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TOI : PUNE: Some wisdom finally seems to have prevailed as the civic administration plans to table a more realistic and achievable budget for the ensuing year. Besides, setting up of the long-pending Special Purpose Vehicle, completing water and sewage treatment plants and increasing the green cover of the city top the agenda as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) gears up for the challenges ahead. Another likely feature will be drastic downsizing of the annual budget.

“We are heading for a more focused budget for 2009 so we could enlist and strictly implement the development works proposed. Annual budget for 2009-10 will not incorporate projects which the civic body cannot complete within a year,” PMC commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi told TOI.

“There is a need for strict financial discipline. Presenting big budgets and making mammoth provisions doesn’t work. We want a focus so that civic machinery could concentrate on important projects. As of now the machinery and the manpower is divided on many projects. To avoid this we will keep a fixed target and put in all efforts to achieve it,” said Pardeshi.

And, with the Pune Municipal Corporation’s general body approving budgetary cuts up to 10 per cent for the current financial year (2008-09), the civic administration has laid the foundation for a “reality” budget in 2009-10.

With no “dream projects” and appeasing plans, the civic administration now wants to present budgets based on “facts and figures”. For the last five years, the civic budget has been “bloating” as is evident from the current financial provision of Rs 2,221 crore. However, 2009-10 will see the budget get downsized considerably.

“Because of the slim budget, no infrastructure projects will be hampered. Instead, 2009 will see completion of major works mentioned in the current budget. We will not start any new work in 2009 unless there is sufficient financial provision for the same,” said Pardeshi adding that most…More

TOI : PUNE: A rashly driven luxury car hit two motorcycles, injuring a police constable near the Garware college on Karve road late on Thursday night.

Senior police inspector Jaywant Deshmukh of the Deccan Gymkhana police station said that the car driver, Nitin Pamnani, was under the influence of liquor as he hit two motorcycles one after the other around 10 pm.

Sub-inspector U K Yadav said that the car was proceeding from Prabhat road to S M Joshi bridge. Pamnani, a resident of Prabhat road, was taken into custody for driving under the influence of liquor. Yadav said that the constable, Macchindra Dhapte of police headquarters, has been admitted to the Sahayadri hospital on Karve road with minor head injuries. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: The city passport office is on track to issue a record 1.2 lakh passports by the end of 2008.

“We had set a target of issuing 1.2 lakh passports this year, which will be a first for this office. So far, 1.18 lakh passports have been issued, and we expect to make up the remaining 2,000 in the next few days,” said P D Sharma, passport officer.

The passport office organised a passport adalat on Wednesday in keeping with a central government directive to passport offices across the country. People thronged the office to get their queries cleared, and Sharma said that over 100 cases were disposed of.

“The reasons for delays in issuing passports are usually very trivial. Inadequate proof of residence or date of birth, improper photograph and non-clearance from the police are some of the common reasons for delay,” he added.

Sharma said that most delays are due to problems in the proof of residence. People list the address for which they have proof, and not the one where they actually stay. As a result, when the police visit the listed address, they do not find the person there. Also, letters sent by the passport office reach the listed address, but there is no communication with the applicant because he/she does not live there, Sharma said.

In addition, the passport office created another record in November by issuing 16,500 passports a first for the office. The office issues 9,000 passports per month on an average. Almost 30 percent of these are delayed due to some queries.

Sharma said that the average time taken to issue a fresh passport from the time of application is about 45-50 days for the Pune jurisdiction. “However, passports that come to us for renewal, or passports of minors, government servants, re-issuing of lost passports, among others, are dealt with within 15 days,” Sharma said….More

TOI : PUNE: The Sir Parshurambhau (SP) College has formed a 34-member college campus security committee to tighten security measures in its premises. The move comes after two separate incidents of attacks on students on the college campus last week.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Madhav Pendse, officiating principal of the college, said, “The committee will keep a close watch on the campus in the day as well as night time. Groups will be formed within the committee and some responsibility with respect to college security will be handed over to each.”

The committee comprises nine office-bearers, hostel rectors, faculty members, non-teaching staff, four hostel students’ representatives, including two girls and two boys and college students’ representatives. The committee will meet every ten days and review the security and make improvements if required. The members will also inspect the campus in the night.

Three students of the college were attacked in two separate incidents within a span of three days last week, leading to questions over security measures within the college. Commenting on the issue, Pendse said, “Every college in the city is facing these problems. The incidents that happened in S P college could have occurred in any other college and the same questions would have been raised. The incident was a bad patch in the history of our college, but we have tightened security now. We will take strict measures henceforth and introduce more stringent rules for students.”

