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TOI : PUNE: The deputy labour commissioner of Pune region, Anil Lakaswar, who has a jurisdiction over 4,700 industrial units, including information technology companies, is still waiting for an official vehicle, even after one year of his taking over the charge.

Lakaswar, who has to travel extensively to solve disputes between industries and labour unions, is awaiting state government’s nod to a proposal sent by his office for sanction of a vehicle about seven months back.

Lakaswar has additional duties of the Mathadi Kamagar Board, for which he has been assigned a vehicle, and is using the same for his work as deputy labour commissioner as well. However, once the Mathadi board gets a new boss, Lakaswar will not be able to use the board vehicle anymore.

Speaking to TOI Lakaswar said, “It would be difficult for me to meet companies and unions without a vehicle. I don’t know for how long I would have the additional charge of the Mathadi board and I hope some decision about allotting a vehicle to me would be taken soon.”

The city has close to 4,000 factories comprising 2.5 lakh workers that are registered with their respective unions. Around 700 information technology companies are also registered at the labour cimmissionerate. Being a government employee, the deputy commissioner has to play an important role in settling various disputes, labour related issues, company policies and pension related issues.

The deputy labour commissioner, along with his role in the private sector, also entertains unions of government officers, workers and other government establishments. Since all these establishments are spread in various parts of the city, the commissioner has to travel frequently despite the unavailability of a vehicle. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune crime branch on Tuesday arrested notorious criminals Ballusingh Prabhusingh Tak (21) and his brother Ujalasingh Prabhusingh Tak (19) for allegedly opening fire at constable Gunga Jagtap at Ramtekdi slums, late on Monday night.

Jagtap has been operated on at Ruby Hall clinic and his condition is reported to be stable.

Hadapsar police said the crime branch team, led by inspector Ram Pathare of unit II, was conducting a combing operation in the slum area for nabbing the Tak brothers for their involvement in the Padmavati dacoity case last month.

Acting on a tip off, the policemen barged into a room where the Tak brothers had taken shelter. Spotting the police, Ballusingh opened two rounds of fire which hit Jagtap on his ribs.

The Taks attempted to escape in the melee but were overpowered. They were arrested on charges of making a murderous attempt on Jagtap under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and for possessing fire arms under the Arms Act.

Meanwhile, the police are also on the look out for Bablusingh’s wife, Anita Kaur, as even her involvement is suspected in the dacoity case. The brothers have been remanded a police custody till June 23.

The police are ascertaining if the gang is involved in other crimes.

Inspector Kishore Jadhav of the anti extortion cell of the crime branch is conducting further investigations. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Three people were killed in a mishap near Ozarde village in Talegaon on the Pune-Mumbai expressway, on Tuesday morning. The victims were travelling in a four-wheeler which lost control and collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction in the adjoining lane.

The deceased have been identified as Baban Nalavade (45) and Shrikant Mane (30) from Kalyan and Sampat Salunkhe (45) from Satara. The Talegaon police said Nalavade is an advocate while Salunkhe is a member of the Mathadi Kamgar Sanghatana in Mumbai.

It is not clear who was driving the car. According to the police the four-wheeler was heading towards Pune. “The vehicle somehow crossed the divider and rammed into a truck coming along the Mumbai lane of the expressway. The truck’s driver tried to control the situation. However, the four-wheeler was in high speed and the accident could not be avoided,” police said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: The city police are still clueless about the motive behind the brutal murder of well-known physician Vijay Ramchandra Ghaisas Sixty-six-year-old Ghaisas was done to death with sharp weapon at his residence at Erandwane on Monday morning.

According to commissioner of police Jayant Umranikar, the motive behind the doctor’s murder is still a mystery. “Within 24 hours after the crime, it’s not possible to gather all the clues. As many as 150 policemen are deployed in solving the case,” Umranikar said. He, however, feels that the assailants had come with the sole motive to kill Ghaisas, as he was stabbed more than 36 times in the stomach. The assailants may have used two to three weapons, he added.

When asked about the sudden rise of crime rates in the city, Umaranikar said it has been observed that every year, particularly in the months of June and July, crime rate in the city increases. He said this year the city so far has witnessed 39 murder cases, out of which the police have detected 37 cases. Only two murder cases remain undetected.

