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TOI : PUNE: In a major setback for the Pune police, the Bombay high court (HC) on Friday granted ad interim anticipatory bail till June 30 to suspended city Congress vice-president and PMC corporator Deepak Mankar and builder Sudhir Karnataki in an alleged land-grabbing case.

Mankar and Karnataki moved the HC on Thursday after the district and sessions court rejected their bail pleas.
The bail applications came up for hearing before Justice Dilip Bhosale. Inspector Kishore Jadhav of the anti-extortion cell of the crime branch, Pune, who appeared before the court, sought time to oppose the bail pleas and file affidavits. However, defence lawyer Ashok Mundergi sought interim bail for his clients until the police file written statements. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Contrary to the perception that instances of HIV/AIDS are on the rise, scientist Raman Gangakhedkar from the National Aids Research Institute (NARI) said on Friday that there is no evidence to suggest that there are new HIV positive cases in the city in the last few years. “In fact, amongst commercial sex workers, the instances are down by almost 50 per cent,” he said.

He was one of the panelists at a talk show on the topic Do drugs control your life?’. The event was organised by Wake up Pune, a coalition of various NGOs and civil societies working towards spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS, at Nowrosjee Wadia College on the occasion of International Anti-Narcotics Day.

However, he cautioned that even though this was positive news and an indicator of the success of various awareness programmes, there was no room for complacency.

The other panelists were Mukta Puntambekar, deputy director at the Muktangan deaddiction centre; Rohini Virathan, addictionologist at the Seventh Adventist Hospital; Elizabeth Selhore, director of the Sahara deaddiction centre; Dwijen Smart, a representative of Narcotics Anonymous and director of the health portal aarogya.com; and Prafulla Mohite, counsellor from Muktangan Mitra.

Exploring the nexus between HIV/AIDS, intravenous (IV) drug users and tuberculosis, Elizabeth Selhore said: “The sharing of infected needles is a major cause for the spread of AIDS. And tuberculosis is one of the opportunistic diseases that afflicts HIV positive people. I would like to warn young people against the abuse of drugs, but if one can’t give it up, at least ensure that you use clean, new syringes.”

She added, “It is important that treatment of drug abuse be case specific. Also, the addict needs to be involved in their own treatment and rehabilitation.”

Stressing the importance of socio-vocational rehabilitation, Dwijen said, “The treatment will not work unless we take into account the various needs of the addict. What is…More

TOI : PUNE: Fans of Michael Jackson in the city recalled him as a pop culture icon on Friday, mourning the loss of a star who not only left behind a vast musical legacy but also influenced lifestyles through his unique style. A pop star who amazed with his music and dance, a man who shocked with his antics and a performer perhaps unparalleled, MJ as he was popularly known leaves behind memories that few say they will ever forget.

“I saw MJ’s Black or White’ when I was in class eight and was floored by his multi-faceted personality. He sang and danced equally well, a true performer,” says Nikhil Gangavane, who founded the Official Indian Michael Jackson Club in 1998 that was finally authenticated by the singer’s management in 2004. Gangavane decided then and there that he would be Michael Jackson when he grew up. “It was obviously not a welcome idea for my parents and so I went on to do my engineering. But I returned to music once I graduated since that was where my future lay,” he adds.

The fan club that has around 13,000 fans from all over the country also composed an MJ Anthem’ in support of the singer when he was embroiled in a child molestation case. “I composed the song in 2003 that was well received by people from all over the world and the song completed one million downloads some time back,” he smiles.

Unfortunately, Gangavane never met the pop star in person, though he could have come close, having booked his tickets for the August 20 show in London where Jackson was scheduled to perform. Influenced by his hero’s charitable ways, Gangavane has also held six shows of a programme titled Heal The World’ where he and the members of the club raised money for charity.

For stock broker Kavita Kuwad, the show in 1996 where Michael…More

TOI : PUNE: The monsoon has reached Mumbai on Friday, 16 days later than the normal time, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. According to the IMD, the normal time for the arrival of monsoon in Mumbai is June 10.

“The south-west monsoon has advanced into most parts of Maharashtra (including Mumbai), southern parts of Gujarat, remaining parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, southern parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and some more parts of Orissa,” an IMD release said here on Friday.

The northern limit of the monsoon now passes through (north Arabian Sea, Bhuj, Baroda, Khandwa, Nagpur, Jagdalpur, Paradip, Balasore, Bankura and Gangtok, the release added.

“A depression has developed over the east-central and adjoining north Arabian Sea,” the release said, adding, “It caused heavy rainfall over Saurashtra and Kutch and moderate rainfall over Gujarat, south Rajasthan and parts of Maharashtra.”

