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indianexpress:  THE Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) would soon seek the State government’s approval for implementing the rehabilitation scheme for those living in old dilapidated structures (wada) in the city that are getting affected by the various infrastructure development projects. If implemented, the rehab scheme will come as a relief to both the owners and residents of the wadas who have been fighting legal battles for decades now.

There are 498 dilapidated structures in the city. The PMC has been issuing notices urging for demolition to avoid threat to life of residents, but hardly anything is being done to bring down the structures due to legal battles between the residents and the owners of the wadas. City Improvement Committee (CIC) Chairman Bapu Karne said the proposal would give relief to the residents of the wadas that are going to be affected by the development projects. “The PMC is unable to tackle the redevelopment of many wadas as many of them are stuck in legal battles. But, the rehab proposal once approved will go a long way in resolving issues in the case of wadas that are getting affected by the city development projects,” Karne said.

After the State government approval, the PMC could rehabilitate the affected people and demolish the structures to pave way for development projects, he said.

As per the guidelines for the rehabilitation scheme, the PMC will allow the development of land on condition that the minimum tenement density shall be 225 sq ft.

The developer should construct 25 per cent tenements of size of not more than 25 sq metre while the rest can be of any size. Out of the 25 per cent tenements thus earmarked, 15 per cent tenements should be handed over to PMC free of cost, as it will entitle him to Transfer of Development Right (TDR). The PMC would use such tenements only for project affected people, the guidelines said.

As per the PMC Development Plan (DP) of 1987 where the central parts of the city were to undergo a complete makeover, it was decided that the residents of the wadas would be rehabilitated in five locations in the old city limit. The PMC also identified 1.07 hectares in five locations — two plots in Sadashiv Peth and one each in Rasta Peth, Shaniwar Peth and Budhwar Peth for the rehabilitation scheme.

indianexpress: THE demand for cleaning up the riverbed of Ram Nadi is gaining momentum with more corporators urging the civic administration to initiate action against the structures, small or big, encroaching the river.

Independent corporator Bandu Kemse on Wednesday said the PMC should define the 30-metre green belt alongside the Ram Nadi and remove all the encroachments with immediate effect. The PMC should also remove encroachments on various nallas in the city, he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the ruling NCP-Shiv Sena leaders came down heavily on the PMC saying that the civic administration was initiating action against slum encroachments instead of demolishing big buildings blocking the natural flow of the river.

Leader of the house Anil Bhosale and Shiv Sena leader Shyam Deshpande demanded that the PMC initiate action against the big encroachers first and then act against slums.

The duo also demanded that the administration declare the list of building permissions in river and take action against those encroachers. “The PMC is targeting the poor instead of acting against the bigwigs who have blocked the river. We demand action against the officials who continue to protect the big encroachers,” Bhosale said.

indianexpress: PUNE division of Central railways has begun renovation work of Pune railway station after the fiscal year was declared as ‘cleanliness year’ in the railway budget.

In a press release issued, divisional railway manager D K Jain said plans are on to construct a canopy at the second-class exit akin to the one at the main entrance. The canopy will facilitate passage of large number of people without causing congestion.
 
Also, the area near the computerised reservation centre has been cleaned and painted under the cleanliness campaign. “We are also regularly undertaking cleanliness of the main hall where the passengers wait for trains,” the release said.

Through the release, Jain has appealed people to keep the circulating area of the station clean.

“It is easy for us to clean the railway premises. However, it is difficult to keep it clean throughout the day. People can co-operate by not littering in the premises,” he said.

Appeal has also been made to commuters to avoid ticketless travelling and use the new as well as old overbridge instead of using only the old one.

indianexpress: WHEN India’s first expedition to the Arctic is flagged off from New Delhi on Friday, it will be a proud moment for the city too. For the five-member team will include Dr C G Deshpande, a senior scientist from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.

While India has sent 26 missions to the Antarctic, this expedition to the Arctic will be its first foray to the North Pole. “I am the only scientist from the atmospheric field in the team, so the responsibility is so much greater,” says the 48-year-old scientist, while packing his apparatus and belongings at his Pashan residence on Wednesday.