Meanwhile, the police are waiting for the late doctor’s wife Vasanti, who is in the US. She will arrive in the city on Wednesday. According to a senior official at the crime branch, since Ghaisas’ close relatives are not in the city, he never used a mobile phone. “So, we can’t trace his personal calls. His wife is our only hope. We may get some clues from her,” he added.

Dr Ghaisas’ last rites will be performed at Vaikunth crematorium at 9 am on Wednesday. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: The magistrate’s court has powers to award maximum punishment up to three years under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), 1923, but two ISI suspects have pleaded for trial at the sessions court, which has powers to inflict punishment up to 14 years.

Syed Mohammed Desai and Shailesh Anant Jadhav, chargesheeted for leaking classified information of the Indian Army to Pakistan, said that they would not get justice in the magistrate’s court where their case is pending.

Defence lawyer Vidhyadhar Koshe has filed ‘purshis’ (information to the court) before judicial magistrate first class S.J. Ansari seeking transfer of the case to the sessions court for “speedy justice”.

Koshe told TOI on Tuesday that he has filed a joint purshis on behalf of his clients because the OSA gives them a choice for trial either in the magistrate’s court or sessions court.

The magistrate’s court was about to begin trial by framing charges against the two on June 13, but the purshis has delayed the matter.

Assistant public prosecutor Shilpa Mahatekar said the court will pass its order on the transfer plea after the prosecution files its reply. Meanwhile, the district and sessions court rejected Jadhav’s bail application on June 11 on the grounds that there is prima facie evidence against him under the OSA.

Jadhav, who is in judicial custody at the Yerawada central prison, had sought bail claiming that the police had falsely implicated him in the spying case.

Chief judicial magistrate Yashwant Chaware had issued a contempt notice to Pune police commissioner Jayant Umranikar for delaying Desai’s deportation to Pakistan. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Four students from the Kreedakul sports academy of the Jnana Prabodhini Navnagar Vidyalaya at Nigdi-Pradhikaran are hoping to get selected for the qualifying rounds of the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Manoj Deolekar, director and founder of Kreedakul, said that Vaishnavi Jare and Ashitosh Bhopale are competing in discus throw, while Bhushan Gaikwad and Sandesh Kakade are competing in wrestling. Incidentally, the academy is celebrating its tenth anniversary from June 14 to 16. The celebrations aim at getting guidance from expert players to create good players, Deolekar said. “In the first decade of the Kreedakul, the focus was on creating players. Now the academy will work to create a healthy society.”

Deolekar said Kreedakul students are winning medals at national sports competitions for the past four years. Around 40 students have become national-level players. “Now we will concentrate on creating players who will win medals at international level too. We are looking to have a tie-up with foreign universities and clubs to train our students.”

Kreedakul sports psychologist Pradnya Soman said, during the anniversary celebrations, students and their parents will be able to interact with international players like Chetana Kondhalkar (athletics), Sumati Suvarna (kabaddi), Kaka Pawar (wrestling) and Narendra Shah and Jagdish Nanajkar (kho-kho). Later Usha Khire, psychologist will guide the students.

Students of Kreedakul will showcase their skills, while a fitness competition will be held for those above 30 years, Deolekar said. Sports medicine expert Milind Modak will guide students about sports medicines.

Soman said that Deepak Tilak, vice-chancellor, Tilak Maharashtra University, will release a souvenir on Monday. Girish Bapat, director, Jnanan Prabodhini will preside over the programme.
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TOI : PUNE: The ‘one-way love affair’ of an unemployed computer engineer here has allegedly led him to cyber crimes and police custody.

Vishal Govind Hadawle (26) of Pathwardhan Baugh in Erandawana was arrested by the cyber crime cell for allegedly sending obscene e-mails and short message services (SMS) to a 22-year-old girl and her father.

Assistant commissioner of police Netaji Shinde (cyber) told TOI on Sunday that Hadawale had an infatuation for the girl who also resides in the same locality. However, the girl avoided him.

According to Shinde, Hadawale later created a fake e-mail account and sent obscene mails to the girl from various places, including his residence and cyber cafes. He also sent her obscene SMSs.

When all his efforts to woo her failed, Hadawale also sent obscene mails and SMSs to her father and friends between January 5 and April 7, 2008.

Unable to bear the ignominy and mental torture, the victim and her family lodged a complaint with
the Kothrud police.

