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TOI : PUNE: With prices of land skyrocketing in Pune region, notorious gangs have stepped in to put pressure on farmers to sell their property, especially in rural areas..

The district administration and the police admit that significant presence of land mafia, supported by agents in Pune, is a major cause for concern.

In Mulshi and Maval, the registration record shows that land deals have been on the rise in the last one year. In Mulshi alone, 9,026 land dealings were registered in 2007.

Farmers have complained to the district collector and the rural police that various pressure tactics are being used to force them to part with their land. “There are about 30 groups of land dealers who are putting pressure on farmers. We are also told that if we don’t sell land, the government will acquire it,” said the farmers from Mulshi. They complained that they are being threatened with dire consequences if they refuse to sell their land.

Total cultivable land in Pune district is 9,98,522 hectares, while non-irrigated is 7,56,118 hectares. “The land mafia is targeting vacant land. For instance, 62,310 hectares of land in Mulshi is non-irrigated, while it is 60,150 hectares in Maval. The mafia is putting pressure on farmers to sell this land,” said a state government official. About seven gangs are involved in the dealings, say the police.

Superintendent of Pune rural police Vishwas Nangre Patil told TOI that the police are cracking down on the mafia. “Acting on complaints of farmers, we have busted gangs and taken action against them. We have detected various types of modus operandi that are being used to trap farmers,” he said.
Expressing concern over the penetration of criminal elements in the dealings, Nangre-Patil said, “We are prepared to tackle the rising menace.”

Land rates in Wadgaon, Nanded, Shiwane, Nandoshi,…More

TOI : PUNE: For the first time in a long time, the high floodlines (HFL) of the Mutha river running through the city have been redefined. This comes after the state irrigation department carried out a detailed study of the river. Although the study shows that a number of residential constructions have already come up within the HFL, this should help civic authorities prevent new constructions from coming up.

The irrigation department surveyed the 27-km stretch of the river from Khadakwasla dam to Kharadi and came up with a detailed report mentioning the HFL along the river. The report took three months to be completed and has been handed over to the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Although the HFL had been defined several years ago, senior authorities of the irrigation department told TOI that this is the first time such a detailed survey has been undertaken to redefine the HFL.

The work of defining HFL first involves marking the blue lines (boundaries along the main river bed enough to carry one-and-a-half times the normal water flow during average floods which occur once in 25 years), and then the red lines (boundaries where water levels reach during major floods that may occur once in a hundred years). For the Mutha river, the blue line indicates the boundaries where water reaches when the discharge from the Khadakwasla dam is 30,000 cusecs. The red line indicates the boundaries where water reaches when the discharge increases to one lakh cusecs.

The HFL further increases for the river stretch from Sangam bridge to Kharadi as the Mula joins the Mutha at Sangam bridge. The irrigation department has marked both blue and red lines all along the river stretch. The HFL has also been superimposed on Google maps for various areas along the banks of the river…More

TOI : PUNE: The Model Colony lake saw 22 artists come together to paint on the theme ‘Paint for a cause’ on Tuesday.

The event was jointly organised by Art2Day and the Model Colony Parisar Sudharna Samiti, which had invited Pune artists to paint for a social cause.

The paintings will now be exhibited for sale and the funds generated will be used for environment related issues like creating a bird-watching centre, making wildlife information boards, creating a silence zone in the vicinity and making this nature reserve a safe haven for bird and fish life, with provisions for their nurture and safety.

Amateurs as well as professional artists including Ravi Paranjpe and Milind Mullick participated in the painting session.

Participant Falguni Gokhale said she was happy to be contributing to a social cause. “I think it’s a great concept and it’s great be here. I think the organisers have given meaning to our work. I have earlier too been involved in such events that care for nature reserves.”

Artist Milind Mullick, who also participated in the session, said, “I think it’s a fantastic concept and has brought 22 artists together to work towards a single aim. This event has brought us closer to nature, which is very important for a painter.”

The Model Colony lake reserve is a unique spot preserved and maintained by the residents and environmentalists…More

TOI : PUNE: On Sunday, Dhananjay Dhumal, administrative assistant in a private company, was stuck for 20 minutes in a massive traffic jam on Tilak road as 13 PMT buses and numerous two-wheelers vied for right of way.

Traffic constables manned just two chowks on the road while smaller chowks like the one near Kaka Halwai shop had no traffic police at all, he recalls.

Many Puneites have similar tales to tell. Like Dhumal, they wonder why traffic police cannot be deputed at the busy roads and junctions to prevent traffic snarls.

The answer is simple. Pune has about 1,400 busy traffic junctions but only 450 constables to man them and regulate the over 14 lakh vehicles. On top of that, these constables are often on bandobast duty because some VIP or the other is in the city or passing through the city limits.

In fact, during a recent meeting of traffic police and non-governmental organisations (NGO), former cabinet secretary B.G. Deshmukh had raised the issue of misuse of policemen during VIP visits.

According to estimates of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of the city police, 35 to 40 VIPs visit the city every month.

The police force, which is already reeling under an acute manpower crunch, comes under immense pressure during VIP and VVIP visits. “There is at least one VIP visit everyday in the city. At times, there are two on a single day,” said an official from SPU who arranges protection for politicians and VIPs.

“There are four levels of security — Z+, Z, Y and X. Z+ security is the highest and requires the deployment of a large force,” said the official.

The situation for an acutely short-staffed SPU becomes even more challenging since Maharashtra has identified 31 people who require Z+ security. The list includes the…More

TOI : PUNE: Additional sessions judge S.G. Deshpande on Tuesday sentenced Sunita Tanaji Bhosale of Hadapsar to life imprisonment for murdering her 15-day-old son Deepak in 2005.

Additional public prosecutor Sunil More said that Bhosale had decided to get rid of her child because he was unwell.

Bhosale had jumped off the first floor of her residence, along with her son, on November 10, 2005. But, this attempt to suicide had been unsuccessful. She then resorted to stabbing her son and herself. Though Bhosle survived this attempt too, her son died during treatment.
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