Meanwhile, Pune, which has been witnessing subdued rainfall activity for the last couple of days, continued to record minimal rainfall. Barring a couple of drizzles, the city did not witness any rainfall.

As per the IMD forecast, Maharashtra is likely to witness showers in the next 48 hours. Rainfall is likely to occur at many places over east and central India also. It will lead to advance of the monsoon over the remaining parts of east and central India and may also into some parts of north-west India.

According to the release, the country as a whole has not witnessed even 50% of the rainfall since the start of the season. The rainfall deficiency since the start of the season is around 54%. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s free travel scheme for school students in PMPML buses will start in August 2009. Additional municipal commissioner M.S. Devnikar told reporters on Friday that the students from PMC limits will be given passes for free travel between 6 am and 7.30 pm.

“Students will have to fill up an application form to get the pass. These forms will be available in civic ward offices free of cost from June 29. Along with the form, students should also submit two photographs, a school certificate stating that student is studying in the school, and proof of home address. Forms will be accepted in ward offices till July 10 and the passes will be issued on July 27,” Devnikar said.

The PMC and the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd will work out the details of the scheme and the PMPML will present the report to the PMC on July 22, Devnikar added.

The free travel plan for school children had hit a roadblock last week when the PMPML officials said that the budgetary provision of Rs 9 crore made by the PMC was inadequate and that the transport undertaking would require Rs 48.5 crore to get the scheme rolling.

“If more funds are needed to implement the scheme, we will approach the PMC standing committee,” Devnikar said. The city has 864 government sanctioned schools, of which 285 are PMC schools. “All students in these schools can avail of free travel. Free travel will be limited to a round trip from home to school,” said Devnikar. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: The social security cell (SSC) of the crime branch rescued seven minor girls from a brothel in Budhwar Peth on Thursday night and arrested two people who were suspected to be involved in trafficking of these girls. The brothel owner has also been arrested.

The suspects have been identified as Mohammed Nijam Nisaruddin Fakir (30) of West Bengal and Ashadul Mohammed Niyaz Shaikh (24) of Bangladesh.

Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Sangramsinh Nishandar said: “Sub-inspector Vimal Bidwe received a tip that two people were planning to sell some minor girls to a brothel owner in Budhwar Peth on Thursday night. Accordingly, inspector Rajendra Bhamre, Bidwe and their team raided Taj Mahal building and nabbed Fakir and Shaikh along with Shahanaz Shaikh (30), the owner of the brothel.”

Nishandar added: “When the police raided the brothel, Shahanaz was making a deal with Fakir and Shaikh. A minor girl was also present. During interrogation, Shahanaz revealed that Fakir and Shaikh had come to the brothel to sell the girls and that she had agreed to pay Rs 5,000 per girl.”

Bhamre said, “When we searched the brothel, we found six more girls. They had been forced to hide in a small bathroom. All the girls hail from West Bengal and were in the age group of 14-17 years. The suspects had brought these girls to Pune on the pretext of providing them job.”

Nishandar added that the police have recovered a Bangladeshi passport from Shaikh. He had come to India on a tourist visa. The trio have been booked under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: A multi-member senate panel of the University of Pune (UoP) will re-examine the issue of earned leave (EL) encashment for teachers at the university and affiliated colleges. The issue concerns over 5,000 teachers at the varsity’s on-campus departments and affiliated colleges.

On Friday, a special meeting of the university senate authorised officiating vice-chancellor (V-C) Arun Adsool to constitute the panel to examine whether the UoP statute no. 424 (C), which provided for encashment of EL accumulated up to six months by the university and college teachers, can be restored.

Former V-C Narendra Jadhav had issued an order on February 23 under section 14 (8) of the Maharashtra Universities Act, scrapping the statute no. 424 (C) in the wake of a state government directive seeking such action.

The university’s management council had earlier passed a resolution on August 22 and on October 1, last year, favouring removal of the statute. Based on the February 23 order, a proposal to scrap 424 (C) was placed for approval before the UoP senate in March.

However, Jadhav’s order set off an intense agitation by members of the Pune University Teachers’ Association (Puta) and Pune University and College Teachers Organisation (Pucto) on the grounds that the proposal was “legally flawed”.

They argued, the V-C had no powers to exercise section 14 (8) provisions with regards to changing the status of already existing statutes. “Effecting such change was the sole prerogative of the senate and section 14 (8) relates to only those matters where no statute exists,” said Puta president Atul Bagul.

