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TOI : PUNE: The controversial percentile issue, which was in focus across the state during this year’s Std XI admissions, appears to be far from over even after the Bombay high court called the percentile formula flawed’ and scrapped it.

State minister for school education Vasant Purke told reporters here on Tuesday that a micro study group has been set up to re-examine the percentile issue. “We (government) will take a fresh position, based on what this study group suggests,” he said on the sidelines of a function to commission the new building of the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education near Hanuman tekdi. “If need be, we will even move the Supreme Court on this issue.”

The percentile formula was introduced on June 27 as a means to normalisation’ of marks, to bring Std X-pass students of the state education board at par with their counterparts from national boards, such as ICSE and CBSE. The government’s justification was that the national boards were liberal’ in extending marks to their students, who, in turn, would corner most seats at sought-after junior colleges. This normalisation’ would provide a level-playing field’, the government had argued.

However, on September 26, the Bombay high court threw out the controversial percentile formula. Justice J N Patel, the third Bombay HC judge to hear the case, after a two-member division bench gave a split verdict on the issue on August 25, said the state’s decision had gone against the students’ right to equality. The judge found the government decision as promoting “mediocracy over meritocracy”. The HC verdict did not affect admissions for 2008-09, as the process was over days before the verdict. However, the verdict will come into force during admissions for next year (2009-10).

Purke said, “The percentile system was introduced so that state students could benefit from it. A study group has been formed…More

TOI : PUNE: City-based Prayas energy group and Sajag Nagrik Manch (SNM) have been forced to seek another postponement for the hearing of their joint petition alleging indiscriminate power cuts in Pune. This is because the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (Merc) has delayed delivering an order on the load-shedding protocol.

Speaking to TOI here on Tuesday, Shantanu Dixit of Prayas and Vivek Velankar, founder SNM, said that they had sent an email to Merc requesting another postponement of the hearing of their September 16 petition.

“It would not be fruitful to conduct a hearing of our petition before Merc gives an order on the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd’s (MSEDCL) revised load-shedding plan effected from September 2 when 7.15 hours of load-shedding was imposed in parts of Pune like Pimpri and Ahmednagar road,” Dixit and Velankar said.

Prayas and SNM have requested that Merc fix hearing of their petition two or three days after the commission delivers its verdict on the load-shedding protocol. “This order is extremely vital as it will decide whether 150 MW or 304 MW will be additionally needed to keep Pune free of power cuts. Once this figure is fixed, it will help in deciding purchase of power at a higher rate than the prescribed rate of Rs 8.54 per unit fixed by Merc,” Velankar said.

When Prafulla Varhade, secretary (Merc) was contacted to learn the status of Merc’s order, he said that the order was “in the process”. When asked when it could be expected, he said, “As soon as possible.”

Both Velankar and Dixit expressed concern about the delay in giving an order on such an urgent issue like load-shedding protocol. “Not only are urban areas like Pune suffering, rural areas are also hard hit and the Maharashtra State Electricity Consumers Organisation and State Irrigation Federation have also filed petitions complaining about indiscriminate power…More

TOI : PUNE: The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has reduced its transmission and distribution (T&D) loss by 6.08 per cent from April to September 2008.

Also, the MSEDCL is investing Rs 4,500 crore in infrastructure development during the current fiscal.

A statement issued on Tuesday by MSEDCL managing director, Ajay Bhushan Pandey, said that at present, the T&D loss of the MSEDCL stands at 18.01 per cent. “During the last one-and-a half year, we have successfully reduced the loss by 12 per cent.”

Since the restructuring of the erstwhile Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) in 2005, the distribution company earned a profit of Rs 117 crore for the first time during 2007-08, he said.

Pandey said the ongoing drive against power thefts, metering of transformers and feeders that help in energy audit and introducing of photo meter reading have helped reduce the T&D losses.

The statement also said that before restructuring of the MSEB, capital investment was limited to Rs 300 to Rs 400 crore per year. “After the restructuring, the MSEDCL invested Rs 834 crore in 2005-06, Rs 1,747 crore in 2006-07 and Rs 1,612 crore in 2007-08. However, during the current fiscal, Rs 4,500 crore are being invested,” he said.

Pandey said the investment has been made to develop basic infrastructure, gaothan feeder separation, single phasing (where residential and agricultural consumers get supply from different points), accelerated power development and reforms programme, as well as the Rajiv Gandhi rural electrification programme. According to him, the distribution system will become strong enough to take care of the future growth. He also said an executive director (projects) has been appointed to ensure effective implementation of the infrastructure development programme.

