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TOI : PUNE: A shift in the atmospheric depression from Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh attracted a fresh spell of showers in the state on Friday, as Pune witnessed a substantial increase in rainfall activity. Lashing showers and incessant drizzles continued through the day.

The city recorded 14.5 mm of rainfall till 8.30 pm. Northern parts of the state also recorded heavy rainfall and Nashik recorded the highest measurement of 74 mm till 8.30 pm.

“Atmospheric depression near Chhattisgarh has moved towards Madhya Pradesh. This has increased the amount of rainfall in the state, especially north Maharashtra,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. The situation is likely to remain the same for the next 24 hours and officials warn that parts of north Maharashtra will continue to receive heavy showers.

Meanwhile, it has been predicted that the northern parts of the country will also receive heavy showers.

The depression system is likely to move further north. A mid-troposphere-westerly trough is also present in this area. Under these circumstances west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are likely to experience scattered, heavy to very heavy rainfall and isolated extremely heavy rains, in the next 48 hours.

Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Madhya Pradesh and Northeast Rajasthan are also likely to witness heavy showers during the next 48 hours, IMD officials said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: In about three weeks from now, before the start of the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Pimpri-Chinchwad will have the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) ready and running on the 12-km stretch of the Mumbai-Pune highway between Nigdi and Dapodi. The system, however, will be implemented on an experimental basis.

According to municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma, the BRTS routes on the highway will be ready by early next month. “We intend make the BRTS functional before the Games. The work is nearing completion,” he told reporters on Friday. When questioned about the buses, Sharma said that they will be outsourced from private agencies. “We plan to run buses only on the circular route between Nigdi and Dapodi as the BRTS route is yet to be integrated with the PMC’s corridor,” he said.

Earlier at the general body meeting, Sharma allayed fears raised by Congress corporator Shrerang Barne about the failure of BRTS in the twin townships, just as it had in Pune because of improper implementation. “We have studied the deficiencies of BRTS in Pune and have ensured that we do not repeat the same mistakes. The designs for BRTS on the Mumbai-Pune highway stretch and the 13-km Aundh-Ravet stretch are different,” he said.

In response to a suggestion by Barne that the PCMC should implement the metro rail project instead of the BRTS, Sharma said that implementing the metro system would require huge amount of capital. “PCMC has planned to implement the BRTS on eight routes covering 90 kms. The construction cost of metro is Rs 200 crore per kilometre; the PCMC would require Rs 18,000 crore for the metro project,” he said. Sharma however, added that the BRTS corridors can later be converted into metro routes. Barne maintained that he was opposed to the implementation of BRTS.

In another development on Friday, the Union government sanctioned an instalment of…More

TOI : PUNE: The Chatushrungi police have arrested a 64-year-old Mumbai resident for allegedly cheating a police constable by offering him a flat at a cheap rate. Ironically, the suspect’s offer of cheaper homes to Pune policemen was printed in the official gazette. Chamraj Kulkarni (48), a police naik attached to the Khadki police station, has filed a complaint accusing P.G. Naik, Patil, Feroz and Sayyed of duping him.

Led by senior inspector Sheshrao Suryavanshi, the Chatushrungi police personnel, including sub-inspector B.B. Shinde, nabbed Naik recently from Mumbai following a tip-off. It was after this that Kulkarni filed a formal complaint and Naik was arrested.

Suryavanshi said in 2006, Naik and an accomplice had met the then police chief Dhananjay Jadhav and had presented their offer of providing cheaper flats to the city policemen. After a formal discussion, the offer was published the same year in the official gazette of the Pune police, which is sent out to 7,000 constables and officers.

Kulkarni, who resides at the Shivajinagar police colony, read about the offer and contacted Naik’s office at Shivaji housing society on Ganeshkhind road. “I met Naik, who was introduced as the director of the firm called Shanti Ganga marketing and services. I also met his partners Patil, Feroz and Sayyed there,” Kulkarni said in his complaint.

After finalising a 450 sq ft flat at Katraj-Ambegaon, the suspects asked Kulkarni to pay Rs 50,000 as a deposit, while the remaining Rs 4.50 lakh was to be paid on a loan basis.

