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TOI : PUNE: The Department of chemistry at Nowrosjee Wadia College has been sanctioned a grant of Rs 20 lakh by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to help equip an instrumentation laboratory it plans to set up.

Earlier, a presentation on the lab was made by vice-principal S L Bonde and G C Kulkarni, head of the chemistry department, before a DST committee in September, 2008. The grant was sanctioned in January 2009.

Vice-principal Bonde said, “The 850-square feet instrumentation lab would require sophisticated equipment which are very expensive. The grant will help buy them.”

The instruments include a UV visible spectrophotometer (used for taking spectra of different chemical compounds), a Gamma ray spectrometer and a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (used for chemical analysis).

Principal Bhagwan Thakur said, “Our department is the biggest post-graduate chemistry department in the state with as many as 300 students. We also offer four varied PG specialisations: MSc in physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry and polymer science.”

G C Kulkarni, HoD chemistry department said, “It’s a significant moment because the college has received such a big research grant from the government for the first time. However, this lab will not be limited to our students and can be accessed by students from other colleges as well.”

Recently, the department inaugurated a special lab for PG students. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, on Saturday, emphasised the relevance of a well-expanded and matured food processing sector in the country to optimise its agricultural produce and to lift the farmers’ economic status.

Pawar said agricultural production and food processing must have efficient market linkages such as packaging, transport, storage and marketing. He was talking as a keynote speaker at a function to announce the formal launch of Western Agri Food Park Private Limited the first Mega Food Park in western India under the Union government’s food parks scheme.

The Rs 100 crore project is funded by the Centre and a consortium of private promoters on a 50:50 basis. Pune-based Chordia Foods Group has been mandated to be the principal promoter of the park.

Noting that the country’s agricultural production has grown manifolds as a result of higher procurement prices offered by the centre, Pawar said there is no room for complacency as we are processing only 10 per cent of the food we produce as against the world average of 60 per cent.

Pawar said the country’s granaries are overflowing and there is no space left to store the fresh produce waiting to be lifted from the farms. “If we have a well-established food processing sector this situation could be averted. Investors, who set-up processing units in the food park, should enter into contracts with farmers who will supply fruits or vegetables at a pre-determined rate. This will assure farmers of an income and the processors of a steady supply of raw material,” Pawar suggested.

Union minister of state for food processing Subodh Kant Sahay said schemes like mega food parks, will encourage farmers to engage in market-oriented farming and the government will attract greater investments in the processing sector by setting-up facilitating mechanisms, like single-window clearance. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: “Cities are not spaces for competition, but opportunities for co-operation. No issues are isolated, but in a world of increasing specialisation, this relationship between issues is severed. It is this very exclusivity I oppose,” said renowned architect- activist P K Das, also the joint convenor of the Housing Rights Organisation, Nivara Hakka Suraksha’.

Speaking on the topic “Democracy, architecture and social change,” at the Symbiosis Vishwa bhavan on Friday, the architect-activist from Mumbai was invited by the Forum for Exchange and Excellence in Design, a community of student and professional architects.

“Every profession, architecture included, should be connected to the social movements and struggles of the community be it political, social, or civic,” he said.

Expressing concern over the fact that as cities expand, public spaces decline, he cited Mumbai as a prime example of the phenomenon. “There is a strong need to reinstate the culture of public dialogue, which has been on the decline for quite sometime now. Then again, citizen movements, over the last few years, under the guise of public participation have consistently challenged the rights of the poorer sections to citizenships and equal rights,” he said.

With regards to Mumbai, he also expressed concern over the fact that over 75 per cent of its population belongs to the informal sector sans any job guarantee; the slumming of Mumbai in terms of worsening of quality of life, not to forget the unaffordability of housing for the poor.

On the formidable presence of the real estate sector, he said it had always impacted the city’s history and social movements. “But imposing buildings don’t tell the story of development. Nor does economic growth.”