The statement added that in 2005-06, the MSEDCL suffered a loss of Rs 303 crore, which was reduced to Rs 134 crore in 2006-07. Finally,…More

TOI : PUNE: Three members of a family, including a three-year-old boy, were found dead on the railway tracks near Bijlinagar in Chinchwad on Tuesday.

The Pune railway police suspect that the family might have committed mass suicide by jumping before a running train.

A railway gangman informed the police that the bodies were lying on the track. According to the police, the bodies were disfigured beyond recognition. The identity of the victims could not be established till late on Tuesday night.

The police recovered a mobile phone and diary from the site. The phone was completely smashed and the diary was blank. According to constable Sambhaji Patil of the railway police, a shopping bill was found near the bodies but when the shop owner was called to identify the bodies at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial hospital in Pimpri, he was unable to do so. B…More

TOI : PUNE: As noted dance exponent Sucheta Chapekar turns 60 this year, the birthday celebration promises to be a treat to dance aficionados in the city, with Kalavardhini Charitable Trust, a dance school founded and mentored by Chapekar, all set to host a three-day dance festival titled Parikrama,’ from December 4 to 6.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Chapekar’s daughter and disciple, and also the chief organiser of the event, Arundhati Patwardhan, said, “There are lot of other facets to my mother apart from being a dance genius. This festival is an effort to bring all these to the notice of the younger generation.” Elaborating, Patwardhan said while her mother is known to be a proficient performer, not many know that she has also learnt music and is a keen follower of the other forms of classical dance.

The festival will see well-known names in the field come together and perform and also talk about dance and its relevance in today’s times. These include exponents of different dance forms, Padmavibhushan Sonal Mansingh, an exponent of Odissi; Padmashree Darshana Jhaveri of Manipuri, Deeepti Omchery Bhalla of Mohiniyattam, C.V. Chandrashekhar of Bharatnatyam and Shama Bhate of Kathak.

“Parikrama will provide an opportunity to the city audience, especially the dance students, not only to witness the veterans perform, but also to hear their view on dance. It is a first-of-its-kind event in the city where different dance forms will be performed in one platform,” Patwardhan said.

The festival also includes two other attractions, a book release function and screening of a documentary on Chapekar. Nrityatmika, a book by Chapekar, will be released by Sonal Mansingh. On the other hand, the documentary Vyomagami’ (meaning, moving towards the stars) has been directed by Amrita Mahadik.

“The book is not an autobiography, but talks about Tai’s (Chapekar’s) life and various other things, including her…More

TOI : PUNE: Elected members of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday rejected the proposal to appoint a state government officer as assistant director, town planning, arguing that they are against outside’ officers coming to the civic body on deputation.

It may be noted that the issue of state officers being appointed as heads of different civic departments has been in the news for the last one year, and corporators and the PMC employee union have repeatedly opposed such moves.

Leader of the house Anil Bhosale said the system to bring in outside’ officers should be stopped, because it is not in the interest of PMC’s own officers.

“Henceforth, we will not allow any state officer’s appointment on deputation. This hampers the growth of our own officers. How will they get the experience and take up the responsibility of a higher post when they are denied the opportunity to learn?” he said.

Bhosale added that often officers come and take charge of the department, and the general body (GB) takes a decision regarding the appointment much later.

“There are many officers who have started work here, but their appointment proposal is lying before the GB. We rejected today’s proposal of appointing a town planner from outside. This is just the beginning. We will take similar decisions for the pending proposals,” he said.

There are nearly 38 state officers who have been deputed to PMC in the last two years. B…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s proposal of implementing the Solapur pattern to recover tax dues from people living in the merged villages is awaiting state government approval even as the dues mount to Rs 33 crore.

As many as 18 villages were merged with the PCMC in 1997 but there were agitations against the move by local residents. Their major grievances were that most of the agricultural land was reserved for various public purposes, the rate of property tax was very high and that the merger would change their rural lifestyle.

Initially, the PCMC did some developmental works in these villages but stopped it due to the agitations. Meanwhile, the villagers did not pay property tax as they felt that the villages would be excluded from the PCMC limits. This led to accumulation of a large amount of tax dues over a decade.

PCMC assistant commissioner Sudhakar Deshmukh told TOI on Monday: “The total tax dues accumulated over a decade is around Rs 20 crore. The property tax dues for this year is Rs 13 crore.”

Deshmukh added that a meeting was held in Mumbai a few days ago to discuss the PCMC’s proposal on implementing the Solapur pattern to recover tax. “No decision has been taken as yet. So the PCMC will continue recovering the dues from residents of the 18 villages.”

Property tax arrears of Rs 2.02 crore were collected till October 2008, while the property tax collection for the current financial year till October is Rs 6.79 crore.
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TOI : PUNE: Issues like the high rents charged by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA) and lack of space for setting up new police stations and chowkies were raised by the city police during a meeting with the civic officials here on Monday.

