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TOI : PUNE: The proposed ban on head scarves by the newly-appointed commissioner of police Satyapal Singh has evoked a flurry of protests across all quarters. While his plan to make helmets compulsory has been welcomed, Puneites took the ‘terrorist comment’ with a pinch of salt.

Singh had enforced a similar ban in Nagpur, which was successful and accepted by the people.

Singh’s question sounds simple enough, “Why do women have to wear scarves and look like terrorists?” But the answer may not be that simple. Most women, at times even men, opt for the wrapper to protect themselves from pollution. And, a helmet is no worthy compensation.

As collegian Nisha Jadhav says, “I suffer from asthma, hence using a scarf is very essential to me. Although masks are available, they are uncomfortable and look funny!” This comment is echoed by many in the city who suffer from similar pollution-related illnesses.

According to dermatologist Shyam Agarwal, “Head scarves do prove effective when it comes to protecting skin and the respiratory system. Head scarves act as a physical sunscreen protecting your skin from the ultra violet (UV) rays and dust. As for your respiratory system, it acts as a filter thus preventing you from inhaling polluted air.” But more than respiratory tract, he adds, it is the skin that needs more protection.

Software professional Sonal Chauhan also uses scarves regularly. “The city has some road work or the other going on every time. In such cases, it is quite natural that we would use scarves to avoid the dust. Why should we refrain from using it?” she questions. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Defending the agitation initiated by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) against Pune’s private educational institutions in the city, party chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday said that the agitation will be started anew once the colleges release the list of admitted students.

Speaking to media on Sunday, Thackeray questioned if the education barons are accountable and answerable to anyone? He said his agitation is an “attack” on their mindset.

In the city for the first time since the agitation started nine days back, Thackeray criticised the grounds on which harsh penalties, such as externements have been imposed on the activists.

“If the government believes it will stop us, then they are mistaken. If 500 are arrested, 5,000 others would stand up,” he said. He claimed that the agitation had been initiated only because the institutes are not following the law and admitting a lot of students from other states.

Thackeray said he has asked his men to act only after the admission lists are declared. “Let’s wait and see how many Marathi students have been admitted. We will not spare anyone. This is just the beginning, and you will see what happens next,” he added.

Thackeray claimed that none of his activists wanted to cause any damage to the educational institutes. “They wanted to speak to the heads of the institutes, but every time they were sent back by the watchmen,” he said. Referring to reports of his own party members recommending names of non-Maharashtrian students for admissions, Thackeray said that such party
workers would be removed.

Raising an open question, Thackeray asked as to why state ministers promptly backed educational institutions.
Claiming that he has no selfish motives in the agitation, Thackeray said that he also wants these institutes to flourish. “But if you want to make a business out of it, then why…More

TOI : PUNE: A youngster’s desire to liberate his family from the clutches of poverty led him to kidnap a 12-year-old boy from Lavale village in Mulshi taluka on Friday. The rural police, however, caught both the suspects on Saturday, within 30 hours of the crime committed.

Sanjay Aba Sawant (22), a resident of Sangvi in Beed district and Suhas Dashrath Jagtap (24) of Dhanore village, Solapur, were nabbed from Tembhurni village for kidnapping Amit (12) and demanding a ransom of Rs 10 lakh from his father Arun Dhudhwal.

Superintendent of police (rural) Ravindra Kadam said the main suspect, Sanjay Sawant and his family were debt-ridden and he committed the crime to repay all their debts.

Aba Sawant, father of Sanjay, was working as a civil contractor in Lavale village. He had done some work in Arun’s house and was staying in a house owned by Arun’s brother on rent. Sanjay, who worked as a driver, stayed with his father.

Some time back, Arun Dhudhwal had sold a piece of land and earned good money. When Sanjay came to know about this, he made a plan to kidnap Amit and earn some quick bucks. On Friday afternoon, he informed his employer Aditya Singh, from New Mumbai, that his car had met with an accident on Mumbai-Pune express highway and he would return only after two-three days. He then took his friend Suhas to Amit’s house and stayed outside waiting for an opportune time to pick up Amit. At around 12 noon, Amit left the house with his sister. Sanjay enticed him to come with him in the car saying that he would drop him to the school. Amit instantly accompanied Sanjay since he knew him.

The duo then took Amit to Tembhurni and kept him in a lodge. They bought him new clothes and asked him to change his uniform. At…More

TOI : PUNE: The crime branch of Pune has arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of former Dehuroad Cantonment Board member Nanasaheb Dhavare. Dhavare was shot dead in his car at Nigdi on Friday morning.

The suspects have been identified as Kalpesh Mane (22) a resident of Bhosari and Pradip Pawar (23), a resident of Dighi road, Bhosari. The police have recovered two pistols and a live cartridge from their possession. Investigations revealed that the duo killed Dhavare as he had duped Mane of Rs 18 lakh.

According to the additional commissioner of police (crime) Rajender Singh, Mane had borrowed Rs 18 lakh from his relatives last year and had given the sum to Dhavare for purchasing land. However, Dhavare did not transfer the documents because of which Dhavare and Mane had had several heated arguments in the last six months.

Last month, Dhavare slapped Mane during an altercation and told him that he would settle the deal at his own terms, said Singh. After that incident, Mane made a plot to kill Dhavare and purchased two pistols.

On Friday, when Dhavare was on his way home, the duo stopped him to discuss the deal. Dhavare asked them to sit in his car. Mane sat on the front seat and Pawar sat in the back. While, Dhavare was talking, Pawar shot him and the duo fled from the spot, Singh added.

Police constable Ajay Mohite, received a tip off about the duo and the crime branch sleuths nabbed them from Khopoli, in Raigad district, on Sunday, said Singh. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Private unaided engineering and medical institutions, which are going functional from 2008-09 have been directed by the Shikshan Shulka Samiti (fee fixation panel) to charge an ad hoc fee at Rs 36,000 per annum and Rs 2.64 lakh per annum, respectively. The fee panel has also released the ad hoc fee for other professional courses at newly-opened
colleges this year.

The ad hoc arrangement is necessitated as the cost-based tuition fee can not be finalised without the audited financial statements and balance sheet of the concerned institutions. Newly-opened colleges get their first balance sheet only after a year into operation. To prevent the new colleges from charging arbitrary sums, the ad hoc fee is announced by the panel.

At least 12 new engineering colleges are going functional from this year in the University of Pune (UoP) area of Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts. However, there is no new medical institution in the UoP jurisdiction.

Together, these new colleges account for an intake of 2,820 students, according to a revised list of engineering institutions released by the state director for technical education (DTE). Pune city and adjoining areas have accounted for seven of these new colleges (total 1,680 seats).

They are: Sinhgad Institute of Technology and Science at Narhe, Ambegaon; K.J. Education Society’s Trinity College of Engineering (CoE) and Research at Pisoli near Hadapsar; Marathwada Mitra Mandal’s Institute of Technology at Lohegaon; Dhole Patil CoE at Wagholi; IMS’ Mulshi Institute of Technology and Research at Sambhave, Mulshi; Al Ameen Education and Medical Foundation’s CoE at Koregaon Bhima, Shirur and the NMVPM’s Nutan Maharashtra Institute of Technology at Maval.
Of the remaining five new colleges, three are located in Nashik district and two in Ahmednagar district, their collective student intake being 1,140 seats.

On Saturday, the DTE released the first provisional list of seat allotments at the end…More