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TOI : PUNE: With the monsoon taking a longer break than expected in the state, weather experts here have said that cloud-seeding could be the solution which needs to be explored. “The time is right for cloud- seeding. Any delay in the project will reduce its effects,” they said.

J.R. Kulkarni, a senior scientist from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said, “Currently, the shallow types of clouds are hovering over the state, which are appropriate for cloud-seeding.” Chances of the project being successful will reduce in the event of any delay in taking a decision, he added.

Kulkarni pointed out that if the project is carried out in the catchment areas, it will be more beneficial and result in good rainfall in those areas. It will help in increasing the quantity of water in dams.

Due to lack of favourable conditions, subdued rainfall activity is being witnessed in the state. More than 15 districts have witnessed less than 50 per cent rainfall, with the state cabinet declaring a scarcity-like situation recently.

Asked by when the project could start, a scientist said that it takes at least a month for the process to be completed. The agriculture department has also backed the idea. “Clouds have been gathering over many places, but there is no rain. Seeding can be tried in some areas,” agriculture commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh said.

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TOI : PUNE: With the monsoon taking a longer break than expected in the state, weather experts here have said that cloud-seeding could be the solution which needs to be explored. “The time is right for cloud- seeding. Any delay in the project will reduce its effects,” they said.

J.R. Kulkarni, a senior scientist from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said, “Currently, the shallow types of clouds are hovering over the state, which are appropriate for cloud-seeding.” Chances of the project being successful will reduce in the event of any delay in taking a decision, he added.

Kulkarni pointed out that if the project is carried out in the catchment areas, it will be more beneficial and result in good rainfall in those areas. It will help in increasing the quantity of water in dams.

Due to lack of favourable conditions, subdued rainfall activity is being witnessed in the state. More than 15 districts have witnessed less than 50 per cent rainfall, with the state cabinet declaring a scarcity-like situation recently.

Asked by when the project could start, a scientist said that it takes at least a month for the process to be completed. The agriculture department has also backed the idea. “Clouds have been gathering over many places, but there is no rain. Seeding can be tried in some areas,” agriculture commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh said.

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TOI : PUNE: Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Talegaon will face 20 per cent water cut from Wednesday following the long break in the monsoon leading to reduced water level in dams, district guardian minister Ajit Pawar said here on Tuesday.

Saying that the district is facing a scarcity-like situation, Pawar urged citizens to use water frugally and avoid wastage.

The water levels in the dams supplying water to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad areas would be reviewed on July 30 and August 31, he said. The water cut might increase or reduce considering the rains and water levels. The water cut might rise up to 30 per cent if the scarcity-like situation continues after July 30.

“At present, Pune receives 12 TMC water from four dams, namely, Temghar, Varasgaon, Panshet and Khadakwasla. All the dams have registered water levels below 30 per cent, which is substantially less than the water levels registered last year.”

Pawar said the four dams together have just 7.91 TMC water, which is only 28 per cent of the total capacity. The water in the dams at present can cater to the needs of the city not more than six months.

Last year, the four dams had 82 per cent of water storage.”

Pawar was talking to media on the sidelines of the district planning and development council (DPDC) meeting.

Up to one hour of load-shedding on way

PUNE: Puneites will have to face 50 minutes to one hour load-shedding every day from Wednesday owing to the critical power situation in the state due to the break in monsoon resulting in shortage of electricity.

However the reliability charge of 48 paise per unit paid by Puneites for the convenience of zero load-shedding will not be waived till the load-shedding is in effect.

Areas in Pune that fall in…More

TOI : PUNE: A magistrate’s court here on Tuesday came across a unique case, in which a suspect was never arrested, but a person with the same name was shown arrested and remanded to magisterial custody in 2005.

The fact came to light after a non-bailable warrant was issued against building contractor Sanjay Dattatraya Bhilare of Karve road, seeking his presence before court.

After he was served with the warrant, Bhilare, along with his lawyers Sanjay Kadu and Kishor Kale, appeared before judicial magistrate first class K.P.R.S. Rathod and filed an application for cancellation of the warrant.

The lawyers, who perused the case papers, discovered that a person with the same name as their client had been arrested and sent to magesterial custody. There were no court records to show whether the person was released on bail or he was still in magisterial custody.

The developments led the lawyers to file an affidavit in Bhilare’s name, saying that he was never arrested and produced before court.

The ‘roznama’ record containing progress of the trial revealed that the case was lying undated for quite some time and the magistrate had taken the case on the board for beginning the hearing.

As per the roznama record, the court had issued summons to the suspect, but the police had not filed any report on the summons being served on him.

