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TOI : Pune: The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), which fights against superstitions , has relaunched its campaign to donate Ganesh idols following religious rites, instead of immersing them.

Giving a boost to the campaign that was launched a decade before, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board as well as the Harit Sena, have joined hands with the Samiti to control damage to the environment .

According to a release issued by the MANS on Wednesday, about one crore Ganesh idols are installed every year. Most of these are made of plaster of paris which does not dissolve in water, leading to pollution in rivers.

Narendra Dabholkar, working president of the MANS, has urged people to immerse idols in temporary tanks installed at the river banks and collect the nirmalya in the container provided nearby.

Dabholkar also talked about the eco-friendly earthen idols, painted in natural colours, that are available in the market. About 8,884 such clubs, with the participation of over four lakh schoolchildren, made about one lakh idols this year, he said.

Number of celebrities including Amol Palekar, Nilu Phule, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Chandrashekhar Dharmadhikari, scientist Vasant Govarikar, Vijay Bhatkar among others had extended support to the campaign four years ago. Dabholkar also said that people should try avoiding use of thermocol for decoration purposes and use traditional gulal.
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TOI : Pune: The owner of a finance company and his wife, Nivrutti Phadtare and Aruna, have been booked by the Hadapsar police for allegedly cheating around 11 people who had taken loans from them. The company, it is alleged, misled the victims regarding the amount they were to repay against the loans they had taken.

The police took action against the company following a complaint filed by Kamal Hole (40), one of the victims. Hole, who runs a grocery shop in Hadapsar-Malwadi , urgently needed Rs 50,000 in 2003. She approached the firm, Laxmi Business Finance Company, that agreed to loan her the amount against an interest of 14 per cent.However, Hole received only Rs 27,500 as loan in February 2003. In her plaint, she said the company kept 25 per cent of the amount – Rs 12,500 – as deposit . Moreover, Hole said the company deducted another Rs 7,000 against processing fee and Rs 3,000 against some unspecified work. In all, Hole received only Rs 27,500 instead of the Rs 50,000 for which she had applied. The company, moreover, asked the complainant to pay the entire amount of Rs 50,000 by depositing Rs 100 each day. They also took around five blank cheques from her.

Hole further added that she met another 10 people who had taken loans from the company and were similarly duped. “Hole has alleged that the finance company used to accept Rs 100 from her every day. However, they have not given her any receipt of the amount paid,” the Hadapsar police said. The complainant sensed something wrong as the amount to be paid to company did not seem to be coming down. Hole spoke to the 10 people she knew and after confirming that they were being duped, she approached the Hadapsar police.

The police have booked Nivrutti and Aruna under sections of the Prevention of Money…More

TOI : Shri Satyatmatheertha Swamiji, pontiff of the Uttaradi ‘math’ , is currently undertaking his ‘chaturmasya sankalpa’ – a practice during which ’sanyasis’ do not move from a place for the around 45-day ‘chaturmas’ period – in the city. This is the first time in 145 years that a religious head of the renowned math has undertaken the ‘chaturmasya sankalpa’ in the city.

Uttaradi Math is the founder ‘math’ preaching the Dwaita philosophy of Hinduism, which was put forth by Shri Madhwacharya . Shri Satyatmatheertha Swamiji became the pontiff of the math in 1997 as a 24-year-old . The math has over 2 lakh followers in and around the city.

For his thirteenth chaturmasya , Shri Swamiji arrived in the city on July 26. He undertook the ‘chaturmasya sankalpa’ on July 27 at the Ramachandra Sabhagruha in Chinchwad. On August 18, he came to Pune to continue the remaining part of the chaturmasya at the Shivshankar Sabhagruha in Mukundnagar. On his arrival, a grand procession was arranged by his followers in the city from the Vivekananda statue near Padmavati to the Shivshankar Sabhagruha . A free health check-up has been organised at the Shivshankar Sabhagruh on September 7. Swamiji’s chaturmasya concludes on September 15.

Swamiji stressed upon the importance of praying daily to achieve peace in our daily, stressridden lives. “The math has conducted many social programmes under the guidance of Shri Swamiji, such as free eye and health check-up camps, blood donation camps, heart surgeries , donations and prayers for calamities and assistance in marriages and last rites for poor people , among others,” says C. Ramesh, the religious leader’s spokesperson.
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TOI : Remembering Bergman: A Retrospective,’ a film festival showcasing the works of renowned Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, will be held at the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) from September 5 to 11. Palador Pictures, in association with the Swedish Embassy, have lined up the cinematic treat for the city’s movie buffs.

