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TOI : PUNE: The economic downturn has not been a spoiler for people making year-end holiday plans. Tourists are making a beeline for their favourite getaways in the state. An indication of the huge demand comes from the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which has seen packed bookings at all its resorts for the weekend following Christmas. The MTDC officials say that, like every year, all its resorts were booked by December 15 itself.

And it’s not just MTDC, but private tour operators from Pune have also not seen cancellations of bookings for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“There is no impact of the recession on holiday plans,” MTDC regional manager Jayant Phadke told TOI. “People are queuing up at our offices. And it’s not only the beaches, even pilgrimage sites like Shirdi and Pandharpur are full.”

Phadke said that tourists, in fact, have also started booking for the weekend before January 26.

The most popular tourist destinations in the state include Ganpatipule, Harihareshwar, Vengurla, Tarkarli, Panhala fort, Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Amboli, Tadoba, Shirdi, Karla and Malshej ghat. The MTDC has resorts or hotels at close to 50 tourist spots in the state.

All MTDC rooms and cottages have been booked from December 25 to January 1 at places like Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and Ganpatipule. “At some beaches like Tarkarli, we have ‘housefull’ bookings till the first week of January,” Phadke said.

Speaking to TOI, Sona Bhatia of a Pune-based travel agency, said that people who want to holiday continue to do so, notwithstanding the recession.

“In fact, it is not just the state but tourists are heading for all the popular destinations in India like Kerala and Rajasthan. The only exception this season is Goa, where we’ve seen a drop. However, hotels there have slashed the rates and people are making the most of it,” she said.

Bhatia said there were just a…More

TOI : PUNE: A rare Indian Rock Python, found in the fields near Mulshi on Monday morning, was brought to the Sant Bahinabai Chaudhary garden and snake park at Akurdi in Pimpri-Chinchwad for treatment.

The python, an endangered species, which had swallowed a barking deer and was lying motionless, was first sighted early in the morning by some residents of Valne village, a few kilometres away from Mulshi.

While the villagers were first frightened at the sight, some of them contacted the members of the Friends of Nature Association in Talegaon-Dabhade. Six members of the association led by Kiran Mokashi and Nayana Abhale rushed to the site. While the villagers initially believed that the python had swallowed either a goat or a calf, it was later revealed that it had consumed a barking deer. It vomitted the deer, but in the process its horns caused an internal injury to the reptile, founder president of the Friends of Nature Association Mahesh Mahajan said.

The association informed the forest officials about the python and later with their permission took it to the Sant Bahinabai Chaudhary garden and snake park at Akurdi for treatment.

Director of the snake park Anil Khaire confirmed that the reptile found is an Indian Rock Python. “It suffered an internal injury for which treatment is being given,” Khaire told TOI. PCMC’s chief veterinary officer Dr Satish Gore is treatment the reptile. It will be kept under observation for the next four days. The python will be sent back to its natural habitat in the forest area near Mulshi, said Mahajan. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: The Centre for Civil Society (CCS), a non-profit research organisation, on Monday released a study on Livelihood regulations and entry-level barriers in the informal sector’. The study, which was conducted in 63 cities, including Pune, has suggested major recommendations for revamping the rules and regulations pertaining to informal sector.

It shows that, despite there being a national policy on urban street vendors, no state was implementing the same. Also, information sought under the RTI Act on its implementation was not furnished.

Speaking at the release of the study at the Patrakar Bhavan here, Parth Shah, president, CCS, said, “While we were conducting the research, we found that the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer, particularly in the informal sector. The rules drafted for the informal sector have become outdated and need to be reconstructed keeping in view the current scenario”.

The report aims at unveiling the laws applicable to entry-level professions for categories like street hawkers/vendors, transportation, shops and establishments, and draw public attention to the issues faced by them.

The study covered the cities which are part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission project of the Union government.

Ranjit Gadgil, programme director of Janwani, a non-governmental organisation, who was also present during the release, said, “A bulk of our economy rests on the shoulders of informal sector. This is the sector that helps in keeping the cost of goods low and we need to ensure that it works well.”

The CCS conducted the research jointly with the Kochi-based Centre for Public Policy Research. The project was funded by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai. In study was conducted in Nashik, Nanded, Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai in the state.

“Our aim is to make the government implement the laws which will help the people in this sector to lead a peaceful life. In many north Indian cities,…More

TOI : PUNE: The crime branch sleuths have busted a gang of sandalwood thieves allegedly involved in as many as 16 cases in the city. The police have also recovered 204 kgs of sandalwood worth Rs. 4 lakh from the gang.

The suspects were identified as Akbar Mulla (19), Yunus Sayyad (23), Prakash Chavan (45), all from Valva taluka in Sangli and Tofil Mujawar (27) of Satara. Mujawar used to purchase the stolen goods from the gang.

