News

punetimes: Goods worth over Rs 1 crore were gutted in a fire that broke out at the 20,000 sq. ft. Spencer’s shop-cum-godown in Kondhwa in the wee hours of Monday. No one was injured in the incident.

Fire brigade personnel said the fire broke out in the grocery section around 5 am and soon spread to other parts.
Pune Municipal Corporation chief fire officer, Devendra Potphode, said the multi-purpose shop was divided into six parts and the fire which started from the grocery section, subsequently engulfed the electronic goods section.
Twenty fire tenders and tankers rushed to the spot as soon as the emergency call was received. It took more than four hours for over 100 fire fighters to extinguish the blaze. The fire brigade personnel managed to salvage three sections of the shop.

Potphode said the operation took some time to completely extinguish the fire at the electronic section as compressors of refrigerators and air-conditoners blew off due to the resultant heat.

Potphode said a short-circuit in the shop might have led to the fire.

A large number of computers, air-conditioners, television sets, other electronic goods, grocery items and valuables were destroyed in the fire.

punetimes: High emission of particulate matter in slums mentioned in the environment status report (ESR) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has underlined the need for effective implementation of slum rehabilitation schemes, not only for reducing the population in slums, but also improving the environment in the city.

According to the ESR, a study was conducted by the air quality management cell of the civic body in slum areas, which revealed that as much as 1800 micro gram per cubic meter (mg/cm) of particulate matter was emitted there. The average outdoor standards for residential areas is 50 mg/cm.

Particulate matter is extremely harmful to health as it enters the lungs and causes respiratory disorders like asthma.
Speaking to TOI here on Monday, Ajay Oza, head of AQMC, said that a sample survey of 502 hutments and another study of 50 hutments in Manjri and Hadapsar slums was conducted by the AQMC last year.

“It revealed that the slum-dwellers live in hazardous conditions as a very high amount of particulate matter is present in these areas due to lack of ventilation. It is also observed that more than one type of fuel was used in most of the houses,” Oza said.

He pointed out that while the use of LPG and kerosene was less harmful, burning of wood and charcoal was most hazardous, which was being used as fuel in slum areas.

punetimes: The Maharashtra anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested police inspector (PI) Rajashree Shirishkumar Gandhi and her driver Abdul Shaikh for allegedly issuing threats and extorting Rs 18,000 from a hotel manager on August 15.

The ACB also searched the Fatimanagar residence of Gandhi, who is currently posted at Pune rural police’s crime branch.

Deputy superintendent of police (ACB) Subhash Aniruddha lodged a complaint with the Chatushrungi police on Monday.

Hotel owner Kishor Patil (34) has said in his complaint that the hotel is in his wife’s name and Sunil Vernekar is a manager. “Gandhi and her driver went to the hotel near Dhayari village on Sinhgad road on August 15 — a dry day — and claimed that liquor was being sold there. Gandhi demanded Rs 40,000 from Vernekar and Patil’s friend Sunil Tanpure, who paid her Rs 18,000,” he said.

According to the complaint, after taking Rs 18,000, Gandhi immediately called up Patil and demanded the remaining amount. However, Patil expressed his inability to pay the amount that day. In the next two to three days, she allegedly made calls to the hotel owner.

punetimes: In the wake of Saturday’s twin blasts in Hyderabad which claimed 42 lives and injured over 50 people, Pune police commissioner Jayant Umranikar has issued an alert to the authorities of public places.

In a statement on Monday, Umranikar urged representatives of malls, IT parks, multiplexes, cinema halls, gardens, railway stations, state transport bus stands, tourist spots and markets to lock their premises only after a thorough check.

Even before opening these places, the authorities should look for suspicious articles. People entering such places should also be checked. “Entry with bags should be prohibited. If individuals want to take their bags, they should be thoroughly checked,” the police chief said.

Umranikar said that inflammable material or sharp weapons should not be allowed into such areas. Electronic materials, mobiles and cameras should also be checked, he said.

The authorities have also been asked to try fitting door-frame metal detectors at malls, IT parks, multiplex theatre, cinema halls and theatres. Such places should also have close-circuit TVs (CCTVs) and recording machines in their parking lots. The security personnel should note down vehicle numbers and their entry-exit time, besides ensuring that there are no abandoned vehicles in their vicinity

punetimes: Worms and gutkha packets were found in drinking water tanks and mosquitoes breeding in one storage tank at three schools run by the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB).

This shocking state of affairs came to light here on Monday during a surprise visit by KCB president Brig V.K. Bhatt to a complex that houses Dr Zakir Hussain school, Col Bhagat Singh and Moledina Urdu school having a student strength of 1,000.

The KCB president also found unauthorised people living in the quarters meant for security personnel in the school complex, besides broken water taps, dirty toilets and inadequate staff. He undertook the surprise visit at 1 pm following complaints by students’ parents.

Around 200 agitated parents assembled at the KCB office on Monday morning, just before the board meeting started. They gheraoed Brig Bhatt and complained about the poor facilities at the schools.