Students of the college will now be allowed inside the campus only if they are carrying their identity cards and are wearing them in a clearly visible manner. The same rule will also apply to non-teaching staff, faculty members and other college authorities. Outsiders will be allowed inside the college only after their identity has been ascertained.

G K Shirude, secretary, Shikshan Prasark Mandali, which runs the college, said, “There has always been adequate security…More

TOI : PUNE: Thousands attended the midnight mass on Christmas eve and the Christmas Day morning mass at various churches across the city, with St Patrick’s Cathedral in Camp witnessing a large congregation.

In every prayer service, the parish priests remembered the victims of the 26/11 terror attack. Churches across the city also opted for sparse or no lighting and decorations this year in homage to the deceased.

The Assembly of God Emmanuel Church’s morning prayer service, conducted in both English and Marathi, saw around 800 people in attendance. Praying for peace everywhere, the parish priests also asked the people to live in harmony. “God intends for all of us to live together without any barriers among us,” the priest said. Also, as pastor Nanadar of the church had told TOI earlier, there were minimum decorations this year.

The Besettys, who attended the prayer service at the Emmanuel church, had planned an intimate dinner with family and friends after calling on relatives in the city. “I prayed for peace in the country and, of course, happiness for my family and friends and lastly for me. As for the celebrations this year, they are definitely subdued keeping in mind what happened in Mumbai recently,” Amit Besetty said.

Maria D’Mello, who attended the morning mass at St Xavier’s Church in Shivaji Market with her family, also spoke of the fewer decorative lights this time in remembrance of the terror victims in Mumbai. “The parish priest in his sermon prayed for the souls of all those who lost their lives in Mumbai,” she said. The D’Mellos, like every year, will have friends joining them for the Christmas lunch. “All of them are non-Catholics though. As Catholic homes always have their doors open on Christmas, we cannot lock up and go somewhere,” she added.

The busy scenes on M G road in Camp, with hawkers selling Santa Claus caps and…More

TOI : PUNE: The Maharshtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) authorities assured residents of Mohannagar ward in Chinchwad that it will solve their problems, after residents gheraoed the MSEDCL office in Bhosari for two hours on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, the transformer caught fire, because of which there was no power supply. Residents have complained that the transformer in the area was faulty and that there were frequent disruptions in the power supply. They added that several feeder boxes did not have doors.

Speaking to TOI on Thursday, Ratan Sonule, executive engineer, Bhosari division, MSEDCL, said, “It was late at night when we learnt of the transformer getting burnt. We have sent another transformer to replace the damaged one. We will soon give orders to replace damaged feeder boxes. Consumers’ complaints regarding electricity bills are minor in nature and will be solved.”

Earlier, the residents of Mohannagar, led by independent corporator Maruti Bhapkar, gheraoed officials at Bhosari office of MSEDCL and handed over a memorandum of demands to Sonule. In the letter Bhapkar has written that the transformer near E.S.I. Hospital breaks down quite frequently, thereby disrupting the power supply. Bhapkar said he has repeatedly complained to the MSEDCL officials about these problems, but only minor repairs have been carried out.

“The transformer caught fire at around 8.30 pm and the officials were informed immediately. My supporters moved the vegetable handcarts kept there and asked people to move away from there. There was an explosion in the transformer at 9 pm,” Bhapkar said.

Speaking about consumers’ other demands Bhapkar said, “A 500 KVA transformer should replace the existing 315 KVA transformer. All transformers in Mohannagar, Ramnagar, Mahatma Phulenagar and nearby areas should be checked at regular intervals. Measures should be taken to avoid the occurrence of such transformer mishaps.”

“Many feeder boxes do not have doors. Some of them are at the road-level and…More

TOI : PUNE: There are more to the changes in lifestyle than just pretty clothes. A bright smile, for instance, can be a style statement too, provided you have a great set of teeth. If not, all you need to know is the address of a good dentist.

It’s a fact. Changes in our lifestyle are reflecting on our oral hygiene with people from all age groups heading to the dentist. They aren’t just getting a root canal done or a broken tooth capped, but also opting for fancier dental treatments, better known as cosmetic dentistry for that picture perfect smile.

Vijay Deshmukh, who specialises in dental implants, makes an interesting observation. “These days, patients demand dental implants because they know the advantages of such a treatment.”

Priced anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000, a dental implant can be performed within a span of 20 to 60 minutes. The patient’s psyche, when it comes to paying for such a treatment, too has changed. They don’t mind those dental treatments anymore,” says Deshmukh, who attends to some 20 patients per month, as against to not more than eight a few years ago.

At the same time, dental tourism is on the rise, he says. “This involves non-resident Indian (NRIs) and foreigners coming to India for dental treatments done as these treatments are six to ten times costlier in their respective countries,” says Deshmukh, who have patients from countries such as Sweden, Spain and the US.