Some of the classics to be screened are ‘Winter Light’ and ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ , which explore the theme of faith and doubt in God, ‘Wild Strawberries’ , an intense psychological drama analysing the effect of guilt, religion and death on a person , ‘Summer Interlude,’ a haunting tribute to a tragic first love, and ‘The Silence’ , a tale of two sisters in a hotel.

The festival comes calling on the city after having travelled to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore . “Through this festival, we are trying to find out how many people are interested in this kind of cinema. We want to establish a rapport of the audience with such classics,” says Gautam Chitnis , founder of Palador Pictures.

Bergman and his cinema continue to enthrall film fans around the world. Swedish documentary filmmaker Gunnar Bergdahl made a documentary on Bergman, ‘Intermezzo,’ in 2002. ‘Intermezzo’ lends an insight into Bergman’s thinking.

“Bergman had told him (Bergdahl) that he had got over the idea of death when he was 18 years old and accepted death as it is. Hence, his pscyhological interpretations of death through his movies,” says Chitnis.

Bergdahl also interacted with the audience who came for the festival in other cities. There, the documentary filmmaker spoke about the internal conflicts that the characters in Bergman’s films face. The audience also frequently asked Bergdahl about Bergman’s obsession with the theme of death.

“These films are not easily accessible to the general public. So this festival is a good opportunity for film lovers….More

TOI : The city’s enthusiasm for the Ganesh festival and the pomp and splendor accompanying the festivities were in ample display as the Times Utsav Moorti Sanman contest kicked off on Ganesh Chaturthi on Tuesday. The two jury members, noted television artist Prasanna Ketkar and architect Sujata Zambre, visited homes in Kothrud and Sinhagad road to give prizes for the best decor and best Ganesh idol. The contest will continue for the next few days.

While most homes relied on ‘quick decor’ options like heavy lighting and ready-made thermocol cut-outs to welcome the elephantheaded deity, the majority were environmentconscious .Most families chose to buy idols that were painted with vegetable colors,giving idols made of plaster of Paris the thumbs down.

The Rajguru family living in Tara Residency , Kothrud, who perched their Ganesh idol atop hills and valleys, was the first recipient of the Times Utsav Moorti award for best decoration. “We worked on the decoration from 7 pm to 11 pm over the last three nights. All family members did their bit. said Amol Rajguru. “The entire creation is ecofriendly . There is no use of plastic or thermocol anywhere, and the base is made of throw-away material like old bottles,” he further said. Added his mother Sujata, “We have a different decor for the Ganesh festival every year. This time, we put in extra efforts after we heard about the Utsav Moorti Sanman competition.”

The Jog family of Kothrud won the best idol prize in their locality . Speaking to TOI, Yashodhan Jog expressed his happiness at bagging the award. “It is an important festival for us, and I am glad that our efforts have been recognised,” he said.

Vijay Chavan, a resident of Sinhagad road and a winner in the best decoration category , designs decorations for various Ganesh mandals in the city. His prize-winning decoration has the idol poised…More

TOI : PUNE: The Tuesday deluge had the Pune Municipal Corporation’s staff running to people’s rescue as the fire brigade and various ward offices received over 75 complains of water gushing into basements, parking lots and trees getting uprooted.

In Tingarenagar the entire Jaiprakash Vasti area was under water and the officials rushed on Tuesday night to clean nallahs . They have also received orders from the respective ward office to demolish encroachments. In Bhawani Peth ward office area, the Rajewadi slum submerged under water and the municipal staff had to be called in for rescue operations. The fire-brigade received 27 complains of trees falling in the last two days.

According to the PMC, the ward office staff was on an alert on orders issued by the commissioners office.
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TOI : PUNE: Additions to its existing fleet of six mid-size glider aircraft, new facilities like hangars, aprons, a paved airstrip and an antique aircraft museum — are all a part of the expansion plan chalked out by the Poona Gliding Centre (PGC), Hadapsar.

PGC station in-charge Shailesh Charbhe told TOI that the plan is aimed at giving a boost to the centre’s activities from existing non-motorised gliding training to a multi-aerosport hub, featuring motor-powered flying machines.

Flying micro-light aircraft, motorised para-planes and motorised trikes are other areas that generate interest among youngsters, said Charbhe. “Right now, there are limitations. For example, the existing one-km airstrip at the PGC is unpaved and not suitable for motorised aircraft,” he added.

“Facilities like two additional hangars, three aprons (place where aircraft are parked), a taxiway and a parallel paved airstrip would help boost the PGC’s activities, he said. Based on satellite generated images, Charbhe has drafted a plan, which will be forwarded to the DGCA higher ups soon,” he said.

One of the two existing PGC hangars houses some antique gliding aircraft that were phased out long back. “We have proposed to the DGCA to convert this facility into a museum of antique aircraft by acquiring some more such planes from other places,” he said.

