spicy and filling, the dish commands elaborate preperations. While making cross incisions in fresh, small brinjals doesn’t require much skill, the stuffing sure does. This paste, that forms the essence of the taste comprises precise blending of several ingredients like black pepper powder, red chilli powder, chopped garlic, mustard, turmeric, asafoetida, sesame seeds, coriander, chopped and slightly fried onions, groundnut powder, grated copra, curd, salt and some sugar. When mixed smoothly, the brinjals are stuffed with this mixture, cooked in a non-stick pan with a tadka for ten minutes and served hot with a generous dressing of coriander. The dish is complemented by bhakri greased with dollops of butter, while salad and thecha (chutney made from green chillies) serve as perfect accompaniments.

Abhiruchi Cottage Restaurant
Sinhagad Road
(Rs 50)
Downright homespun, the dish here is made in a charcoal pit. And, if the season permits, the brinjals are picked fresh from the restaurant’s farm located in the same premises. The bharleli vangi comes with a thick gravy and is slightly dry. “Technically speaking, bharli vaangi means lots of stuffing which also comprises the gravy. It should stick to the brinjal, which brings out its true flavour,” says Jayant Bhide, the restaurant’s manager.

indianexpress THE power shortage in the State will have its effect on the water tax being paid by Puneites. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has proposed a hike of 15 per cent in the water tax for the year 2007-08. The hike, if approved by the civic body, will come into effect from July 1.

The civic administration has not proposed any hike in property or entertainment tax or any other cess. But in a proposal moved before the Standing Committee, the civic administration has stated that for providing pure water to users, more electricity is being used and therefore a hike by 15 per cent is proposed in the water tax. The proposal also states that there has been an increase in electricity bill at the water works by 50 per cent and the cost of chemicals used to filter the water by 20 to 30 per cent and therefore the hike in water tax is necessary. The 15 per cent hike is expected to put the water tax collection of the civic body at Rs 115 crore.
The proposed hike will be applicable to those commercial properties in the city and merged villages, also whose assessment has been made but do not have a water connection. Religious places which do not have meter facilities, too will have to pay the proposed water tax. At those places where there is no development of water facilities or where the PMC supplies water through tankers, such users will have to pay water tax of Rs 575.

informationweek Yahoo plans to close its Yahoo Photos service this fall, the company said Friday. During a three-month period, users will be given the option to migrate their photos to Yahoo’s Flickr photo-sharing service or to another online photo service such as Photobucket.

Back in March 2005, when Yahoo’s acquisition of Flickr was announced, Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake predicted that Yahoo Photos would be “Flickrized” but would remain distinct.
Having seen the picture of the writing on the wall, Yahoo has decided to focus on a single photo site.

“We are making great strides in our ongoing efforts to align Yahoo’s resources and focus on core strategic priorities,” said Jeff Weiner, executive VP, Yahoo Network Division, in a statement. “Part of this progress is today’s decision to close Yahoo Photos to better serve our valued customers through Flickr. We’re excited to build on the phenomenal success of Flickr by focusing on this important service.”

At the Web 2.0 Expo last month, Weiner said his new role running Yahoo’s network division “is to facilitate the connection of the dots,” which is to say Yahoo’s collection of online services. “We want to connect our consumers to what they value the most,” he said.
Sometimes, to bring people together, you must close a few roads

iol.co.za It may have had difficulty finding his way home in Finding Nemo, but the white and orange clownfish generally finds its way back to its parents after being swept out to sea, new research has found.
A team of Australian, American and French scientists studying pristine coral reefs in Papua New Guinea found that 60 percent of clownfish journeyed back to their tiny home reef after being swept out to the ocean as babies.

Researcher Glenn Almany said it was not known how far the baby clownfish travelled before they trekked home, but that they generally spent 11 days away from their reef before returning.
The team’s findings, published in the latest edition of the international journal Science, could help improve the understanding of how fish larvae disperse and therefore enable better design of marine protected areas, he said.
The team is currently working on the Indonesian island of Bali to develop a tag for coral trout, a species overfished in some waters.

“Tagging would help you to select the right reefs to protect, in order to maintain the overall population - and the fish catch into the future,” Almany said.

motoring.co.za Mercedes is to produce its awesome SLR McLaren as a Roadster convertible with a top speed of 332km/h – now that’ll really blow your hair back.

It will, essentially, run on the same chassis as the coupé with its 460kW/780Nm, supercharged AMG engine to, as Merc puts it, “open up a new dimension in refinement for open-top super sports cars”. No argument there… and Merc also promises no loss of comfort or everyday usability.

The Roadster, like the coupé, also benefits technically from many years of experience by Formula 1 partner McLaren. Apart from two aluminium engine frames, its body is made entirely of carbon fibre-reinforced plastic that makes it an exception among high-performance sports cars
The two-seater has a racing-type chassis with high-performance, carbon-ceramic brake discs. Its front-mid-engine provides for optimum weight distribution and it comes with an AMG Speedshift R five-speed automatic transmission that will launch it to 100km/h in 3.8sec.

The cars will be assembled like the coupé - left-hand drive only, which means they’re not for South Africa - at McLaren’s Formula 1 factory in Woking, England, in accordance with stringent Mercedes-Benz quality criteria and will be available as from September 2007.