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TOI : PUNE: In a major racket, involving as many as 13 people, two branches of the Bank Of Maharashtra have been duped to the tune of Rs 93 lakh, by submitting fake documents for securing vehicle loans. The Pimpri and Warje police have booked 13 suspects in the case.

Two different complaints had been lodged by the bank’s manager Janardan Shetty in the incidence which took place last year.

Inspector Nandkumar Pinjan of Pimpri police station said that fake documents of residential proof, pan card and other papers were submitted to the Pimpri branch of the bank from where Rs. 47.53 lakh was obtained for buying two-wheelers.

All the proposals for the loan were made through one Rahul Kothari, who worked as an agent for the suspects, Pinjan said. The bank gave out the money in July last year.

After realising that the loan repayment was not being done even after a year, the bank initiated an inquiry; it was found that all the documents submitted for the purpose were fake.

Investigations revealed that all the cheques were drawn in favour of ‘Bora Auto’ in Akurdi. However, it was found that no such auto dealer existed in Akurdi, Pinjan said. The suspects had opened a bogus bank account in the name of Bora Auto. The deposited money was withdrawn later from the account. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: With water scarcity looming large in the city, the 24×7 water supply project is likely to get a new lease of life. Notwithstanding opposition by the BJP, the ruling NCP is prepared to push the proposal with the help of the Congress.

“The 24×7 water supply is the only answer to the situation likely to develop with the monsoon playing truant,” said an NCP leader. “Keeping politics aside, all parties need to support the proposal. The civic administration is of the same view.” He added that if the BJP and Shiv Sena continue to oppose the proposal, the NCP would go-ahead with the help of the Congress party.

Congress leaders, earlier staunchly opposed to the proposal, have mellowed after the recent affinity between the two parties. MP Suresh Kalmadi and his team had extended an olive branch to the NCP after the ruling party and the BJP drifted apart over allegations and counter-allegations between Gopinath Munde and Ajit Pawar. “We were never opposed to the scheme,” said corporator and city Congress unit Chief Abhay Chajjed. “We had objections to the procedure. If the proper procedure is followed, we will support the NCP on the 24×7 water project.”

At the general body meeting on Tuesday, municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi called for a “comprehensive” plan to tackle water scarcity and a technical way to repair leakages in the distribution network.

The scope for the 24×7 water projects comprises water audit and leak detection of the entire water supply system, complete metering for water audit study in a phased manner and zone-wise investment plans for rehabilitation for reduction in leakages and implementation of 24×7 water supply.

The civic administration’s proposal to appoint a consultant for the 24×7 water supply is mired in controversy after civic groups and political leaders objected to the tendering process where various companies have come together to…More

TOI : The unassuming entrance with a glass sliding door and a yellow board that reads ‘Phoenix Library’ might fool you into thinking that it is just one of the many libraries that dot the city. But this cramped space is a treasure chest with no less than 29,000 housed in it.

Established by J.N. Ponda in 1959, the library has remained exactly where it was first set-up, on Kumthekar road in Sadashiv Peth. “I started the library because of my love for books,” says Ponda, a native of Dahanu who moved to Pune in 1958. For 49 years, Ponda has overseen the running of the place and even gave up his job as a stenographer in Mumbai.

When questioned about the library’s name, Ponda simply answers by explaining the meaning of ‘phoenix’. “That is because it is a bird that symbolises rebirth and in a way books give you a new lease of life,” he states.

But the passage of almost 50 years has changed not only the selection of books, but also the number of members, the subscription rates and all for the good. At the onset, the library had just 32 members which has grown to almost 500 today!

“I had about 350 books when this place started, most of them in English,” says Ponda, adding that just until sometime back, the library housed almost 32,000 books, but he gave away 3,000 of them absolutely free of cost because of lack of space.

Ponda updates the collection almost every other day. From Agatha Christie (of whom he has the first edition copies) to John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark in English to G.A Kulkarni, Aruna Dhere and V.V Shirwadkar in Marathi, the library has it all. It also boasts of a large non-fiction category. “We have autobiographies, biographies, wildlife, humour, sports, music, theatre etc. We have almost 400…More

TOI : PUNE: The Bombay high court has vacated the ban on adoptions imposed at Preet Mandir on April 26, 2007.
The court, however, directed Preet Mandir to approach it for appropriate orders if giving a child to a foreign national for adoption. Preet Mandir does not have a licence to give children to foreigners for adoption.

The high court also directed the family court in Pune to pass final orders of all pending cases so that children do not suffer at the orphanage.

A criminal writ petition was filed by two non-governmental organisations — Advait of Thane and Sakhi of Pune. The court observed that the CBI inquiry into the case has not revealed any prima facie illegality at Preet Mandir. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: The joint meeting of Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and various auto-rickshaw federations, on Thursday, gave a green signal for the revival of 5 pre-paid auto-rickshaw spots and share-a-rickshaw system in the city on an experimental basis.

The pre-paid auto-rickshaw booths will functionalise at Pune Station, Swargate, Shivajinagar, Lohegoan airport and Patil Estate while share-a-rickshaw system will be implemented on busy routes.

RTA member Baba Shinde said that the representatives of all the auto-rickshaw federations have given a go-ahead for both the proposals, whose drafts will be tabled at the RTA meeting for final approval. The meeting is scheduled to be held in the next 15 days.

He added that both the systems will have different tariff structures than the existing ones, and are yet to be finalised. Both the systems, after getting an approval from the RTA will run on an experimental basis for the first few months.

Shinde said that priority will be given to the effective implementation of the pre-paid service and curb malpractices. All the pre-paid booths will have traffic police 24 hours a day. “We would also ask traffic police to monitor the share-a-rickshaw system also,” he said.

Stating that pre-paid auto-rickshaw system had come to a standstill in the city, Shinde said, “The system has not been in use for more than one year and there has been an increasing demand from commuters to revive the pre-paid service at ST stands, the airport and railway stations. The meeting was called to discuss the issues with the auto rickshaw federations.”

He added, “The proposals have been received from women self-help groups to run the pre-paid booths in the city. We have also asked the interested non-governmental organisations (NGO) to contact RTA.”

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