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TOI : PUNE: The search for a life partner just got a little more interesting. A group of youngsters has developed a website that cuts out the run-of-the-mill search for prospective brides and grooms from the same religion, caste, gotra and the like. Treading off the beaten track, the website will cater exclusively to people wanting to go in for an inter-caste or inter-religion marriage.

The group, which is based in Dombivli, Mumbai, started its website, www.pratibimb.info, early this year. The website has icons like matching options, a forum, full featured chat, internal mail messaging, a photo gallery and an event calendar to facilitate effective communication.

Speaking to TOI, Shivaji Pawar, one of the members of the group, offered some criteria for those wanting to register online. “The person should be interested in an inter-caste or inter-religion marriage, should want a simple marriage ceremony, is determined to oppose dowry, and does not attach importance to horoscopes.”

The other members of the group are Jeevraj Sawant, Jui Bagwe, Prafulla Dalvi and Utkarsha Lad.

The group took inspiration from activist Raghunath Redij who had started an inter-caste marriage bureau, Sugava Mishra Vivah, in Mumbai. “He arranged over 100 marriages, some of them inter-religious like Hindu-Muslim and Hindu-Christian, some of them inter-regional and also inter-. He arranged many get-togethers, counselling sessions and awareness programmes and was active till his dealingualth at the age of 82 in January this year,” says Pawar.

“We renamed the bureau Pratibimb to attract more people. We also noticed that during the last few years, the bureau was restricted only to Mumbai, the Marathi-speaking community and those who were into social activism,” he said.

Pawar said the group had been receiving inquiries from all over the country and especially from various parts of Maharashtra, which prompted them to start the website and online registration this year.

TOI : PUNE: A holiday trip of a Shirur-based family to Jammu & Kashmir turned tragic as two children lost their lives after inhaling fumes from a kerosene-operated generator at a hotel in Srinagar on Sunday night.

Ironically, it was the first trip for Shyamkant Varpe (45) along with his family members in the 14 years of his marriage. Varpe, his wife Jayashree (40) and their children Harshada (13) and Prathamesh (11) had gone to the state, to pay obeisance to Vaishno Devi and sight-seeing.

Their family friends - Uday Patil and Manik Gawthe families - also joined them in Shirur, about 65 km from Pune. After visiting Vaishnav Devi, the three families made quick trips to Jammu and went on to Srinagar.

In Srinagar, they stayed at the Green Mount hotel on Sunday. After dinner, the three families went to sleep. Varpe and Patil’s family had adjacent rooms, while Gawthes had their room at the other end of the hotel.

The hotel authorities were running a generator on kerosene to meet the energy needs since the electric supply was disconnected. The air conditioner too was operating on the generator and preliminary reports suggest that the kerosene fumes entered the room occupied by the Varpe family.

On Monday morning, when Gawthe went to wake up Varpe, no one responded. He opened the room with the help of the hotel staff and found the family members unconscious. They were taken out of the room and shifted to a nearby hospital. Varpe’s children were declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while Shyamkant slipped into coma. Jayashree was also hospitalised due to suffocation. Uday Patil’s wife and son had also complained of the same, but were discharged the same day.

Officials at Srinagar’s R.M. Baug police station said Varpe and his wife were out of danger. “Varpe has been responding to…More

TOI : PUNE: Judicial magistrate first class S.S. Budruck, on Tuesday, issued a transit warrant to the Delhi police for taking 21-year-old college girl from Koregaon Park, who is involved in an online sex racket, to Delhi for investigating her role in a theft and cheating case.

The magistrate directed the Delhi police assistant sub-inspector Satish Chand to produce the girl before the concerned court at Delhi by June 5.

The Delhi police produced the girl before the court and applied for the transit warrant.
Assistant public prosecutor Rajani Naik, who represented the Delhi police, told the court that the girl was arrested from her Koregaon Park residence on Monday following a case registered by one Rama Sisodiya with the
Chanakyapuri police on April 16, 2008.

Defence lawyer representing the girl opposed the prosecution’s plea for issuing the warrant and sought time for suo motto appearance before the court at Delhi. However, the court directed to produce the girl before the concerned court for remand by May 5.

TOI : PUNE: As many as six people, including two senior citizens, died in six separate road mishaps in and around the city in the last 24 hours.