The senate meet in March was marred by vociferous demonstration by Puta and Pucto members and Jadhav was virtually forced to announce a temporary withdrawal of the February 23 order, subject to debate by a special senate meeting. On April 24, Jadhav passed another order under section 14 (8) repealing the February 23 order. “Even this…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad New Township Development Authority (PCNTDA) is planning to develop two traffic parks for creating public awareness regarding traffic rules, and where people can learn to drive vehicles.

According to Suhas Divse, chief executive officer of the PCNTDA, one of the traffic parks will be a major attraction for children. The park will display traffic rules and the traffic network of the city. The second park will have a vehicle track and facilities for people to learn driving four-wheelers in a safe environment.

Divse was speaking at the function to inaugurate the computerised system for issuing learner’s licences at the deputy regional transport office in Chikhli in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Friday.

Inaugurating the computerised system, divisional commissioner Dilip Band appealed to autorickshaw drivers to start using CNG for their vehicles. “CNG is a cheap fuel and is pollution free. More and more vehicles should shift to using CNG. One CNG kit for rickshaw is priced at Rs 25,000. We have held discussions with the manufacturer of the kits and they have agreed to reduce the price by Rs 5,000,” he said. Band also asked the authorities of the Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) supplying CNG to give some subsidy to autorickshaws.

Band, also the chairman of the Regional Transport Authority, said that the RTO offices in Yerawada and Pune are kept open even on Sundays for the past two weeks for the benefit of the students who apply for driving licences. “The RTO in Pimpri-Chinchwad will also be open on Sundays if there is such a need,” he added.

Sarjerao Shelke, deputy regional transport officer, Pimpri-Chinchwad said that Pimpri-Chinchwad is the ninth RTO in the state to introduce the computerised system for issuing learner’s licences. Harishchandra Gadsingh, assistant regional transport officer, Pimpri-Chinchwad, spoke about the facilities provided at the RTO. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: In a bid to step up the process to prepare accurate voter list as well as inclusion of photos in the list, the district administration has announced that the booth level officers (BLO) will be asked to work on Saturdays and Sundays at polling centres where they can be approached by citizens for new registration or corrections.

Eligible voters, who have been residing in the city for more than six months but do not hold any address proof can also include their names in voter list by submitting an affidavit, district collector Chandrakant Dalvi said here on Friday. “The Pune Lok Sabha constituency has more than 18 lakh registered voters. Out of the total, as many as 60 per cent have not submitted their photos. We are initiating a special drive to speed up the process for inclusion of photos. Citizens are appealed to submit the photos and also carry out the corrections regarding name, address and age, if there are any.”

It has been observed that a number of citizens cannot find time to visit the registration offices during weekdays. “Therefore, we are planning to establish booths at the polling centres which will be open on Saturdays and Sundays for a stipulated period. Voters can approach the booth to submission photos and carry out corrections. The drive will begin in July.

Dalvi said that a meeting was held on Thursday by the state election commission where various corrective measures were discussed for increasing the percentage of photo submission in the prominent cities in the state. Similar drives will be taken up in Mumbai and Thane as well. Dalvi said social organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has already approached to assist the administration during the photo collection drive, which will continue till July 22. Print Emai…More

TOI : PUNE: Corporators cutting across party lines came down heavily on the civic administration for allegedly neglecting the city’s water woes.

Shiv Sena corporator Sachin Bhagat’s protest on Wednesday was discussed by the General Body (GB) on Thursday. Bhagat took off his shirt during the Wednesday’s GB meeting to highlight the water scarcity in Chandannagar and Kharadi.

“What happened on Wednesday was deplorable. But the civic administration should think about why a corporator took such an extreme step,” said Congress corporator Arun Dhimdhime.

“The civic administration has failed to address the water problems plaguing many parts of the city. Corporators have to face the wrath of people in their respective wards. The standing committee has made provisions for the completion of water projects, but the works linger for years,” claimed standing committee chairman Nilesh Nikam.

NCP leader Anil Bhosale said, “After Wednesday’s incident, we all thought that the civic administration will give a serious thought about why this happened and call a meeting of the leaders to discuss the issue. But the civic administration remains unmoved. If this apathy continues, elected representatives will continue to express their anger in different ways.”

Shiv Sena leader Mahadev Babar said that his party does not support the behaviour of Bhagat. “But I request Mayor Rajlakshmi Bhosale and other members to forgive Bhagat as he had no intention to hurt anyone. He only wanted to draw the civic administration’s attention towards the problem,” said Babar. All women corporators denounced the incident and demanded the suspension of Bhagat. However, the mayor decided not to suspend him. Print Emai…More