MLA Chandrakant Chhajed also accompanied the KCB president during the visit to the schools.

pcworld: At one time, network storage was an expensive proposition. Iomega is aiming to shatter the preconception with its new line of Home Network Hard Drives. The drives, available in 320GB, 360GB, and 500GB capacities, set new low-water marks for network storage. The 320GB model costs $149, as will the 360GB model when it ships in September. The 500GB model carries a retail price of $199.

According to Tom Kampfer, president and COO of Iomega, the goal with these new hard drives is to make network storage mainstream, by closing the differential in price from getting a standard USB 2.0 and a drive equipped with ethernet. With these new models, the gap falls to about $20–the cost of a meal out. Kampfer sites the prevalence of home networks as a big motivator in Iomega trying to move into this space; Iomega’s next step-up 500GB StorCenter costs $299.

To achieve the lower costs, Iomega is leveraging some of its advantages in volume production—as well as using a different chipset than the one found in its recently announced StorCenter line of network-attached storage devices. This means, among other things, that you will see a performance difference between the Home and StorCenter lines.

The Home models have both ethernet and USB 2.0 connectivity (useful if, for whatever reason, you need to jack the unit directly into a PC for a direct connection), and are optimized for use by up to four users simultaneously. These models also include Iomega’s Discovery Tool Home utility for Windows, and two licenses of EMC Retrospect HD backup software (a $50 value unto itself).

pcmag: Orlando-based Solis Energy has released a plan to provide guaranteed energy to low-wattage devices, even in the event of a blackout. Customers will be able to power their 100-watt-and-under devices — WiFi hotspots, security cameras, traffic lights, and sensors, even when grid power is unavailable — using solar power.
Solis Energy designs stand-alone solar generators that are practical, relatively inexpensive, and easy to install–on the tops of streetlamps, for example–and that could keep a city’s infrastructure mostly intact in the event of loss of grid power. Living in New York, where the possibility of a blackout seems palpable on hot days, I definitely see the advantages of this kind of power alternative.

ADVERTISEMENT Of course, it would be great if Solis’s devices became more than just power-source alternatives–solar power being super-green and renewable. (If you want to power your personal devices on solar power, check out this universal hybrid charger: the Better Energy Systems Solio).

Plus, as WiFi becomes more ubiquitous, it might be nice to see this kind of solar-powered (read: practically guilt-free) wireless widely available in places like parks.

Next up from Solis, later this year: the Squid and Octopus, DC to DC converters that deliver field configurable 12-, 24- or 48- volt output over two or more independent circuits.

techtree: TopNotch Infotronix has reportedly introduced Zebronics’ 2.1 Speaker system, ‘ZEB-4000 W’.

The speaker set comprises a main sub-woofer unit, and two high performance satellites.

Zebronics claims it is compatible with all audio/video devices, including MP3 players, DVD/VCD players, computers, and game consoles (Xbox360/PS3/PS2 etc).

The ‘ZEB-4000 W’ has a complete wooden structure and produces high fidelity sound output and booming bass.

There’s a separate control for bass, treble, and volume on the main sub-woofer unit, with a 3.55-mm stereo jack, and compatibility with all audio output devices.

The speaker set is immediately available through Zebronics resellers for Rs 1,300, along with a one-year warranty.

wirednews: Sandisk announced a new MP3 player that’s about the same size as Apple’s iPod Shuffle for half the price (1GB for $40, 2GB for $60).

The Sansa Clip comes with a four-line screen, unlike the Shuffle, and comes with an FM tuner/recorder and a voice recorder, unlike the Nano.  In addition, Sandisk emphasizes its “superior” sound quality, calling it “one of the best sounding MP3 players on the market”).

Apple doesn’t release sound specs for its iPod line, but Sandisk says the Sansa Clip should sound relatively clean, with a stated signal-to-noise ratio of “up to 92 dB.”  I’m trying to find out whether Sandisk claims this makes it sound better than the iPod.

pcworld: Sony on Monday introduced its Vaio LT HD PC/TV, an all-in-one computer designed to appeal to users who want their computer to do double-duty as a TV. It will be available in October starting at $1,900.

The all-in-one design and widescreen 22-inch display is evocative of Apple’s iMac, but the Vaio LT sports some distinct differences. It can support a CableCard, for example, which allows the unit to work in conjunction with premium digital cable television service. An “HD” model is also available for $2,900 that adds Blu-ray Disc playback and burning capabilities.

Because it’s designed to work as both a computer and a TV, the Vaio LT sports an A/V power switch that lets you shut down the TV circuitry while still operating it as a computer. The system keeps wires to a minimum by including a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The Vaio LT is encased in a transparent polycarbonate frame and sits on a horizonta surface using an integrated kickstand. It can also be mounted on the wall using a VESA-compatible mount.

The Vaio LT features a 1.3-megapixel built-in webcamera and microphone. It uses an Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessor and 2GB of RAM, and features Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate and a discrete graphics card. It incorporates a built-in wireless 802.11n wireless networking card.