What makes the plan crucial, according to Charbhe, is the city’s long acknowledged tradition of pioneering and promoting adventure sports like gliding.

In 1954, the civil aviation ministry established the PGC at a sprawling 230-acre land at Hadapsar on the eastern outskirts. While similar state-run facilities in other cities like Ahmedabad and Delhi are in a state of dormancy, the PGC is the only operational facility of its kind under the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The centre has been offering a varying set of training modules to boys and girls of 16+ age,…More

TOI : PUNE: Owing to Tuesday’s downpour, the city has already crossed the halfway mark of the rainfall quota for September, that too in just two days. The average rainfall for September is 125 mm, while on the first two days of this month the city recorded 79.4 mm of rain.

In fact, 70 mm rainfall was recorded in just 24 hours. This is the second highest single day rainfall received in September over the last one decade.

“The thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are due to a trough in the Southern Peninsula and an off-shore trough near Maharashtra. Pune has been witnessing maximum rainfall in the state over the last few days,” deputy director general meteorology of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) A.B. Mujumdar told TOI, adding that the situation will remain so till next 48 hours.

Starting 8.30 am on Monday to 8.30 am on Tuesday, Pune recorded 9.3 mm of rain. As against this, since 8.30 am on Tuesday to 8.30 am on Wednesday, the city received a whopping 70.1 mm of rain, making it the second highest rainfall recorded on a single day in September.

Since 1998, there has been just one instance when, on September 19, 2007, Pune had recorded more than 70.1 mm rainfall in a 24-hour period, figures given by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated.

Furthermore, the city, which was witnessing heavy showers since the last couple of days, on Tuesday recorded 61 mm rainfall in 12 hours. Out of that, 54 mm rainfall was recorded in only three hours after 5 pm.

Till August 31, the city had received less than the normal quota of rainfall for this period said IMD sources.
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TOI : PUNE: The state government has initiated steps giving momentum to the development of satellite nodes and townships with good connectivity to reduce the population burden on Pune.

A proposal to lay suburban rail lines to Daund, Mulshi and Lonavla has been submitted to the central government and the issue of more concessions to townships coming along the proposed ring road is also being pursued.

The city’s population is increasing by 2.2 to 3.5 per cent every year and the civic administration, in the environment status report – 2007-08, admits that the infrastructure is under tremendous pressure because of the growing population. According to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) estimates, around one lakh people migrate to city every year and the estimated population of the city has crossed 40 lakh.

“There is no policy to curb migration and hence the state government has to take vital decisions for growing cities like Pune. The development of satellite towns, extension of the Lonavla-Pune suburban rail link to Daund, and a rail line to Mulshi have been on cards for a long time. With the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) set to become a reality soon, the state has decided to chalk out a plan for the Pune region and pursue the matter vigorously,” said state urban development department principal secretary T.C. Benjamin.

He added that the proposal for the suburban rail line has been forwarded to the railway ministry. “On the lines of Mumbai, we envisage people coming to Pune for work and return to homes in townships and satellite nodes,” said Benjamin.

The state has already increased the FSI (ratio of permissible built-up area to plot area) for townships from 0.5 to 1. “The state government will come up with more policies which will facilitate development of townships,” he said. About 34 proposals for townships around Pune are pending with the…More

TOI : PUNE: The Haveli police have arrested a jeep driver and its owner for allegedly raping a 30-year-old blind woman on Panshet road on Friday night. The incident took place after the woman and her husband, both blind, hitched a ride with the duo while heading towards Vardhade village from the city.

The jeep owner, Maruti Pawale (28), and the driver, Nitin Pawale (30), both of Sonapur in Haveli taluka, have been remanded to police custody till September 8.

Haveli police station inspector Satish Patil said the blind couple had come to Pune to collect their monthly monetary assistance from a company. While on their way back, they missed their bus from Shaniwarwada, which leaves at 4.40 pm.

“They waited for the next bus, which left at 8 pm, but this one took a different route and the couple had to get down at Khadakwasla. They then hitched a ride in the jeep, which was also ferrying a woman and two other passengers,” Patil said.

The jeep, after having dropped the other passengers, stopped near Khanapur because of some mechanical problem. While repairing the jeep, the driver and the owner questioned the couple about their village and whether they were really blind.

After the jeep set off again, the driver asked the couple to get down at a location on Panshet road, saying that they had reached their village. “However, the couple suspected that they had been dropped off at a wrong place and protested,” sub-inspector Vasant Babar said.

The suspects then took the woman to a nearby pit and raped her. They fled after abandoning the couple, who reached the police station with the help of some passers-by. The suspects were nabbed after a tip-off from some people. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More