Acting on a tip-off, the crime branch team, led by inspector Sunil Pawar, laid a trap at Karad on Friday and nabbed the gang. During interrogation, Majawar’s name was revealed. Later, the police recovered the stolen goods from him.

“Since the last one year, the gang has been active in the city. They would usually travel from Sangli to Pune in the morning and spend the day identifying sandalwood trees in the city. At night, they would hack the tree and flee to Sangli,” inspector Pawar told TOI.

He added, “Mujawar used to purchase the stolen woods from the gang and later sell them to factories located near Maharashtra-Karnataka border.”

The suspects were produced before the court and was remanded to police custody till December 22. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: With Lok Sabha elections approaching, the Development Plan (DP) for the 23 villages merged in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits is likely to be put in cold storage. While the state urban development department is not ready to commit about finalising the plan, the Nagpur-based Maharashtra Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MRSAC), which is verifying changes in the Baner-Balewadi DP, is still sitting on the report.

Though the state officials do not admit it candidly, the fact is that politicians are behind the delay as they fear the controversy may mar their political ambitions in the next Lok Sabha elections, likely to be held in April or May, 2009.

State urban development department principal secretary T C Benjamin said the state will not delay the DP process, but cited “technical” snags in speeding up the process.

The state government had recently admitted that the hill top and hill slope areas in the DP for Baner and Balewadi submitted by the PMC were altered. The urban development department had then decided to look into the reasons had forwarded the maps for verification to the MRSAC which is a state government agency.

However when contacted, A K Sinha, director of MRSAC said, “We are finalising the report. But due to the state legislative assembly session in Nagpur the work is getting delayed. Very soon we will submit the report to the state government.”

“There is lack of political will to finalise the DP. Also, it is clear that vested interests are dominant in keeping the DP in abeyance. I am planning to approach the High Court in this regard. As per the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP) section 31, the state government has no rights to keep the DP pending for more than one year. It is almost three years since the state has not taken any decision on the fate of 23 villages,”…More

TOI : PUNE: The Hadapsar police have booked four people on suspicion for opening fire at Vijay Dattatreya Shikhare near Kamgar Maidan at Mundhwa on Sunday night. The incident, the police say, is a fallout of old enmity between relatives, the police said.

The suspects have been identified as Mukesh Gaikwad, Umesh Gaikwad, both from Mundhwa, Raju Jadhav from Wadagaonsheri and one unknown person. A complaint in this regard was filed by Dadasaheb Maruti Shikhare (59), the victim’s uncle.

Dadasaheb and Vijay owned a laundry in Mundhwa. On Sunday evening at around 10.30 pm, Vijay was chatting with his brothers Vinayak and Piyush in the laundry when Dadasaheb heard somebody abusing Vijay on the road. All of them went out to find Mukesh, Umesh and Raju with one unidentified person, Dadasaheb alleged. On seeing Vijay, Umesh asked the unidentified person accompanying him to fire at him from his pistol. The suspect fired three shots at Vijay of which one hit him in the stomach. Later all of them fled in a rickshaw. Vijay was rushed to a private hospital where his condition is said to out of danger.

Senior inspector V S Sonawane of Hadapsar police stations said, “The victim and the suspects were relatives. They lived in the same locality and were at loggerheads since long. They had had a fight some two-three months back. A case was registered against both the parties. Mukesh and Umesh were arrested and released on bail by the court.” Search is on for the suspects now. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Following the nine cylinder blasts in a godown at Parvatidarshan on Sunday, the fire brigade, Pune will undertake a drive to ascertain whether LPG distributors comply with safety norms at their godowns.

“After Sunday’s incident, we have decided to launch a special drive to inspect all LPG cylinder godowns in the city. Establishments found neglecting safety measures will face action,” acting chief fire officer, Pune fire brigade, L M Kondhare said.

He added that the fire brigade checks major establishments every fortnight to ensure implementation of safety guidelines.

Most LPG cylinder godowns are located in congested areas of the city. In several cases, the godowns are on open plots surrounded by residential buildings.

“Many LPG distributors also disregard safety norms at their shops, which are often situated in densely-populated areas,” Kondhare said.

The distributors, instead of storing the cylinders in godowns, often keep them outside the shops or even on the roads opposite. This is done to facilitate the loading of cylinders into vehicles for delivery.

“LPG distributors have to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire brigade to store gas cylinders in a godown. The distributors have to fulfil norms specified by the National Building Code. The NOCs are issued only after thorough inspections,” Kondhare explained.

Kondhare asserted that timely efforts by the firemen allowed them to control Sunday’s fire in just ten minutes. “Our men took out six cylinders from the godown. Otherwise, the scale of the mishap might have been much greater,” he added. Print Emai…More

TOI : It’s a painful irony that a building meant to commemorate a leader who vaulted Pune to the high point of the country’s intellectual and cultural leadership and enjoys a hallowed position in the history of India’s social and national rejuvenation, should today be reduced to a demure exhibition hall with clothes and furniture on offer.