Outlining the preamble of the Constitution which deems India a “socialist, secular, republic”, he said that in last few decades, the Indian government seemed to have given up planning. “The consequences of that, needless to say, have been…More

TOI : PUNE: The Southern Command Headquarters in Pune has rebutted the claim made by the Pune ATS that it was not co-operating with them on investigations into the fake arms licence case involving Lt Col Prasad Purohit.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Southern Command said, “At the outset, the army would like to clarify that the ATS is a government agency and the army would not like to comment on the statements made by them. However, the army would like to clarify issues pertaining to the case. The ATS Pune had sought an interaction with the officer to record his statements and the interaction was facilitated on February 24, 2009, as communicated by them.” The Southern Command statement further states, “It is reiterated that the Indian Army as an organisation is committed to providing all possible assistance to the investigating agencies to facilitate the investigation process. The army has since the beginning of the case provided all help to the ATS and shall continue to do so in the future too.”

A magistrate’s court on Friday had ordered the release of Purohit on bail because the ATS had failed to file a chargesheet within 90 days. Explaining the cause for the delay, the ATS, in its written reply to the bail application, blamed the SC for non co-operation in the matter. The ATS has said it had issued a notice to Southern Command headquarters, seeking information, but did not receive a reply. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Four candidates from the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have filed their nominations for the post of chairperson of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation standing committee on Thursday. The current chairperson Usha Waghire’s one-year tenure ends in March.

Jagdish Shetty, group leader of NCP corporators, told TOI that district guardian minister Ajit Pawar directed that four candidates should file their nominations for the post. “Pawar called up Azam Pansare, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the NCP, and gave the directive. Accordingly, Dnyaneshwar Bhalerao, Prashant Shitole, Surdas Gaikwad and me filed nominations.”

“Pawar will choose the chairperson and the three others will withdraw their nominations,” he added.

PCMC town secretary Subhash Kale said that “No other candidates have filed nominations for the post. District collector Chandrakant Dalvi will preside over the meeting as a representative of the divisional commissioner to elect the new chairperson on Monday at 11 am.

The standing committee has a strength of 16 members. Election to the eight vacant seats of the committee was held during the general body meeting on February 13. Jagdish Shetty, Jitendra Nanaware, Ramdas Kumbhar, Prashant Shitole, Surdas Gaikwad and Asha Suryavanshi belonging to NCP Manohar Pawar of Congress and Sulochana Badhe of BJP were elected unopposed. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Heavy vehicles and traffic going to the Agriculture Marketing Produce Committee (APMC) at Gultekdi Marketyard via Lullanagar chowk and Bhairobanala chowk will now be able to use the road for one more hour every day.

A press communication from the Poona District Motor Goods Transport Association says that vehicles and goods carriers can use the road till 9 am. Vehicles leaving the APMC are allowed to make use of the same route till 11 am.

Heavy traffic will not be able to travel from Bhairobanala chowk and Lullanagar chowk between 9 am and 11 pm, while the road will be closed to heavy traffic moving in the opposite direction between 11 am and 11 pm.

The decision was taken at joint meeting of the association, city traffic police branch and the Pune Cantonment Board.

The traffic police have stated that slots for heavy traffic on all other roads will remain unchanged. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Taking stock of issues pertaining to industries in Western Maharashtra, newly-appointed president of the industrial cell of NCP for the western region Santosh Kapatkar stressed on promoting small scale entrepreneurs by providing them opportunities.

Kapatkar expressed concern about the rising migration of youth to cities in search of jobs and said that encouraging small scale industries in villages will help check exodus.

“Instead of providing self-employment, it is important to promote small scale entrepreneurs who will, in turn, extend employment to others in the village,” said Kapatkar.

Many small-time workers like cobblers, carpenters and blacksmith do not know that government extend them loans at subsidised rates to start a small scale unit of their own. “Our aim is to create awareness about theses schemes,” said Kapatkar.

Vasantrao Wani, regional vice-president of the NCP said, “The party formed the industrial cell to touch upon various issues pertaining to industries be it small, medium or big. The cell, in near future, will unite all small scale entrepreneurs and bring them on one platform.” Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar on Saturday expressed faith in India’s potential to win many more Nobel prizes, but said that bureaucracy shouldn’t interfere in research and development activities.

Kakodkar was speaking at a function to release a book titled, Alfred Nobel Aani Nobel Paritoshik Vijete,’ (Alfred Nobel and Nobel prize winners), a Marathi book written by Ashok Narayan Thakur.

Kakodkar said that a multi-disciplinary approach was required for unique and original scientific research in the country. “Research laboratories should be without bureaucracy so that scientists can exercise utmost creative freedom and make original and highly unique inventions,” he said.