Dentists say it is a costly affair as the treatment costs are calculated as per the infrastructure in the dental clinic, the inputs for each patient and the other costs. “But the awareness about dental treatments has definitely increased among people,” says orthodontist Ravindra Sable.

Cosmetic dentistry includes everything from having that perfect smile, covering stains on the teeth and covering gaps between teeth to use of veneers on teeth,…More

TOI : PUNE: The work on the first rotary flyover at Chapekar chowk in Chinchwadgaon has been stalled for the past few months owing to land acquisition problems, causing traffic congestion on the busy road linking Chinchwad railway overbridge to Thergaon.

Officials from the engineering department said the work on the flyover was stalled due to the delay in acquiring land of a burial ground near Chapekar chowk. It will take another one-and-half-years to complete the flyover. The construction work had begun in January this year but there has been no major progress.

Avinash Patil, deputy director, town planning department, PCMC, said, “Negotiations are in progress to acquire the land located close to the Chapekar chowk. The engineering department has asked us to acquire some small pieces of land along the road. This is a minor work and will be completed soon.”

The area is one of the busiest chowks in Pimpri-Chinchwad township. Seven roads meet at the chowk, including roads from Pimpri-Chinchwad link road, Chinchwad station, SKF company, Thergaon and two roads from Chinchwadgaon. There are vegetable market, municipal school, PCMC Zone B office, post office, commercial offices and residential buildings located around the chowk. As a result, the chowk witnesses heavy vehicular and pedestrian movement throughout the day. The chowk got its name from the statue of Chapekar placed here.

Savita Mane, a housewife from Thergaon said the flyover is needed at Chapekar chowk as it was very difficult for children and senior citizens to cross the chowk due to heavy movement of vehicles. The work on the flyover should gather momentum and should be completed at the earliest.

Dipti Shinde, a resident from Pimpri said it was very difficult for vehicles to cross the chowk as seven roads meet here. Minor accidents occur at the chowk when motorists try to move ahead at high speed.

Zone B engineering department officials said the…More

TOI : PUNE: Residents of the Chakrapani vasahat ward in Bhosari have complained that they have been getting contaminated water containing worms for the past few days. The civic authorities while admitting the problem said the old water pipeline has already been replaced and the residents have been asked to get new water connections.

The residents gheraoed local corporator Sulochana Badhe on Wednesday to appraise her of the situation and demanded that clean drinking water is provided to them.

While Sulochana Badhe could not be contacted, Baban Badhe, vice-president, Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the BJP, said people residing in Phuge chawl, Landge chawl, Pacharne chawl, Karale chawl and areas near the old post office are receiving drinking water containing worms.

Badhe said, “Officials from the water supply department have asked the local people to get new water connections from the newly laid pipeline, for which the citizens will have to pay Rs 295 as fees to the PCMC. The total cost of getting a new connection is around Rs 1,000, which is beyond the means of many of the residents here. Even people who have old connections will have to pay for the new connections. The civic body should not charge Rs 295 as the people have old connections.”

Badhe added that PCMC should not disconnect water supply on the old pipeline and allow people to change their water connection from old to new pipeline as per their convenience. “I will try to convince people to get connections for the new pipeline at the earliest to avoid the contaminated water supply,” he said.

Vishwas Gaikwad, additional city engineer, PCMC, said, “It’s a local problem. The PCMC has laid new water pipeline in the area. The people are reluctant to shift their water connections from old pipeline to the new one.”

A water department official of the ward area said, “The area receives water supply from pipelines…More

TOI : PUNE: Mumbai-based medical representative, Piyush Pandya (32), who was arrested by the cyber crime cell of Pune on charges of cheating an Australian couple living in Pune of Rs 2.7 lakh through an online fraud, was released on bail on Thursday.

Judicial magistrate first class A M Samant released Pandya on a personal bond of Rs 15,000 with one surety of the like amount. The court has directed his client to report at the cyber crime cell of crime branch, Pune on every Saturday between 10 am to 1 pm.

Pandya was sent to magisterial custody after the police did not press for extending his police custody remand.

Advocate Sandeep Ghatge filed a bail application which was resisted by assistant public prosecutor S S Gujar on the grounds that he was involved in a serious offence. Gujar pleaded to reject the application for tracing the remaining suspects.

However, Ghatge submitted that there was no prima facie evidence against his client because “he has been made a scapegoat in the case”.

Australian national Rosemary Vernem (52) of Bramha Avenue on Kondhwa road had registered a case against an unknown person who had hacked her password for transferring Rs 2.7 lakh in Pandya’s account which was later transferred into the account of some another person residing at Ankleshwar in Gujarat.

The magistrate upheld the defence lawyer’s plea and released Pandya on bail. Print Emai…More