When the case came up for hearing a few days ago, the magistrate issued a warrant against Bhilare, seeking his presence for beginning the trial.

The lawyers prayed to cancel the warrant without imposing a fine on their client and filed an affidavit that Bhilare was never arrested and produced before court.

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TOI : PUNE: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has cautioned Indian students seeking admission to medical universities in China, to ensure that they opt for only those institutions which are listed by the Chinese government under the 2008-09 enrolment plan for foreign students.

The MCI has posted the list of such institutions on its official website (www.mciindia.org) and the same can also be accessed on from the Chinese government’s website (www.studyinchina.edu.cn).

The caution comes after the Chinese government recently issued a letter to the Indian embassy in Beijing, listing 25 medical institutions that have been authorised to take foreign students for the six-year undergraduate courses in clinical and oral medicine.

“Last year, there were 30 such institutions and the number has gone down to 25 this year,” said MCI deputy secretary Ashok Kumar Harit during a telephonic conversation with the TOI from Delhi.

Harit said only those graduating from the listed medical institutions would be eligible to appear in the screening test in India, which is mandatory for foreign medical graduates to qualify for practising medical profession in India.

Along with south-east Asian destinations like the Philippines, China has emerged a key attraction for scores of Indian students, who aspire medical studies.

The trend is attributed to various factors including affordable cost, as compared to the developed western countries as well as India; state-of-the-art infrastructure; and the presence of a sizeable number of institutions offering English medium studies and recognised in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) ‘Directory of world medical schools’.

Students passing out from the WHO-listed medical schools are eligible to appear in the screening test in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, and more recently, in India where the National Board of Examination conducts the test under the MCI supervision.

Harit said in the four years, beginning 2004-05, the…More

TOI : PUNE: Residents of Rasta Peth on Monday filed an application with the Samarth police station, urging them to curb the rampant prostitution in the area.

The application comes after policemen from the local chowky on Sunday midnight raided a lodge in the area where prostitution allegedly flourishes. The police acted after being approached by local residents.

The residents stated in their application that autorickshaws carrying sex workers visit the two lodges in the area till midnight. While going back, the sex workers shout loudly to disturb the residents. “We are from respectable families and have to go to work in the morning. Our sleep gets disturbed due to the shouting. This has been happening for the past five years and our complaints have fallen on deaf ears,” said Jesal Sagar.

They further said that employees of the lodges claim they have paid off policemen, and so no action would be taken against them. “Earlier, the activities were confined to the lodges. Nowadays, however, sex workers can be seen standing on the roads throughout the day,” another resident, Shekhar Bartakhe, said.

Bartakhe further stated that female members of their family have stopped venturing out after 7 pm. “Some of them have been approached by pleasure-seekers in the past,” he said.

The staff and owners of the two lodges often quarrel with each other over guests, it was alleged.

The citizens said that things took an ugly turn on Sunday night when a resident, Kishor Dave, tried to stop two men from beating a sex worker. “After the incident, a group of people came in a rickshaw, carrying bricks to attack Dave. However, a few other residents and I luckily reached there right then, which scared them away,” another resident, Amit Aurangabadkar, said.

Meanwhile, inspector (crime) of the Samarth police Dattatray Temghare confirmed the receipt of the…More

TOI : PUNE: The Maharashtra fire and emergency services department, which is the advisor to the government about fire safety and other issues, is exploring options to increase revenue to fill in the ‘gaps’ related to fire brigade services of municipal corporations, councils and village panchayats.

While getting additional grants from central and state governments is one of the main options, another is to fix charges for extra services provided by the fire brigade.

M.V. Deshmukh, director, Maharashtra fire and emergency services (MFES), told TOI that charges would be fixed for services like fire-safety audit of buildings, and for services during events like conventions or exhibitions.

Charges would also be fixed for granting of licences.

The MFES is seeking grants from the central government as well. While a provision of Rs 20 crore was made in the eleventh plan, there was no provision in the 12th plan, Deshmukh said.

In general, the gap ranges from 50 per cent to 80 per cent, Deshmukh said. However, the gaps in each local body are being verified, he added.

The MFES recently prepared a gap analysis report, based on the guidelines issued by the Union home ministry, regarding the manpower, number of vehicles and other infrastructure required for the area covered and the population that is catered to.

The report was aimed at augmenting the services of the fire brigades of local bodies. Each local body was asked to submit its report on the findings of the gap analysis. The corporations had also been asked to submit a plan on the measures to be taken for meeting the gaps.

According to Deshmukh, six local bodies have submitted their reports so far. The reports from others were awaited. Based on the reports, a proposal on augmenting the services would be submitted to the state government.

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