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TOI : PUNE: With the closure of the Lohegaon airport, there’s a demand for direct transport service between Pune and the Sahar airport in Mumbai. While the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) could have taken advantage of this demand and offered the service, not surprisingly it missed the bus.

MSRTC’s Pune division, in fact, had prepared a proposal for starting such a bus service. But it was not considered by the higher authorities. As per the proposal, MSRTC was to provide bus service from Pune railway station bus terminus to the Mumbai airport at a frequency of one to two hours.

A senior official of the MSRTC said there are various proposals that are prepared, but not all of them are considered. The official said that MSRTC already has a good bus service running between Pune (Shivajinagar) and Dadar and between Swargate and Borivli.

Incidentally, some of the private travel and tour operators already have started their services from Pune to Mumbai, as well as the Sahar airport. For buses, the fares range between Rs 220 to Rs 250, while for cab service the charges are between Rs 2,400 to Rs 2,600. For individuals availing car service, the fares start from Rs 550. Some of the companies offering the services include Neeta Volvo, Prasanna, K K Travels and Girikand. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalized news …More

TOI : PUNE: The temperatures in the city have seen an increase due to the reduction in the northerly wind flow across Maharashtra. A minimum temperature of 13.7 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 31.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in the city on Tuesday.

“Along with the decrease in northerly winds, the presence of a cyclonic circulation over Maharashtra is another important factor that is leading to the increase in temperature. This circulation is currently in the Mandya Maharahstra region,” sources at the Met department said. Adding that, due to this, the temperature was above normal in Telangana and in some parts of south Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada.

Meanwhile, the city, that has been witnessed chilling temperatures since the last couple of weeks, got a respite with an increase in temperatures. The temperatures have been going up in the city since the last three days. An increase of more than two degrees was recorded on Tuesday from the 11.4 degree Celsius minimum temperature recorded on Monday. The maximum temperature remained stagnant at 31.8 degree for the last two days. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalized news …More

TOI : PUNE: Unlike last year, when prices had skyrocketed, prices of onion and garlic this year are falling, giving sleepless nights to farmers. Apart from a bumper crop in Pune region, onions coming from Rajasthan in the coming months could worsen the situation for farmers in the state.

The estimated kharif and late kharif production of onion in the current season is around 10,81,410 tonne as against 8,75,790 tonne last season.

Director of horticulture, P.V. Phirke, said, “The land under onion cultivation has also increased from 42,310 hectare in 2006-07 to 51,280 hectare in 2007-08. Rabi production is also expected to rise from 12,42,000 tonne to 13,66,860 tonne in the current season.”

“There was an acute shortage of onion last year and that led to prices going from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per quintal. This year the prices have come down to almost one fourth of last year’s. Today, onion is being sold at Rs three to Rs four per kg,” Vilas Raikar, a trader at Pune APMC, said. The high-quality red onion which is cultivated in most of the parts of the state has been arriving in major markets like Pune, Lasalgaon, Lonand and Mumbai since the last few weeks. Pune, Sangali, Satara, Kolhapur and Ahmednagar are the major producers of onion in the state.

Blaming the government for lack of consistency in its export policy, former chairman of APMC, Vilas Bhujabal, said, “The prices have dipped because of the huge supply. Everyday, 800 to 1000 tonne of onion is arriving at the Pune APMC. Farmers will certainly benefit if onions are exported to the Gulf countries. But, the government’s changing policy is making the traders play safe when it comes to taking any export order.”

This is the peak onion season. After Makar Sankranti, farmers start harvesting and sending the produce to markets,…More

TOI : SANGLI: A young debt-ridden grape farmer from Chinchani village in Tasgaon taluka committed suicide by consuming pesticide on Monday night.

The victim, Deepak Rajaram Patil (29), who had 2.5 acres of land, tried to cultivate grapes by taking a loan of Rs 2.5 lakh from the Chinchani Vividh Vikas Sanstha and another Rs 1.25 lakh loan from two village-based credit societies about four years ago.

However, the drought in 2004 and 2005 ruined his crop. Since then, he had been working as a driver of public transport vehicles. Recently he got notices of seizure from the credit societies for defaulting on loans. A frustrated Deepak on Monday night committed suicide in a village playground by drinking pesticide used in vineyards. He is survived by father and brother.

Since 2001, as many as 67 farmers have committed suicide in the district. However, families of only 26 farmers have received Rs 1 lakh each as aid from the state government.

The remaining suicides didn’t qualify for the aid, which is restricted only for farmers who committed suicides after taking debt from banks or credit societies and not from moneylenders. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalized news …More

TOI : PUNE: In a closely-guarded operation, taken up five months ago, the Indian Air Force (IAF) started shifting all the three fighter jet squadrons based in Pune’s Lohegaon air base, including one Jaguar (18 fighters) and two Sukhoi 30 MKI (36 fighters) squadrons. Hundreds of ground and technical maintenance crew operating the three squadrons were also moved.

This was done much before the runway repair plan of the airport, which started on February 12, was worked out in detail.

High-level IAF officers based at Lohegaon and the Gandhinagar-based South Western Air Command have revealed that while the Jaguar squadron has been permanently shifted to the IAF’s Jamnagar base, only one of the two Sukhoi squadrons is likely to return.

Persistent queries from TOI with Air Force headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday forced the IAF to acknowledge the permanent departure of the Jaguars. Regarding the Sukhois, IAF officials said positioning of the fighter squadrons would depend on actual “air deterrence” necessity.

“The Jaguar squadron was shifted to Jamnagar. Of the two Sukhoi squadrons, number 20 was flown to Jodhpur and Number 30 to Jamnagar. Of the three, only the Number 30 Sukhoi squadron will return to Pune, post runway repairs, under an IAF plan to spread out the fighter strength for operational and strategic reasons,” said a senior IAF official.

Prashant Pathrabe, defence PRO (Southern Command), admitted that fighters have been shifted out of Pune five months ago. “Such operations are generally kept a secret for security reasons. The Sukhois are likely to return in April-May, while the IAF personnel have informed me that Jaguars are gone for good,” he said.

Wing Commander Satish Menon, PRO of South Western Air Command which covers Pune and nearby areas, said that while one Jaguar squadron was already based in Jamnagar, one more was sanctioned some time…More