Time was when this place was known as the hub of erudite discourses by the leading lights of society. All one gets to hear today is popular music blaring out full volume in utter disregard of complaints by neighbourhood residents.

The hall’s current use has apparently been necessitated by the financial demands of maintaining the ageing property. But the money raised thus seems to have done little for the health or aesthetics of the structure.

Gokhale Hall or Gokhale Smarak Mandir was built in the memory of Namdar Gopal Krishna Gokhale (1866-1915), an eminent leader whom Mahatma Gandhi considered his mentor, and who founded the Servants of India Society (SIS) to promote social and human development. The cost of construction, exceeding Rs 1,15,000, was met entirely through public subscription and the Hall was inaugurated on September 28, 1934.

The two-storey structure in dressed and semi-dressed local trapstone with carvings and ornamentation in cement-concrete and pitched Mangalore tile roofing follows the late-colonial architectural idiom. Both floors, measuring 75 feet by 50 feet, were designed to house an auditorium each with a large stage. The voluminous lower hall accommodates a gallery in its double height. The upper hall is supported on heavy girders.

The façade comprises a false pediment informing a now defunct clock and supporting a flag-post. The first-floor veranda parapet consists of moulded, urn-like balusters with a flat coping and punctuated by slender twin-columns with plain-volute Ionic capitals. The lower columns are plain and robust.

The highlight of the façade is the ribbed parabolic dome with a corpulent…More

TOI : What makes them a club is their singular passion to promote a plurality of ideas. The three-year-old sociology club at Fergusson College holds regular meetings to discuss and dissect pressing issues, books, cinema, and even work for a social cause. However, the club’s biggest USP has been its inclusiveness, and a willingness to accommodate assorted point of views.

“After all, an important aspect of a student’s life is developing one’s ability to think as an individual,” says founder of the club, Sunita Pandhe-Gupta, a teacher of Sociology at the college, who has thrown upon membership of the club to all Fergussonians across disciplines.

Activities of the socio club mainly revolve around watching and discussing films/ books/ topic of socio-political currency, to observing certain days with exhibitions, discussions and readings and to reach out to the less privileged.

So, be it a conversation on what Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski is trying to say or a review of Gandhi’s book, The Hind Swaraj’, the group is exposed to a range of creative and intellectual stimuli.

“What I love best about the club is the scope it allows. No one is surprised if your point of view change as the group discussion progresses,” says second year student Tanvi Shah. “And that’s why our sessions are more rewarding than a formal debate.”

Besides, unlike college festivals that happen only once in a year, the club is open through the year, thereby making it a habit for participants to read up and gather information on the subject before the discussion. “The club has broadened my horizon like never-before,” says Neeraj Kumar Yadav, another student.

“One subject which we have been following diligently is the nuclear deal,” says Joeeta Paul, a TY BA student. “Others range from issues of national currency like farmer suicides and corporate crimes to more personalised concerns like the safety of women.” Each discussion has…More

TOI : PUNE: Spanco Telesystems and Solutions Limited has started the process of developing a network of information and communication technology-powered common service centres (CSC) in the Pune and Konkan revenue divisions.

The company has been mandated to set up 3,689 such centres that will offer a host of government-to-citizen, business-to-consumer, and business-to-business services at nominal charges.

The company is among the four bidders that won the mandates for creating the network of CSCs across the state using the Maharashtra State Wide Area Network (MahaSWAN) as the backbone. Information technology department’s principal secretary Kshatrapati Shivaji told TOI that the MahaSWAN, which was set up to connect each district headquarters in the state with the headquarters in Mumbai, has already been connected. The CSCs will be the second initiative in implementation of e-governance in the state.

The other three companies which have received the mandate are 3i-Infotech (for Nashik division), CMS Computers Limited (Aurangabad and Amravati divisions) and Reliance Communications (Nagpur division), he said.

Spanco senior vice-president Ravi Bhatnagar said that the Pune and Konkan revenue divisions comprise 10 districts. And the company has been involved in creation of MahaSWAN in technical partnership with Indian Telephone Industries (ITI).

There will be a CSC for every four villages in these districts which will offer basic government services such as land records, domicile certificates, birth and death certificates and ration cards. The company will develop its own data centre that will be connected to the state government’s data centre, Bhatnagar explained.

The CSCs will be a one-stop shop for various government testimonials and also business-to-consumer services such as banking, insurance, travel reservations and utility payments, he added.

The company is investing about Rs 90 crore to create the network and data centre, Bhatnagar said, adding that all the 3,689 centres will be up and running in one year’s time. “Our initial communication has already received a good…More