“I put in an application to withdraw Rs 50,000 from my provident fund. Meanwhile, I paid Rs 10,000 to Naik on July 5, 2006, who gave me a receipt for it,” Kulkarni said. Later, he received a letter directing him to pay the remaining Rs 40,000, which he did on September 23, 2006. Naik also got a bank loan…More

TOI : PUNE: The city police have booked four Sudanese nationals for staying on in the city after the expiry of their visas.

The suspects have been identified as Allauddin Abdulbari (34) from Kondhwa, Muthasim Saleh (44) from Bhavani Peth, Mohammad Malik (24) from Camp and Taufiq Saleh (27) from Gokhalenagar.

“Muthasim’s visa expired 12 years ago. Abdulbari has overstayed for six years while Taufiq’s visa expired in 2005,” deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare said said.

The status of Malik’s medical visa is being ascertained. “In any case, he has not visited any doctor nor has he registered himself at the city police’s Foreigners’ Registration Office,” Kumbhare said.

The police also booked the owners of the quartet’s rented accommodation, Shaikh Yakub of Nana Peth, Khairunissa Sayyed of Bhavani Peth, Malik Omar of M.G. road and Subhash Karche of Shivajinagar. They were booked for flouting the Pune police’s recent order of registering names of all tenants at the local police station. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: A shift in the atmospheric depression from Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh attracted a fresh spell of showers in the state on Friday, as Pune witnessed a substantial increase in rainfall activity. Lashing showers and incessant drizzles continued through the day.

The city recorded 14.5 mm of rainfall till 8.30 pm. Northern parts of the state also recorded heavy rainfall and Nashik recorded the highest measurement of 74 mm till 8.30 pm.

“Atmospheric depression near Chhattisgarh has moved towards Madhya Pradesh. This has increased the amount of rainfall in the state, especially north Maharashtra,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said. The situation is likely to remain the same for the next 24 hours and officials warn that parts of north Maharashtra will continue to receive heavy showers.

Meanwhile, it has been predicted that the northern parts of the country will also receive heavy showers.

The depression system is likely to move further north. A mid-troposphere-westerly trough is also present in this area. Under these circumstances west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are likely to experience scattered, heavy to very heavy rainfall and isolated extremely heavy rains, in the next 48 hours.

Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Madhya Pradesh and Northeast Rajasthan are also likely to witness heavy showers during the next 48 hours, IMD officials said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: In about three weeks from now, before the start of the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Pimpri-Chinchwad will have the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) ready and running on the 12-km stretch of the Mumbai-Pune highway between Nigdi and Dapodi. The system, however, will be implemented on an experimental basis.

According to municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma, the BRTS routes on the highway will be ready by early next month. “We intend make the BRTS functional before the Games. The work is nearing completion,” he told reporters on Friday. When questioned about the buses, Sharma said that they will be outsourced from private agencies. “We plan to run buses only on the circular route between Nigdi and Dapodi as the BRTS route is yet to be integrated with the PMC’s corridor,” he said.

Earlier at the general body meeting, Sharma allayed fears raised by Congress corporator Shrerang Barne about the failure of BRTS in the twin townships, just as it had in Pune because of improper implementation. “We have studied the deficiencies of BRTS in Pune and have ensured that we do not repeat the same mistakes. The designs for BRTS on the Mumbai-Pune highway stretch and the 13-km Aundh-Ravet stretch are different,” he said.

In response to a suggestion by Barne that the PCMC should implement the metro rail project instead of the BRTS, Sharma said that implementing the metro system would require huge amount of capital. “PCMC has planned to implement the BRTS on eight routes covering 90 kms. The construction cost of metro is Rs 200 crore per kilometre; the PCMC would require Rs 18,000 crore for the metro project,” he said. Sharma however, added that the BRTS corridors can later be converted into metro routes. Barne maintained that he was opposed to the implementation of BRTS.

