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TOI : AURANGABAD: Students failing in two subjects in the SSC or HSC exams will get a chance to save an academic year and can seek admission to the next class. State education minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Friday announced that such students will be given the ATKT facility.

The decision will come into effect from the current academic year and those who have failed in the February-March 2009 exams can also avail of the facility.

Addressing a news conference here on the collectorate premises, Vikhe Patil said the government has taken this decision following the Maharashtra state board of secondary and higher secondary education’s proposal in view the interests of students.

He said that about three lakh students failed in the February-March 2009 SSC examination, out of which 2.25 lakh failed in two subjects, while 1.40 lakh students failed in two subjects in the HSC exam conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.

“Those who have failed in two subjects could avail of the ATKT (allowed to keep term) facility. They will have to clear their papers in March and October examinations. The decision will come into effect next week. We will ask such candidates to apply for admissions in the next classes,” the minister said.

Asked which stream would these SSC students be given admissions to, Vikhe Patil said, “It will depend on the marks and availability of seats in different streams in the educational institutions. Education officers will be asked to prepare a taluka- and district-wise list of institutions and the seats available with them. All such candidates can be accommodated in different institutions.”

“We are considering whether these SSC students can be given admissions in the industrial training institutes (ITIs). Similarly, we are also considering whether HSC candidates can be provided an opportunity to take admissions in courses like D.Ed or D.Phar,” Vikhe Patil said.

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TOI : PUNE: Southern Command headquarters has rejected the proposal to increase FSI in Pune cantonment, saying it is not in the interest of the overall development of the area and would, in fact, be detrimental to its character and environment.

An increase in floor space index (FSI) will lead to congestion and the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) does not have the required infrastructure in place, said the Southern Command.

The decision has been welcomed by environmentalists, but has disappointed some residents who had been hoping an increased FSI would enable them to undertake repairs and reconstruct their houses, many of which are in a dilapidated condition.

The PCB had proposed on July 6 that the FSI be increased from one to two in civil areas and from 0.5 to one in bungalow areas.

The proposal was rejected after final recommendations were made by the principal director defence estates, Southern Command.

The decision was conveyed to the PCB in a letter written by Major General Y C Tharakan (major general administration).

Tharakan’s letter reads: “The GOC-in-C after due deliberation and considering the implications of relaxation of FSI in the Pune Cantonment or part thereof, has arrived at the conclusion that relaxation in FSI restriction is not in the interest of overall development and will be detrimental to the character and environment of the Pune Cantonment.” The letter goes on to say that the GOC-in-C has “rejected the proposal as mentioned in the public notice dated December 11, 2008 to increase FSI in PCB with the direction that status quo be maintained hithertofore.”

The Southern Command headquarters, Pune decided against increasing the floor space index (FSI) in the Pune Cantonment in spite of 1,230 citizens favouring the move. In comparison, only 182 people had opposed the FSI hike, PCB officials said.

The SC had received 1,412 suggestions and objections from the general public in…More

TOI : PUNE: A section of corporators have urged the Pune municipal commissioner that stipulations of availing the recently announced Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) scholarship be relaxed for the backward classes.

Congress corporators Avinash Bagve and Siddharth Dhende said on Friday that conditions laid down for availing this scheme are unjust for backward-class students, who come from dissimilar backgrounds than those from the middle and upper-classes.

Last week, the standing committee approved a scheme whereby students from private schools, with more than 80 per cent marks, and those from municipal and night schools, with more than 70 per cent marks, in standard X and XII will be able to avail of financial support from the PMC. Also, students with 40 per cent physical handicap will be given support. The financial support will be to the extent of Rs 15,000 for standard X and Rs 25,000 for standard XII.

Bagve said, “Parents of students coming from backward classes have to struggle to make their ends meet. They are unable to provide requisite facilities to their children, who are thus unable to score well. The conditions of this scholarship should be relaxed for them as they are more needy, It is unfair to put them in the same bracket as students from affluent backgrounds.”

He said the Rs four-crore allocation in the civic budget for the scheme is actually under the head of welfare for backward classes, so the benefit is, in fact, meant only for backward-class students.

“If our demands are not accepted, we will resort to large-scale agitation,” Dhende said.

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TOI : PUNE: The health department of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued stop work notices to 36 constructions, holding them responsible for the spread of dengue and malaria due to stagnant water at the construction sites.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, health department chief Nagkumar Kunchagi said, “The health department has been conducting inspection of areas in the respective zones to identify mosquito breeding places. We identified such breeding places at 36 construction sites.”

Kunchagi added that stop work notices have been sent to the builders/developers/contractors concerned, by the building permission department. “They have been directed to conduct fogging with the help of private pest control companies. If they fail, the PCMC will do the fogging and charge 10 times its cost as fine. The health department is ready to go to the extent of sealing the construction sites if they fail to follow the directives of the PCMC,” he added.

Elaborating further, Kunchagi said, “The building permission department gives permission to start constructions. The builders are directed to make provisions for basic facilities to the labourers like bathing, drinking water and sanitation and to take precautions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.”

He said that the maximum number of dengue and malaria cases have occurred in Pimpale Saudagar and Chakrapani vasahat in Bhosari.

He said that he was more concerned about the occurrence of malaria, as the cases of malaria were higher among labourers at construction sites. A malaria-affected worker has to undergo 14 days treatment but if he/she migrates to another place before treatment is completed then it could result in a recurrence of the disease.

He said that 67 dengue patients were detected in PCMC limits between January and June. In the same period, around 111 malaria patients were detected.

Kunchagi said that the PCMC has made adequate arrangements for treatment of dengue at the Yashwantrao Chavan…More

TOI : PUNE: The Chatushrungi police are still clueless about the motive behind the murder of electronics engineer Urvashi Laxman Dhavale (32) on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the police on Friday afternoon brought The deceased’s husband Arvind Waman Ghadole (43) from Nagpur to Pune for questioning him. However, the police said that his involvement in the murder was not confirmed and are now investigating into the other possible reasons.

Dhavale, a resident of Shree Swami Samarth Society on Sus road was assaulted to death with sharp weapons late on Wednesday night. Her body was found lying in a pool of blood in a secluded lane near her residence. Dhavale’s parents suspect her husband’s involvement in the crime.

After marriage, Dhavale had discovered that her husband was already married and had two children from his first wife. Following differences over several reasons the couple started staying separately and eventually filed separate petitions for divorce, property etc, in the court at Nagpur. On Monday (July 6), the Nagpur court had passed a judgement in Dhavale’ favour.

Deputy commissioner of police (zone-III) Mahesh Patil said, “On Friday afternoon Ghadole was brought to Pune from Gondia and interrogated. We do not suspect his involvement in the crime. We have also interrogated some employees from the software company where Dhavale worked.”

Meanwhile, assistant commissioner of police (Crime) Sangramsinh Nishandar and police inspector Nandkishore Bhosale-Patil of Chatushrungi police station also questioned Ghadole. “We do not suspect his involvement. We initially suspected that the murder was done with the intention of robbery, but the police found all her belongings and nothing was stolen.”

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