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indianexpress: With a spurt in the number of trains plying via Pune in the past few years and the resultant increase in the volume of passengers, the Pune division of Central Railway is finding it difficult to make ends meet with the existing supply of water at 20 lakh litres per day. But the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has turned down the railway demand to double the existing water supply to 40 lakh litres per day, saying that it is unable to provide new connections for at least for one more year.

The railway authorities said that they have no been forced to rope in the service of water tankers to fulfill the rising demand. It has also approached the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran to draw up an alternative supply plan.

When contacted, a senior CR officer said, “At present the Pune division 20 lakh litres of water every day but the rising traffic has rendered this insufficient. We need to double the capacity as we need it not only for carriage purposes in rakes, but also for the railway quarters and other railway establishments like canteen, guesthouse and godowns.”

The PMC though is in show shape to comply with the railway wishlist. PMC Development Engineer (water supply) V G Kulkarni said, “The railways had sent us a letter almost six months back, asking for new water connections. But we have informed them that since we do not have enough water to cater to the needs of the city itself, it is impossible to give new water connections at least till December 2008.”

“Central Railway has 40 water connections, out of which 12 cannot be traced. Hence we have sought a joint inspection, a proposal to which no response has been forthcoming,” he added.

indianexpress: The Pune Cantonment Board’s Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for its slaughterhouse in Kondhwa as well as the adjoining Army Supply Corps (ASC) butchery is finally ready for use, and is slated to start functioning by next month, as soon as the plant gets the requisite power supply.

The plant, which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 29 lakh, on around 10,000 sq feet area adjoining the slaughterhouse, comprises six pits and will consume up to 100 KVA of electricity. “The mutton and beef slaughter house and the ASC butchery release untreated liquid waste into the domestic sewer and has been a cause of pollution. Besides receiving several complaints from the residents of the area about the stench emanating from untreated water, we were also notified by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), which urged us to do something about it, “ said Cantonment Executive Engineer, K.V. Shirodkar. “Once the ETP starts operating, the water will be mechanically and chemically treated of its effluents and the potable water will be released into the sewer,” he added.

The slaughterhouse ETP project was started around a year back and the tender for constructing the plant was given on the basis of a turnkey contract to M/S Greenland Company. Though all the civil and the electro-mechanical work has been completed, the Board has been directed to install a transformer in the plant before it is provided with the electricity connection. According to the tender, the company will shoulder the responsibility of maintenance and functioning of the plant for two years after the plant starts operating.

The provision of an additional water tank has been made at the site of the plant to aid the treatment process.

punetimes: Though Pune has featured in the list of most polluted cities in the country, there is no comprehensive health survey in place to assess the air pollution impact on citizens. The municipal body and medical practitioners agree that a comprehensive health survey was imperative considering the drastic rise in cases of bronchitis, wheezing, common cold, skin rashes, eye infections and asthma cases.

“Situation is grave, especially for children. Vehicular pollution is on the rise and major victims are children below 14 years who are suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems. It is a cause of concern as the growing generation will suffer in long term,” said paediatrician Shirish Kankaria. Supporting his observations is the Environment Status Report (ESR) 2006-07 of the Pune Municipal Corporation. It expresses concern over the rising vehicle population that has crossed 14.45 lakh, a rise of 8-9 per cent since 2006. The rise in number of vehicles has resulted in higher sound and air pollution levels,” says the report.

“We are interacting with the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Pune chapter to check the possibility of a joint survey, which would help the municipal body to plan future strategy,” said Ajay Ojha, head of the PMC’s pollution cell. The PMC plans to use the ‘air pollution and health impact’ software, which is being used in Mumbai, to collect the data. “We are ready with the questioner to be distributed among citizens for which we need help from NGOs and other organizations.”

IMA Pune branch president Hillary Rodrigues said, “The IMA will be interested to be part of such a survey. Members of the IMA will discuss this matter in the managing committee meeting.”