Dr Rasik Ravindra, director, National Center for Antarctic and Oceanic Research (NCAOR, Goa) will lead the team comprising S N Singh also from NCAOR, S Shivaji from Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and Dhruv Sen Singh from the University of Lucknow.

Deshpande, who had earlier participated in the 16th Antarctic Expedition and several other oceanic expeditions will conduct atmospheric aerosol and electrical measurements at the International Arctic Research Base at Ny Alesund in Svalbard, Norway. These measurements will be the first of their kind undertaken in the field of Atmospheric science by an Indian.

indianexpress: THE Association of Hospitals in the city is visibly upset over the new rate list for various treatment and investigation procedures issued by the Ministry of Health under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). Pune, as per the new schedule, is also no longer on par with the CGHS A-1 rates that are confined to metros like Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

The fixation of package rates has been termed as ‘illogical’ by members of the association including Dr P K Grant of Ruby Hall Clinic, Hasmukh Shah, trustee, Poona hospital, Dr V L Yemul, administrator at KEM hospital, Dr Ravindranath of Poona Hospital and Dr Manisha Sanghvi of Sancheti Hospital. Col Ajit Palekar (retd), one of the members of the association told media persons on Wednesday that a majority of the hospitals, serving the needs of CGHS employees and allied government institutions, will now find it impossible to renew their contracts in view of the government’s ‘draconian’ changes in the conditions and rates for various medical treatment.

While ensuring the patient would not be inconvenienced, the members however have called for an urgent appointment with the health minister and a speedy settlement of the issue.

The empanelled hospitals , now under the banner of the association, are determined not to bow down to the totally illogical changes, as Grant said. The rates have been slashed by about 30 per cent and new terms and conditions have been introduced, members said.

For instance the rate that was applicable from 2002 for a mitral valve replacement was Rs 1.36 lakh. This means that the government would pay the hospital Rs 1.36 lakh for performing the mitral valve replacement for the CGHS beneficiary. However, according to the new rate list, as Pune has been downgraded from A-1 list of cities to A list along with Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Kanpur, the government will pay the hospital a mere Rs 68,000. Also, rates of various surgeries have been slashed, like the cost of a knee replacement that was Rs 91,000 from 2002 was reduced to Rs 75,000.

indianexpress: IN an effort to speed up the loan recovery process of Suvarna Sahakari Bank, cooperative minister Patangrao Kadam held a meeting with cooperative officials and bank administrator Mukund Ghaisas to discuss the status of the recovery of the loans on Wednesday in Mumbai.

BJP MLA Girish Bapat had earlier demanded the meeting so the depositors get back their money as soon as possible. Minister of state for cooperatives Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar, cooperative secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad, cooperative commissioner Anil Diggikar and MLA Girish Bapat were present at the meeting.

Bapat demanded the state government deposit Rs 100 crore in the bank. He also said the depositors were confused about the recovery process and that information with regard to the status of the recovery process be given to the depositors on a monthly basis. Bapat also demanded the cooperative minister conduct regular meetings of cooperative officials and the bank administrator so there is no delay in the further process of bank resurrection.

The meeting was held after the Suvarna Sahakari Bank Sangharsha Samiti last week refused to accept Rs 2,000 offered by the administrator. The Samiti had demanded that the merger of bank be carried out immediately so the depositors could get back their entire deposits. The Samiti’s reaction came after Ghaisas’ statement that the bank is at breakeven point and is in position to pay amount of Rs 2,000 just the once to its depositors in August.

However, the Samiti passed a resolution refusing to accept the amount. “The bank has recovered Rs 121 crore so far, and the administrator offered alms of Rs 2,000 to each depositor. Instead we demand immediate the merger of the bank,” the resolution said.

techtree: Nokia has selected India as the location for the first in a series of satellite design studios that it plans on establishing in design hot spots across the globe.

The studio (to be based out of Bangalore) is being developed through a two-year partnership with the Bangalore-based Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology, and will offer young talent in the country an opportunity to work along with Nokia designers on new and innovative design ideas.