Mahesh Patil, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Zone III, said that the rental charges for premises provided by the PCMC and PCNTDA were too high and should be reduced.

Patil said, “The rental charges of the Nigdi police station, which the police had renovated, is Rs 50,000 per month while that of the assistant commissioner of police’s (ACP) office is only Rs 30,000 per month. We pointed this out to the elected representatives during the meeting. It is the duty of the PCMC and local self self-government bodies to provide spaces for police stations and chowkies.”

Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Aparna Doke; Vilas Lande, member of legislative assembly (MLA); Laxman Jagtap, member of legislative council (MLC); Dhananjay Kamlakar, additional police commissioner and others attended the meeting which was held at DCP office in Chinchwad.

Discussions were also held about the reorganisation of police stations and need for more equipment and manpower in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Patil said, “Talks were held about some areas of the Dehu Road police station that need to be incorporated into the city police limits.”

The civic body should also provide land for the Sangvi police station, Patil said, adding Hinjewadi comes under the Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) limits so the MIDC should construct a police station there and hand it over to the police.

Speaking to TOI, mayor Aparna Doke confirmed that the police want the rental charges of the premises given to them for setting up chowkies and stations to be reduced.

MLA Vilas Lande said, “The township is growing at a…More

TOI : PUNE: Frustrated with the long wait for payments against land acquisitions and discrepancies in the 7/12 extracts, villagers from Mugoan and surrounding villages on Monday urged the civic administration to speed up the process and also set up a separate office in the village for fast settlement of claims.

The demands were put forward during the People’s Commission called on Monday at Mugoan, a village near Varasgoan dam, about 60 km from Pune. Cases of land acquisitions, ownerships and non-availability of 7/12 extracts were taken up here, as also the acquisition cases related to the Lavasa project.

Members of the commission, including activist Arvind Kejariwal, retired senior police officer S M Mushrif, Nirmalkumar Suryavanshi and R V Bhuskute heard the complaints. Activist Medha Patkar was also present for the proceedings.

Patkar said during the meeting, “A large number of villagers have failed to receive compensation against acquisitions of their lands. In many cases, they have been fooled by agents involved in the dealings. These villagers have also failed to receive 7/12 extracts of their lands, despite repeated visits to tehsil offices. The district administration should take up the matter on a priority basis. Over 800 such cases from 15 nearby villages need clearance.”

She added, “Large tracts of land were acquired for the Lavasa project from Mugoan and surrounding villages. The Lavasa corporation should make public the details of every land dealing with villagers. The corporation should also make their future plans clear and provide the information being demanded by villagers.”

Patkar added, “In fact, a detailed review should be conducted about the environmental condition of the area where the Lavasa project is underway.”

Kejriwal said, “Many villagers have not received payment against their land acquisition for various projects, including the Lavasa project. There are many other cases where names on an individual’s 7/12 extract have been…More

TOI : PUNE: Four women labourers ended up with severe burns to their fingers and hands while trying to prove their innocence in a theft case at a slum in Vimannagar here on Sunday last.

The Airport police on Monday arrested a woman, along with her mother-in-law, for allegedly suspecting that the four women had stolen her ‘mangalsutra’ and forcing them to pick up two-rupee coins from a pan containing hot oil.

The suspects, identified as Chabubai Raosaheb Kholi (65) and her daughter in-law Lata Suryakant Kholi (35), both residents of Deokar Vasti in Vimannagar, were on Tuesday produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody till November 27.

The injured women were identified as Laxmi Tatya Gaikwad (23), Mahananda Rajendra Kamble (40), Annapurna Sanjay Motekar (30) and Sitabai Narsingh Chavan (40), all from Deokar Vasti. The suspects and the injured stay close-by and use a common bathroom.

According to the police, Lata took bath on the morning of November 22, following which Laxmi went there for a bath. Lata came to Laxmi’s residence around 7.30 am and enquired whether she had spotted her ‘mangalsutra’ in the bathroom. Lata also spoke to the other three women who had used the bathroom after her. However, all the four said they did not see the ‘mangalsutra’ in the bathroom.

Sub-inspector M.G. Bolkotgi said that after failing to find the ‘mangalsutra’, Lata alerted Chabubai about the incident. The suspects called all the four women outside their houses.

“The suspects threw two-rupee coins in a pan containing hot oil. They then asked the four women to remove them from the pan if they were innocent. All the women picked up the coins, which resulted in serious burns to their fingers and palms. When the women experienced severe pain, they alerted the police the following day on November 23,” Bolkotgi said.
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