In 1996 the IMA had conducted a survey on impact of pollution on citizens. The survey results were submitted to the then municipal commissioner Ramanath Jha. However, the PMC never acted on it. Pravin Joshi, who was the then president of IMA Pune and headed the study, said notwithstanding with the apathy of the civic body, stockholders in the city should join hands for conducting a health survey in the city.

punetimes: Even as the incident of two school students shooting their classmate in Gurgaon on Tuesday sent shock waves through the country, the juvenile crime profile of the city showed increasing involvement of minors in crimes like mobile phone and motorcycle thefts.

However minors from slum pockets were also found to be involved in more serious crimes like rape and murder.

Rajendra Bhamre, police inspector at the special security cell of Pune police said that from March to December 2006 the city police registered 230 crimes committed by minors in which 270 minors were booked.

This year, the number has increased significantly with the police recording 362 crimes and booking 470 minors between January and November 2007. “The majority of the crimes were petty theft and vehicle theft. Many of the minors were from the slums areas,” Bhamre stated. He said that minors from the upper middle class were found to be involved in offences like driving without licences.

It may be noted that last month the city crime branch exposed a case where two youths, Ishwar Dandoli (25) and Sagar Pujari (35) confessed that they had used minor children to steal mobile phones worth Rs 16.50 lakh. The children were hired from areas like Hadapsar, Mahatma Phule market, Laxmi road, Market yard and Nigdi and were given Rs 100 per mobile stolen by them.

punetimes:  Eight months after wi-fi was launched with much fanfare in Pune, touted as the first city in the country to go wire-free, accessing internet on their laptops sitting in a park or on the sidewalk is still a dream for many a Puneites. That is because the project is moving at a snail’s pace and has failed to take off as promised.

When the service was launched by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in collaboration with technology advisors, Intel, and service provider, Microsense, in early April this year, the then municipal commissioner Nitin Kareer had said that in the first phase, around 20 sq km expanse of the city, including Deccan Gymkhana, Aundh, Baner, Shivajinagar and Model Colony, would be made wire-free in four to six months’ time. And the entire city was to be ‘unwired’ within 12 to 18 months.

But the service is yet to be available anywhere, except Sambhaji Park where it was first launched.

“The project is not going ahead as per schedule, as there is not sufficient demand from the industry in the other areas earmarked for going wire-free. Their support is necessary to make the project financially viable and sustainable,” municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi said, explaining the delay.

“We have had a few meetings with the Confederation of Indian Industry to connect Microsense with the local companies operating in these areas,” Pardeshi said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt from a senior official of Microsense that the wi-fi equipment is in place and is being tested on the Jungli Maharaj road and the stretch from Sambhaji Park to Deccan Gymkhana bus terminus on the road would be wi-fi from Wednesday.

indianexpress: Pune will get a sports science centre under the infrastructure development programme for the Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) 2008. Around Rs 355 crore is expected to be spent for upgrading basic infrastructure.

The information was revealed after chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh held a meeting with Pune MP Suresh Kalmadi to review the progress of the development works for the international event. The state will foot half of the expenditure and the Centre will fund the remaining. While the organisation of the mega event is expected to cost Rs 210 crore, the infrastructure work will cost approximately Rs 255 crore.

The CYG, to be held from October 12 to 18 next year, will have athletes from 71 countries and 1700 sportspersons from India alone. While accommodation for 385 athletes is currently available, the organisers are building 400 more rooms

indianexpress: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has served a show cause notice to Cummins India Ltd for cutting 53 trees in its premises without taking its prior permission.

In a press statement, the PMC said they had received a complaint of illegal tree-cutting being carried out in Kothrud area. A site visit confirmed that 53 trees and branches of 46 trees were cut in the premises of Cummins India Ltd in Dahanukar colony, the release said.

Therefore, the company has been served notice under Maharashtra (Urban) Tree Conservation Act of 1975. “Necessary action will be taken against the company. It will be based on the company’s reply,” PMC Tree Officer B V Jagzap said.

As per the rules, he said the company has to pay penalty of Rs 15,000 per tree cut without PMC permission and also make a deposit of Rs 10,000 to ensure a tree is planted against each tree that’s been cut. The company was liable to pay Rs 1,000 for cutting of each branch, Jagzap added.

Meanwhile, a Cummins India spokesperson denied cutting of trees in the premises. “We have not received any notice from PMC. In fact, we had recently planted 600 trees and have plans to plant 400 more,” she said.