Alastair Curtis, chief designer of Nokia, said, “India is a dynamic and inspiring place for designers, with its diverse mix of cultures, traditions, and color. The new satellite studio will help us further develop our understanding of this vibrant country, and to work more closely with its extremely talented designers.”

Geetha Narayanan, founder and director at Srishti, said, “Nokia’s investment reflects the growing importance of India’s designers, and the wealth of new talent being developed here. This studio gives the talent of tomorrow the opportunity to work with experienced Nokia designers from around the world.”

The satellite design studio will be run by a dedicated team of Nokia designers, students at the Srishti School, along with established designers across the country. It will explore design trends and themes, colors and materials, mobile use of Internet in India and it’s implications for design, among other topics.

Nokia has about 300 designers globally, who represent nearly 34 different nationalities. The group is an eclectic mix of designers, psychologists, researchers, anthropologists, engineers, and technology specialists, based out of major cities of the world.

techtree: Dell has reportedly rolled out the first desktop computer from its India plant at Sriperumbudur near Chennai. The desktop was gifted to Infosys.

At the function held to commemorate the occasion, Rajan Anandan, vice president of Dell India, said the plant would help reduce lead time by almost 40 to 50 percent and also help reduce costs.

Set up on nearly 50 acres of land spanning around 110,000 square feet, the India Customer Center (ICC) will initially employ 150 persons, with an agenda to expand and grow further.

ICC has planned an investment of $30 million over a period of 5-years, with an initial capacity of 4-lakh desktops per year to go up to about 2.5 million units over a period of time, K Y Yong, general manager of manufacturing operations, Dell, said.

The Chennai plant is Dell’s third plant in the Asia Pacific region after China and Malaysia.

techtree: Amidst major search giants like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, comes a new player called “Kakle.com” trying to make its mark!

Although a much lesser known brand, Kakle promises an interactive user experience with all the interesting features that a paradigmatic search engine may offer.

However one feature that possibly even beats Google is the free 5GB email account that Kakle offers. Meanwhile, Google’s Gmail offers just 2GB of storage.

Apart from this, Kakle features instant messenger (IM), chat, games, forums, blogs, social networking communities, and unlimited audio, video, and picture uploads. The voice and video IM is interoperable with other major messenger services, something similar to Meebo.

In addition, users can also create their own Web portals and import RSS.

“The one thing that makes Kakle stand out from other search engines is the meta result,” said Riko Chung, president and owner of Kakle. “We aggregate the results from major search engines, and rank the search engines on the basis of the results. If the user clicks on the name of the search company, the page where the site is displayed comes up.”

Kakle.com has been in beta for the past six months, and is seeking feedback from users for further development.

“Various features are being modified, and once launched, it will look completely different from what it looks today,” Chung added.

techtree: Beware of this silent killer at the work place and at home…

A group of Australian scientists from the Queensland University of Technology have reportedly discovered that certain laser printers pose a serious health hazard because of the tiny particles of toner-like material that they release into the air.

The researchers claim that such laser printers can damage human lungs in more or less the same way as smoke particles from cigarettes.

A third of the printer models studied, including those of Canon, HP, Ricoh, and Toshiba, were found to emit potentially dangerous levels of toner particles into the air.

Researchers, Lidia Morawska, Ph.D. and her colleagues found 17 of the total 62 printers studied to be “high particle emitters”; 37 “zero particle emitters”; 6 “low particle emitters”; and 2 “medium particle emitters”.

The toner particles, though miniscule, are capable of causing health problems ranging from minor respiratory irritation to severe cardiovascular diseases and even Cancer.

In the course of their study, the scientists also found that indoor particle levels in office air increase nearly five-fold during working hours due to excessive printer use. Also that printers emit more particles when operating with new toner cartridges, or when printing graphics and images that require greater quantities of toner.

Meanwhile, the scientists have concluded that more study and definitive proof is required before establishing any theories regarding the harmful effects of laser printers.