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TOI : PUNE: Even as the world observes the ‘World Asthma Day’ on May 6, an astounding 62 per cent of the 240 asthma patients surveyed in Pune recently do not have their asthma under control.

This was revealed to TOI by city-based Chest Research Foundation (CRF) that carried out the survey in five clinics and two leading hospitals in the city.

The study, which was carried out on a cross-section of 240 asthma patients, has been submitted to the European Respiratory Society Congress to be held in Berlin in October 2008.

If that is not all, city-based asthma expert Nitin Abhyankar’s recent study on 316 patients in Pune and Ahmednagar shows that poorly controlled chronic asthma led to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 76 per cent of the cases. Abhyankar’s report, too, has been submitted for the Berlin Congress.

According to Abhyankar, in a COPD situation, the patient severely compromises his/her life expectancy because of increasingly weak lungs. “I sincerely hope my report wakes up people and keeps them away from emergency situations.”

The CRF study was administered to the patients using the ‘asthma control test’, a set of internationally accepted standardised questions.

Says Bill Brashier, leader of the CRF research team, “While the failure to take the right medicine at the right time in the right manner was the major reason for this lack of control, our study revealed that the lack of control also depended on factors beyond medicines. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: The organic farming movement, which is still at a nascent stage in the country, will get a big boost with Asia’s first research and development centre for organic farming coming up at Maval, about 50 km from here.

Work on the centre is already underway, but it will take at least another year to start functioning.

At present there are only about three such institutes in the world - in the US, in South Africa and in the UK.

The centre, to be funded by the International Institute of Sustainable Agriculture (IISA), will be run jointly by city-based Maharashtra Organic Farming Federation (MOFF), V.B. Foundation, an NGO, and the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI).

The 55-acre research centre will also have a training institute, records office, library, lobby office as well as a certification office for participatory guarantee scheme. “The training institute will also offer certificate, diploma and post-graduate courses in organic farming,” said MOFF vice-chairman Dilip Baradkar.

“The courses will focus on farmers who want to shift to organic farming, courses for upgrading knowledge of organic farmers, training courses for trainers, awareness sessions for consumer groups, and training for school children for introduction of organic kitchen garden.” Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune police have not made public certain information as mandated by the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. A group of RTI activists from the city have said that the information should have been published way back in 2005.

According to a letter sent by the activists to the commissioner of police recently, certain provisions of section 4 of the Right to Information Act 2005 require every public authority to voluntarily publish a few categories of documents. This, the Act states, should be done so that citizens have to make use mimimum use of it to seek information.

The information that should have been disclosed mainly pertains to the rights, duties, budget, rankings, and strength of the police force.

According to the activists, it should have been published 120 days from the implementation of the Act, i.e. by October 12, 2005, and updated regularly thereafter.

The Act further says that any of various means, such as notice boards, newspapers, public announcements, media broadcasts or the internet, may be used for the purpose.

“The Act also empowers the public to inspect any public office, including those of the police,” said

Vivek Velankar, one of the activists who wrote to the commissioner. In fact, Velankar and the other activists, who include Jugal Rathi, Vijay Kumbhar, Vihar Dhurve and Vineeta Deshmukh, inspected the police commissioner’s office on Sunday.

Meanwhile, additional commissioner of police Rajendra Sonawane told reporters on Sunday that the particular information will be made public by June 30. “We have already asked the concern individuals to compile the information,” he said. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: A fresh strife is brewing within the country’s premier institution for studies in orientology, the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), over an ‘illegal’ nursery occupying 10,000 sq.ft. of prime land on the institute campus here.

Senior members of the executive board and the regulatory council, including Leela Arjunwadkar and Saroja Bhate, have accused BORI secretary MGDhadphale of gross inefficiency in removal of the nursery for facilitating new construction works on the campus.

On his part, Dhadphale said that notices - not only by him but also by the BORI executive board chairman, G.T. Panse - have been issued to the nursery owner to vacate the place. “We are sure that they will remove the nursery soon.”

Arjunwadkar, Bhate and others have planned a ’silent’ protest in front of the nursery, seeking immediate removal of the commercial establishment from the institute’s campus. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: In a city with over 800 cyber cafes, only 86 cafe owners have so far been able to meet the new norms for obtaining police licence. With the majority of them yet to obtain the mandatory licence, the cafe owners now fear police action.

According to Ronal Pokle, president of the Pune central cyber cafe association, the norms are too stringent.

“This is the reason why few cafe owners have been able to meet them. It is not possible to arrange all the necessary documents. Moreover, some of the requirements are also unnecessary and absurd.”

With the rising incidents of cyber crimes, the state government revised the norms for issuing police licenses to cyber cafes in 2007. But the cyber cafe owners now want the government to reconsider the new norms.

“The cafe owners have been asked to submit property tax payment receipts, building completion certificates, and adequate parking space. Since the cafes are usually run from rented premises, it is often difficult for us to meet these requirements,” said Pokle.

According to Pokle, the clause requiring cyber cafes to install only one computer per 30 sq. ft. is also too stringent. “Most IT companies also do not fulfil this requirement,” he stated.

As for the mandatory certificate from the MSEDCL testifying the quality and safety of the electrical fittings and wiring, Pokle claimed that it is usually difficult to obtain the document.

He further said that obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC) from the health department simply does not make sense. “Only establishments dealing in food products should be made to meet this provision.”

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of police Ravindra Sengonkar told TOI that only 96 applications out of the 274 received meet all the requirements. “We have issued only one license so far. But we are in the process of…More