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TOI : PUNE: The irrigation department on Wednesday stated that the current 20% water cut for Pune city will continue till the water storage in the dams supplying water to the city touches a level of 18 TMC. At present, the dams have 12.23 TMC of water. The decision on a decrease in the water cuts will be taken only after the dams reach the 18 TMC mark.

An official also stated that the 20% water cut for Pimpri-Chinchwad and Talegoan areas will continue as the dams supplying water to these areas are short of the required storage level.

S L Patil, chief engineer, water resources, Pune, said that the demand for Pune city for an entire year is 18 TMC.

“The water levels in the four dams remain critical with only 45% live water storage,” he said. “Of the four, only Temghar dam has water storage above 50%. It has 63% water storage, followed by Varasgoan (45%), Panshet (40%) and Khadakwasla (32%). Pavana dam has 56% water storage.

The level at the dams supplying water to the Pune has gone up by 4 TMC in last three days with the moderate and heavy rains in the catchment areas. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC) officials have alleged that the Government Railway Police (GRP) is shielding unauthorised hawkers doing business in trains in the Pune division.

The IRCTC officials further alleged that unauthorised hawkers had beaten up members of the pantry car crew of the Rajkot-Secundarabad Express during a scuffle that occurred in Pune division on Monday evening.

The Government Railway Police (GRP), instead of acting against the hawkers, had arrested all members of the pantry car crew at Pune station after the incident, the officials said.

Speaking about the arrest of the pantry car members, N. Stephens, joint general manager, IRCTC, said that the move comes as a shock. “This is the first time that pantry car members of a train have been arrested in such an incident. The crew members were thrashed by the unauthorised hawkers between Lonavala and Karjat stations. However, the GRP arrested all crew members on Tuesday when the train reached Pune station. As a result, the train travelled to Secundarabad with the pantry car locked.”

Stephens informed that the IRCTC has taken up the issue of unauthorised hawkers with the railways ministry and has demanded quick action in the matter.

Meanwhile, Viththal Jadhav, SP, GRP, countering the IRCTC officials claim, he asserted that the GRP has arrested both the hawkers as well as the crew members.

He also said that cross-complaints have been lodged by both parties with the GRP in the matter.
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TOI : PUNE: In view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG), city MP Suresh Kalmadi has told the railway authorities to complete all development works at the Pune railway station and make the services at the station on par with international standards.

Speaking at a special meeting held at the Pune station on Wednesday, Kalmadi said, “Keeping the station premises and trains clean and providing services of international standards were among the top priorities for the railway authorities.” Necessary steps were being mooted to provide additional services at the station, he added. Kalmadi said a special train will be introduced between Pune and New Delhi for CYG.

Kalmadi has instructed the railways to sort out issues pertaining to land acquisitions, encroachment and management of traffic around the station along with Pune Municipal Corporation and the traffic department. He told them to complete formalities for additional supply of water and electricity and to ensure that all developmental works are completed before September.

A meeting was conducted on Wednesday in the presence of Kalmadi at the railway station. The meeting was attended by V K Jain, divisional railway manager, M G Dhamangoankar, additional divisional railway manager, departmental heads, officials from city police, PMC and MSEDCL.
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TOI : PUNE: Nearly 7,000 small-scale industries (SSI) in Pimpri-Chinchwad and neighbouring areas, already affected severely by load-shedding, will now remain closed for two days a week — on Thursday and Friday.

The decision was announced by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Small-Scale Industries Association on Wednesday.

Starting on Thursday morning, power supply to the industrial belt comprising Bhosari, Akurdi, sector numbers seven to 10, Pavana Industrial complex, Chikhli, Kudalwadi, Talawade, Dehu and Alandi will remain closed for nearly 34 hours. According to the association, load-shedding on Thursday will be from 6 am to 10 pm, and on Friday from 1 am to 3 am, and again from 6 am to 10 pm.

Suresh Mhetre, president of the association, said that the decision to take an additional holiday had been taken at a meeting held in Mumbai to discuss the power crisis last week.

During the meeting, government officials and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) had agreed to provide uninterrupted power supply to the industrial belt on remaining days of the week. Pointing out that there were power breakdowns for nearly three to five hours every day, Mhetre has made a demand that the MSEDCL inspect the power supply lines on Thursday and Friday to ensure that there is uninterrupted power supply on other days of the week.

According to Mhetre, SSIs have already suffered losses worth crores and this will have impact on their turnover. The shortage of diesel supply has affected the supply of raw material and transport of finished goods. The forging industry, heat treatment units and industries which require diesel have been largely affected due to diesel shortage.

“The two-day closure is likely to remain for the next 2 weeks. Workers in some industries have agreed to work for additional day when supply improves,” he said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: A high-level inspection team of the Medical Council of India (MCI) will visit the city on August 1 to check if the medical colleges in the city are meeting the set norms. The visit assumes significance in the light of reports that medical colleges “borrow teachers” to conceal vacancies during regular MCI visits.

As per sources, a prominent medical college in the city has borrowed around eight teachers of the category of professor, assistant professor and lecturer on ‘Usanavari’ from a medical college in Aurangabad.

“This is exactly what the state government is doing— temporarily shift teachers to colleges lacking required strength and infrastructure until MCI inspection is over,” said an associate professor at a medical college on the condition of anonymity.

The eight teachers who are reported to have been “borrowed” include a professor in gynaecology, orthopaedic, medicine, preventive care, associate professors of physiology, paediatrics and radiology, and a lecturer of orthopaedics from a medical college in Aurangabad.

When contacted, Vasudevrao Tayade, director of department of medical education and research (DMER) said that he is clueless about any such juggling of teachers.

“As per the orders of the state minister for medical education Dilip Walse-Patil, all the vacant posts comprising technical and non-technical staff of all the medical colleges across the state would be duly filled in the next six months,” said Tayade. It should be recalled that members of the Maharashtra State Medical Teachers’ Association (MSMTA) had resigned en-masse in October 2007 to raise issues like ‘usanvari’ system.
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