News

punetimes: While the issue of replacement of buses purchased from Tata Motors by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) in 2004, rocked the Pune Municipal Corporation’s general body meeting on Tuesday, Tata Motors officials have said that they were discussing the matter with the public transport body.

Answering an email sent by TOI, Tata Motors corporate communications head Debasis Ray said, “Tata Motors is discussing the matter with the Mandal. In fact, discussions have been on for a few months now.” However, they have not mentioned anything regarding replacement of the buses.

Meanwhile, Subrao Patil, managing director, PMPML, said they have received a written assurance from the auto major for replacing the 15 defective buses and giving them three additional buses in exchange.

“The buses they were giving us in exchange were the ordinary ones. We have told them that if they are replacing the 15 buses with ordinary buses, they have to give us additional buses to cover the amount we have paid them. They have agreed to give us three additional buses,” Patil said.

indianexpress: Re-estimation of city road development projects where a Rs 655-crore cost escalation has taken place points at shortcoming in the manner in which a panel of 22 consultants went about planning the project. Now, under pressure, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is all set to revise the panel of consultants for future development projects under JNNURM.

“Some consultants in the existing panel have failed to deliver. Thus, the civic administration will soon propose a revised panel of consultants for planning of the rest of development projects under JNNURM,” Municipal Commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi told The Indian Express on Wednesday.

The PMC had appointed consultants from the 22-member panel approved by the standing committee for the planning of various projects.

“The increase in project cost in re-estimation of projects is due to inclusion of various necessary provisions in the project which were not considered by the earlier consultants during planning,” said Pardeshi.

Though the civic administration will revise each re-estimated project for reducing project cost, there will also be an inquiry into the incomplete planning done earlier by the various consultants, he said.

Pardeshi said the re-estimation of a few projects to be completed on a priority basis were done by STUP Consultants and CES Private Limited while the planning for same was distributed among a number of consultants.

indianexpress: The big boys in real estate play in the city are keeping their fingers crossed after the announcement by Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday that the state government will pass a resolution scrapping the controversial Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULCA) in the ongoing winter session of the state assembly. Also putting pressure on the government is the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) that has written to Chief Minister demanding immediate repeal of the Act.
Talking at a function in the city on Tuesday Ajit Pawar said that the state government will scrap the Act despite Shiv Sena opposing the same. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress and Shiv Sena have enough strength to pass the resolution, Pawar said. Pawar’s statement has come as a shocker to the realty sector in Pune that has been putting pressure on the state government to defer the repeal of the Act.

If the State Government gives effect to its move to scrap the ULCA in the ongoing Nagpur assembly session, more than 25,000 acres of land in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will be released in the real estate market leading to a fall in property prices in fringe areas. This alone is seen as sufficient reason for the some of big land sharks in the city going all out to ensure that the State government postpones the decision to scrap the Act that imposes a ceiling on maximum holding of land by an individual in Pune to 1,000 sq metres.

“There is pressure from a section of builders especially from Pune to defer the resolution to scrap the Act. If Congress and NCP remain firm on their stand, surely the Act will get scrapped in this session,” said a senior state government official requesting anonymity. However, the builders lobby, which has invested heavily in Pune and fringe areas, is keen to ensure that the government postpones its decision so that they can make good their investments before the market collapses.

punetimes: A consumer disputes redressal forum here has ordered a private bank to pay a compensation of Rs one lakh to a woman whose car was seized by its recovery agents for an alleged default in repayment of Rs 4 lakh loan.

The Additional Judge of the Forum S J Kshirsagar who delivered the order, on Wednesday said that the bank had been asked to pay the compensation to Renu Bhandwalkar within a period of 30 days.

Passing its order on Bhandwalkar’s complaint, filed in September last year, the forum said the bank should pay the amount as a compensation for the “mental harassment” caused to the borrower who had claimed that ICICI bank did not follow her instructions regarding recovery of loan installments from her savings account even though she had given post-dated cheques and had substantial deposits in the bank.

The complainant alleged that she had to approach court and police to take possession of the car fitted with laptop. When it was finally returned to her by the bank’s recovery agents, it was in a damaged condition, she claimed.

The respondent bank, during the forum hearings had refuted the claim of the borrower that she had left instructions to transfer her deposits to saving account in the event of insufficient balance.