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TOI : PUNE: With many retail malls setting up wine counters on their floors, the coveted grape derivative is all set to come out of the closet. But wine makers are pulling out every possible plug to raise the drink to its place of pride, wanting the drink to be consumed in greater measure and also understood and respected better.

The latest excuse to get people together and appreciate different wines are a heady mix of fashion shows and expert wine trainers. “When you are drinking wine you are not drinking alcohol; you’re drinking culture,” says wine trainer Beatrix Bazala from Austria, who is on a three-month tour of the country, hosted by India’s biggest wine maker Chateau Indage.

Bazala was in the city on Sunday for the first-ever event in Pune that presented wines and fashion together. The session, at a city hotel, presented Bazala and fashion designer Salim Asgarally together. Asgarally said he was inspired from the smoothness, warmth and sparkle of wines.

According to Bazala, the Indian society is vibrant and has the right attitude for wine consumption. With the right exposure and knowledge, wine culture in India can rise to another level, she suggests.

Food writer and wine enthusiast Jyoti Balani said Pune has been a high-priority market for wine makers in the country and overseas, thanks to its high disposable income and increasing young population.

Bazala said wines need to be demystified for the commoners as there exists a shroud of intrigue around them. “There is no right or wrong about wines. It is the individual’s personal perception that matters in deciding how he or she receives wines,” she explains, adding that the issue of pairing food and wines can be simplified by using wines of a country with cuisine of the same country.

That wines are moving centrestage on the party circuit is…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Monday, issued show-cause notices to administrative officials of the Pune Municipal School Board for their alleged involvement in the school uniform tender scam.

An inquiry committee had been set up by the PMC two weeks ago to investigate into the irregularities that were found in the tendering process.

Following the submission of the report, municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi sent show-cause notices to the administrative officers. The officials have been asked to respond to the notices before September 12.

“Based on all the irregularities found in the tendering process and allegations on the involved officials, notices have been issued and they have been asked to give explanations on each and every point,” Pardeshi said.
When asked what were the irregularities found, Pardeshi refrained from divulging details stating that giving any more at this point would affect the inquiry procedure. “We have to let these officials give explanations. After that we will go ahead with departmental inquiry and send a report to the state government,” Pardeshi said, adding that most of the allegations were with regards to irregularities in tender procedures, quality of uniforms and the pricing.

When asked whether the office bearers have also been found guilty and if action has been initiated against them, Pardeshi said that he was not the competent authority to take action against them.

“It has been found that in some cases the final decision about tender allocations have been taken by office bearers. However, I can take action against the administrative officials only, so the report will be sent to the state government for initiating action against office bearers,” Pardeshi said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Autorickshaws remained off roads within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits for the fifth day on Monday causing inconvenience to thousands of commuters. The rickshaws, affiliated to the rickshaw panchayat, have been on strike since Thursday in protest against the drive by the traffic police and the regional transport office (RTO) against rickshaws that flout rules.

It should be noted that the RTO and traffic police, in a joint action, impounded more than 400 rickshaws for violating traffic rules. Rickshaw drivers have accused the drive as one-sided, and said it was conducted without prior notice. They have demanded that the one-sided action against the rickshaws is stopped immediately, the seized vehicles are returned to their rightful owners and action is taken against the policemen who allegedly manhandled the drivers.

Speaking to TOI on Monday, Amir Shaikh, executive president, Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the rickshaw panchayat said, “Baba Adhav, president, rickshaw panchayat, would sit on a hunger strike at Council Hall on Tuesday. The future course of action on the indefinite bandh will be taken tomorrow.”

Shaikh said the drivers should be given 15 days time to clear their documents. There are around 3,000 rickshaws affiliated to the panchayat in the township and all of them are part of the strike. Baba Adhav, at a meeting on Sunday, had said they did not want to cause inconvenience to the people and had urged drivers to ply their rickshaws. Despite the appeal, the drivers were unwilling as they feared police crackdown, Shaikh said.

H.S. Gadsingh, assistant regional transport officer, Pimpri-Chinchwad, defended the drive saying, “The drive was conducted to ensure that the rickshaws observe discipline. They should carry requisite documents with them and not overload their vehicles.”

Meanwhile, the Pimpri-Chinchwad regional transport office is still firm on implementing the meter system for rickshaws in the PCMC limits. The traffic police, RTO…More

TOI : PUNE: The longest-ever power cuts are in store for Puneites as the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has pushed the load-shedding schedule to between 5.45 hours and 7.15 hours from Tuesday, with only a one-hour relief through additional power sourced from the Indian energy exchange. This also includes a 34-hour power shutdown for industry.

Most areas in the city will have to go without power for close to seven hours.

The move has elicited sharp reaction from the industrial sector and activists.

According to the new load-shedding schedule, the MSEDCL has sought 308 MW to keep Pune free from power cuts as against 238 MW, which was being quoted till last week.

The figure has changed consistently from 150 MW in April to 165 MW in June, 200 MW to 225 MW in July-August to 238 MW quoted in the last week of August.

The power shortfall for the state is being quoted at 4,500 to 4,800 MW, which should have been managed with load-shedding of 2.45 hours to 3.45 hours as per the load-shedding protocol fixed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (Merc) in May this year based on the shortfall figure of 4500 MW.

Reacting sharply to the 34-hour power shutdown for industry, Pradeep Bhargava, chairman, Maharashtra council of CII, said industry will not be able to function like this. “There are many issues involved here, right from economics, labour relations, compensation and management of working. We need some answers for the frequent changes and explanation for why the situation cannot be managed within the load-shedding protocol fixed by Merc”, he told TOI.

He said the protocol was fixed on the basis of statistics and estimates supplied by the MSEDCL in May this year. “The citizens of Maharashtra need to know how many million units are required for the state, how…More

TOI : PUNE: As part of its initiative to an environmentally-sound celebrations during the Ganapati festival, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), will be monitoring the noise levels at 20 locations in the city. This year, the number of locations in the city is two more than the previous year. For the past two years, the MPCB has been monitoring noise level in all major cities across the state.

Last year, noise levels in Pune was monitored at 18 locations. It was found that sound levels ranged from 56.8 dB to 99.3 dB. The noise levels in 2007 were on the higher side as compared to 2006, when the levels ranged from 55.0 dB to 83.0 dB.

Results of the noise monitoring tests in 2007 across the state revealed that the levels exceeded the permissible limit at all locations. They especially high during the immersion day. The MPCB had concluded that as compared to the noise levels in 2006, the levels in 2007 were on the higher side in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Amravati, Ahmednagar, Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, and Thane.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board, the permissible limits of noise levels for different areas, during day and night hours, is as follows: For industrial area, the limits are 75 dB and 70 dB for day and night hours. For commercial areas, the limits are 65 dB and 55 dB. For residential areas, the limits are 55 dB and 45 dB, and for silence zones, the limits are 50 dB and 40 dB, for day and night hours respectively.

The MPCB in its report last year had noted that in spite of legal standards in place and efforts of the regulatory agencies, noise levels could not be checked and controlled upto the desired standard. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More