In another development on Friday, the Union government sanctioned an instalment of…More

TOI : PUNE: The Chatushrungi police have arrested a 64-year-old Mumbai resident for allegedly cheating a police constable by offering him a flat at a cheap rate. Ironically, the suspect’s offer of cheaper homes to Pune policemen was printed in the official gazette. Chamraj Kulkarni (48), a police naik attached to the Khadki police station, has filed a complaint accusing P.G. Naik, Patil, Feroz and Sayyed of duping him.

Led by senior inspector Sheshrao Suryavanshi, the Chatushrungi police personnel, including sub-inspector B.B. Shinde, nabbed Naik recently from Mumbai following a tip-off. It was after this that Kulkarni filed a formal complaint and Naik was arrested.

Suryavanshi said in 2006, Naik and an accomplice had met the then police chief Dhananjay Jadhav and had presented their offer of providing cheaper flats to the city policemen. After a formal discussion, the offer was published the same year in the official gazette of the Pune police, which is sent out to 7,000 constables and officers.

Kulkarni, who resides at the Shivajinagar police colony, read about the offer and contacted Naik’s office at Shivaji housing society on Ganeshkhind road. “I met Naik, who was introduced as the director of the firm called Shanti Ganga marketing and services. I also met his partners Patil, Feroz and Sayyed there,” Kulkarni said in his complaint.

After finalising a 450 sq ft flat at Katraj-Ambegaon, the suspects asked Kulkarni to pay Rs 50,000 as a deposit, while the remaining Rs 4.50 lakh was to be paid on a loan basis.

“I put in an application to withdraw Rs 50,000 from my provident fund. Meanwhile, I paid Rs 10,000 to Naik on July 5, 2006, who gave me a receipt for it,” Kulkarni said. Later, he received a letter directing him to pay the remaining Rs 40,000, which he did on September 23, 2006. Naik also got a bank loan…More

TOI : PUNE: The city police have booked four Sudanese nationals for staying on in the city after the expiry of their visas.

The suspects have been identified as Allauddin Abdulbari (34) from Kondhwa, Muthasim Saleh (44) from Bhavani Peth, Mohammad Malik (24) from Camp and Taufiq Saleh (27) from Gokhalenagar.

“Muthasim’s visa expired 12 years ago. Abdulbari has overstayed for six years while Taufiq’s visa expired in 2005,” deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare said said.

The status of Malik’s medical visa is being ascertained. “In any case, he has not visited any doctor nor has he registered himself at the city police’s Foreigners’ Registration Office,” Kumbhare said.

The police also booked the owners of the quartet’s rented accommodation, Shaikh Yakub of Nana Peth, Khairunissa Sayyed of Bhavani Peth, Malik Omar of M.G. road and Subhash Karche of Shivajinagar. They were booked for flouting the Pune police’s recent order of registering names of all tenants at the local police station. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Jolted by the series of bomb blasts that rocked city after city across the country recently, the Pune police have woken to the need of the hour and have strengthened their Students of Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) cell. The cell, which comes under the special branch, will now have 14 police personnel and an inspector-level officer in charge.

In the wake of the blasts, the SIMI module here has come under police scrutiny, after it was revealed that the city had become a SIMI centre for logistical support. Pune police commissioner Satyapal Singh had then told the city police that around 300 SIMI activists were on their records and that the numbers had increased in recent months.

Earlier, the police’s SIMI cell comprised seven police personnel with a sub-inspector-level officer in charge. With limited manpower, officials found it difficult to keep a track of SIMI activities. “Considering the problems being faced, a decision to increase the strength of the cell was taken,” said Savita Turekar, assistant commissioner of police, special branch.

“Two days ago, we received orders to increase the cell’s strength,” said Turekar. She added that the special branch had also been facing a staff crunch. “We had very few inspector-level officers. When we got eight additional inspectors, we thought focusing on the SIMI cell and posted one of the officers there,” Turekar said.

An official from the SIMI cell said SIMI activists are involved in underground activities and have been working with false identities. “We keep a close watch on them. Whenever we find anything suspicious or if they go missing, we check their homes. They are also asked to furnish details about where they had gone if they have been missing for a number of days.” Print EMail DiscussNew B…More