Machindra Narayan Yadav (30) of Purandar died on the spot when the truck he was driving hit a trailer on the Katraj-Dehu Road bypass near Warje. The police said the accident took place at 4.30 pm on Monday. Both the vehicles were heading towards Katraj. Sub-inspector K.M. Pujari of Warje police is investigating the case.

Atmaram Shankar Nakhate (60) of Mulashi died on the spot when the motorcycle he was riding pillion on hit by a speeding car in Tathwade. The Hinjewadi police have booked the driver, Anil Sudarshan Bansal of Karvenagar, for negligent driving. Sub-inspector Pratap Pawar is investigating the case.

Sanjay Chandrakant Takle (42) of Vimannagar was knocked down from his bike by a speeding car on Monday afternoon in Wanworie. The police have booked Namita Himanshu Rajani of Salunkhe Vihar road for rash and negligent driving. Sub-inspector H.Y. Patil is investigating the case.

Laksman Dhondiba Ingle (65) of Mahatma Phule slums in Bhosari lost his life when an unidentified speeding vehicle rammed him on Monday evening on the Pune-Mumbai highway.

In another mishap on the Pune-Nashik highway, Rajaram Maruti Kadam (40) of Bhosari died on the spot when he was knocked down by an unidentified vehicle.

Sanjay Gautamchand Sancheti (29), a trader from Parvati died when he was hit by a speeding motorcycle. The accident took place near Sahawas hall on Singhgad road on Sunday. The Dattawadi police has booked Sudhir Kamble (22) of Dandekar bridge for rash and negligent driving.

TOI : PUNE: The Hinjewadi police have arrested two suspects for severely assaulting and killing Madan Dattatray Gawari (25) of Punavale village in Mulshi on the weir near Punavale on Monday night.

The suspects were identified as Kishore Ganesh Garud (20) and Santosh Trimbak Shelke (20) both of Punavale village. Gawari was assaulted with sharp weapons. The impact of the assault was such that one of Gawari’s hands was dismembered.

According to sub-inspector Pratap Pawar of the Hinjewadi police station, Garud admitted that he and Shelke had assaulted Gawari over a previous enmity. Gawari and Garud had fought a year ago and since then relations had been strained.

On May 4, both Garud and Shelke were severely beaten by other villagers. Since Gawari was present they thought he was behind the beating and had decided to take revenge, Pawar said.

On Monday night when Gawari was returning from visiting his brother-in-law in hospital, the duo attacked him. Gawari’s brother, Hiraman Dattatray Gawari (25), filed a complaint with the Hinjewadi police station.

TOI : KOLHAPUR: A gas cylinder in a cold drink manufacturing unit exploded here on Sunday evening, injuring ten persons, three of them seriously.

The cold drink manufacturing unit, S. Mohmmad Brothers, is located in the busy part of the city. The incident occurred when a city bus was passing the manufacturing, injuring six passengers. All the injured were rushed to a hospital.

According to the police, the cold drink manufacturing unit supplies soft drink bottles, ice-creams and bakery items to retailers in the city. A cylinder containing carbon di-oxide used for making cold drinks, exploded by which pedestrians and passengers were injured as iron materials pierced their bodies. The shop was also damaged.

Shahaji Umap, additional police superintendent police who visited the location said, ” It’s second explosion within two weeks time. It is very dangerous to store cylinders at shops in busy locations in the city. The unit will be shifted out of the city, soon.”

“I already have talked with the municipal commissioner. An appropriate action will be taken,” he said.

TOI : KOLHAPUR: A gas cylinder in a cold drink manufacturing unit exploded here on Sunday evening, injuring ten persons, three of them seriously.

The cold drink manufacturing unit, S. Mohmmad Brothers, is located in the busy part of the city. The incident occurred when a city bus was passing the manufacturing, injuring six passengers. All the injured were rushed to a hospital.

According to the police, the cold drink manufacturing unit supplies soft drink bottles, ice-creams and bakery items to retailers in the city. A cylinder containing carbon di-oxide used for making cold drinks, exploded by which pedestrians and passengers were injured as iron materials pierced their bodies. The shop was also damaged.

Shahaji Umap, additional police superintendent police who visited the location said, ” It’s second explosion within two weeks time. It is very dangerous to store cylinders at shops in busy locations in the city. The unit will be shifted out of the city, soon.”

“I already have talked with the municipal commissioner. An appropriate action will be taken,” he said.