“Fundamental scientific inventions are related to a nation’s development. A progressive society will always give due space and importance to such research. It’s routine for research papers with expert opinions and reactions to get published. But this need not necessarily bring about a paradigm shift in people’s knowledge and awareness of science,” said Kakodkar.

Therefore, originality is the key here, he added. “Most of the research in applied sciences did not begin in India. Therefore, copying inventions or research projects from other countries won’t help our country,” he added.

Most importantly, Indian researchers and scientists should collaborate with each other to further lend originality and credibility to their works, he said.

The problem, Kakodkar feels, lie in our educational system especially at the college-level. “We have strictly demarcated subjects and specialisation. This very attitude towards science needs to change. Only then progress in our country will be possible.”

Developing students at a young age will help counter this problem, he felt. “Why compel them to enter the rat race when it comes to choosing careers and jobs? A suitable environment should be created in schools and colleges whereby students can make responsible choices for themselves,” said Kakodkar.

Also present were computer scientist Vijay Bhatkar and D N…More

TOI : PUNE: It was the Sarojini Market bombings in Delhi in 2005 that awoke in Major Mukul Deva, a retired infantry officer, a strong urge to write about terror and insurgency. Being a combat veteran himself, Deva chose the new genre of the military thrillers to vent his anger.

Deva’s first military thriller, Lashkar, published in 2008 by Harper Collins India, was a runaway hit and his second novel Salim Must Die’, of a four-part series, was released recently.

Deva, who will read from Salim Must Die’ at the Crossword ICC towers book store in the city on February 28 at 6.30 pm, says, “I felt deep anger and frustration at the Government’s lack of effective response to the Sarojini Market bombings. I decided to write about this response in a fictional form and that is how Lashkar’ was born.”

About his latest novel, Deva says, “I have been researching world-wide terrorism trends for the last four years and realised that there are multiple aspects to terrorism. It is important to understand the mind of a terrorist and what makes him kill innocent people. I have also written about futuristic weapons of mass destruction like nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.”

The latest Mumbai terror attacks, too, left Deva disturbed, he points out, “In my first book Lashkar’, which I wrote two-and-a-half-years back, I had mentioned a combat unit using the sea route to reach the enemy. While in my second novel, which I completed one-and-half-years-ago, I mentioned the formation of a national intelligence agency (NIA). I sincerely feel, our Government must take quick, strategic action against Pakistan.”

Deva is of the opinion that India should leverage its growing international clout to apply severe economic and diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. “Pakistan is a failed nation today. Their rate of inflation and unemployment have touched 20 per cent. This is the time to cripple their will and…More

TOI : PUNE: It has been only six months since the Railway ministry levied haulage (operational) charges on Deccan Odyssey, and the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is already facing losses of almost Rs 2 crore for the 2008-2009 fiscal.

After being slapped with haulage charges of Rs 30 lakh per trip in September 2008, the luxury train suffered the second set-back on November 26, when Mumbai was attacked by terrorists. These two factors have together made this once-profit making venture turn to the railway ministry for concessions, but to no avail.

The Deccan Odyssey, with a capacity to ferry 80 passengers, was introduced in 2004 to attract tourists, mainly international, to the western ghats — a listed ecological hot spot — covering stations like Mumbai, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Goa, Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora caves.

“After the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, we saw a significant fall in the number of tourists and paying this amount (the haulage charge) was not very easy. Though the train is now running at almost 80 per cent of its capacity, translating to 60-65 passengers, paying the charges is still a difficult task,” said MTDC general manager Vijay Chavan. He said that a concession is needed to bring back the train’s profitability in such lean times.

Interestingly, the MTDC earned a profit of almost Rs 40 lakh in 2007-2008 before the haulage charges were implemented. Before this, according to the agreement between the Railway ministry and the MTDC, the train’s earnings were divided on 50:50 basis.

“We do not expect them to cancel the haulage charges and revert to the old method of sharing the earnings. But there is a provision for concessions in the policy and that is what we are asking for,” said Chavan. Since September 2008, the Deccan Odyssey has made 18 trips and the MTDC has paid Rs 5.4 crore as haulage charges.

Chavan said that…More