Initially, Hadawale was booked under sections 292 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code for committing an offence of obscenity and hurling abuses. Later, the police invoked section 67 of the Information Technology Act and the case was transferred to the cyber cell.

Shinde said that the cell had collected evidence that Hadawale had created a fake account and was sending mails through Rediff Bol messenger service to the victim and others with an intention to harass them. Hadawale was arrested on Friday night and was remanded to police custody till Sunday.

Though the prosecution sought further police custody of the suspect, the court on Sunday remanded him to magisterial custody and later released him on bail, Shinde added.

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TOI : PUNE: The Pune and Khandala police on Friday arrested two people for allegedly killing contractor Ramesh Vitthal Raste (50) of Raut baugh in Dhankawdi.

The arrested are Dhannu alias Hrushabkumar Ramlal Chaudhary (23) of Katraj and Digambar Ramdas Kokurle (19) of Tadiwala road.

According to the police, the suspects kidnapped Raste on June 4.

They then allegedly killed him and dumped his body at Khandala ghat in Satara district.

A case of murder and destroying evidence was registered against unknown persons with the Khandala police.

Assistant police inspector Avinash Shilamkar of the Khandala police who had collected vital information about Raste’s telephone numbers and had prepared sketches of the assailants sought the help of inspector Vijaysinh Gaikwad of the crime branch, Pune. Working together the two departments nabbed the suspects and learnt the names of their associates Tukaram Sandeep Khandekar and Vinaykumar Ramsiya Chaudhary.

Investigations revealed that four kidnapped Raste for a ransom of Rs 5 lakh and had allegedly strangled him with a rope.

Satara superintendent of police Prakash Mutyal has hailed the significant role played by inspector Gaikwad and his team in arresting the suspects.

A Satara court has remanded the suspects to seven days police custody. Assistant police inspector Avinash Shilamkar of the Khandala police is investigating further.

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TOI : PUNE: Six city-based blood donor institutions were felicitated by the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) in Mumbai on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) on Saturday. Each institution achieved the unique distinction of collecting more than 1,000 units of blood last year.

The donor institutions are NGO Kamalvikas, Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Engineering college, Cybage, Maharashtra Institute of Technology and Tata Motors India Ltd. State minister for health, Vimal Mundada presented certificates to these institutions.

Speaking to TOI, SBTC director Dr. Sanjay Jadhav, said that SBTC had chosen to felicitate 50 institutions from the state who contribute up to 20 per cent of the blood collected annually. “These institutions contributed 2 lakh litres of blood last year. We organised this programme to encourage them to continue their work and motivate others to work in a similar direction.”

A blood donation vehicle was gifted to the state on the occasion. While the vehicle will be used mainly in Mumbai, it will be gifted to Sassoon hospital after a month, said Jadhav.

The day saw a huge turnout of citizens to donate blood in the city. Most private hospitals reported having collected twice as much blood as on other days.

Dr. Elavia, incharge of a blood bank affiliated to a popular private hospital in the city said, “We conducted two blood camps in the city and collected 80 units of blood. On an average we do not collect more than 15 bottles of blood per day.” He said that publicity of World Blood Donor Day and the camps attracted a lot of working professionals who donated blood through the day.

On Saturday, several private hospitals organised blood camps not only in the city but also in fringe areas like Lonavala, Saswad and Chakan.

Donors who donated blood described the experience as ‘very satisfying’….More

TOI : PUNE: In a tragic incident, two persons, including a one-and-a-half- year-old girl, were killed and three others injured when a Tavera jeep in which they were travelling rammed into a truck parked along the roadside on the Pathargaon bridge on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, on Sunday afternoon.

Wadgaon Maval police have identified the deceased as Milind Latke (30) and his daughter Diksha.

Diksha’s mother Harshada Latke (26), Uncle Makrand Latke and a relative Shrinivas Balkonda (27) were injured.

The injured have been admitted to the Lokmanya hospital in Nigdi. The victims are residents of Omkar Apartment in Sopannagar.

Police said that the Latke family were on their way to Lonavla to enjoy the monsoon. Milind, who was driving the jeep, lost control over the vehicle and collided with a sand truck on the Pathargaon bridge around 1.35 pm.

The impact of the collision was such that Diksha was thrown out of the jeep. The baby received severe injuries on the head and died instantly.

Milind died after being admitted to the hospital. He was working with a private pharma company in Mumbai.

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