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TOI : PUNE: For Gagan Grover, a software engineer with city-based C-DAC, cycling is not just a way of keeping fit but also a way to campaign against global warming. After cycling in and around the city, a long expedition to the country’s southernmost tip, Kanyakumari is next on his itinerary. The 25-year-old is all set to cycle the 1,700 km distance from Pune to Kanyakumari, an expedition that will start on September 18 and will last 10 days in all. The trip has been partially sponsored by C-DAC and the Rotaract Club Shaniwarwada and partly by Grover himself.

“Though I’ve been cycling for a while now, it was only this year that I started long-distance expeditions, the first of them being my tour from Pune to Mumbai and back. Earlier, I would cycle to places around the city,” said Grover.

The expedition to Kanyakumari also coincides with the World Car Free Day which falls on September 20. “My aim is to promote cycling, and the expedition provides me with a great chance to do just that. I started cycling as a hobby and have been actively promoting this sport for the last three years. I am also one of the founder members of a website dedicated to cycling,” said Grover.

During the 10-day expedition, Grover plans to halt only during the nights and has even fitted in a couple of lectures on global warming that he plans to deliver at a couple of IT firms in Bangalore, including C-DAC. “My long distance cycling trip is also an awareness-cum-publicity program to promote cycling as a healthy and environment-friendly means of transport for everyone,” added Grover.

Though he is part of a cycle group in the city, Grover will undertake the expedition by himself this time around. “It was difficult for everyone to get enough leave around the same time. This will be my second long solo cycling…More

TOI : PUNE: The H1N1 flu toll in the city climbed to 52 on Thursday with eight more people succumbing to the contagion.

Four deaths occurred on Thursday, three deaths a day earlier and a seven-year-old boy died early on Tuesday. The throat swab reports of the three victims who died on Wednesday were received only on Thursday, confirming that they were H1N1 positive. As for the boy his H1N1-positive status was confirmed on Tuesday evening after his death the state health services were unaware of his death even on Thursday. The family and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) medical director confirmed the boy’s death to TOI.

The four patients who died on Thursday were 40-year-old Kashinath Ghanshetti of Baner, 60-year-old Duramma Bandhi of Karve road, 35-year-old Naresh Bhatia of Pimpri and 38-year-old Prabhakar Gawde (38) of Gawdewadi in Ambegaon tehsil.

Ghanshetti was admitted to Sassoon hospital on September 4 in a critical condition and was put on the ventilator. He was suffering from high fever, cough and breathlessness for four or five days before he was admitted. He succumbed to broncho-pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), joint director of state health services Ashok Mehta said.

Bandhi was admitted to a private hospital on September 5 after complaining of cough and breathlessness. She was shifted to Jehangir hospital in a critical condition on September 13 and put on the ventilator. She had a history of broncho-asthma, said Mehta.

Both Bhatia and Gawde died at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH). Bhatia was admitted to the hospital five days back. Both patients had tested H1N1 positive, said PCMC medical director Rajshekhar Iyyer.

Seven-year-old Sagar Bhalerao, a thalassemia patient, was taken to YCMH on September 13 with severe cough and fever. Since the paediatric ward of the hospital was full, he was taken to a private hospital in Chinchwad, from where he was referred to KEM…More

TOI : PUNE: The Union ministry of health and family welfare in association with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has initiated a massive H1N1 influenza sensitisation drive for doctors across the country.

As a part of the drive, four IMA members from each state will be trained by experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO), National Centre for Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi, and health authorities of the ministry for two days next month.

These trained professionals will, in turn, sensitise doctors in their respective states on the preventive and therapeutic aspects of the swine flu. The move is aimed at strengthening preparedness of the country to effectively combat the swine flu.

“The ministry has selected the IMA to sensitise and train doctors all over the country on the pandemic. The aim is to brace doctors with preventive and therapeutic sides of swine flu for effective containment across the country,” said Ashok Adhav, national president of the IMA.

In view of the same, the ministry along with the IMA has organised a national workshop for training of the trainers at the IMA House in New Delhi for two days starting Octorber 10, added Adhav.

All the state units of the IMA have been informed to identify four active and dedicated members for this training programme, who in turn will conduct state-level workshops, said Devendra Shirole, ex-president of the state unit of Maharashtra.

“These state-level trainers will further conduct district-level training programmes,” said Arun Pawade, president of the state unit of the IMA.

There are 1.80 lakh IMA members in the country, of which 23,000 members are from Maharashtra. There are 1,700 branches of IMA of which 169 branches are in the state.

“This is a significant step towards consolidating the private healthcare sector in the country for effective mitigation of the pandemic H1N1 influenza,” said Dilip Sarda, president of the city unit of…More

TOI : PUNE: Pune forest department has decided to interrogate the four policemen who were placed under suspension for allegedly demanding bribe from the suspects for going soft in the peahen hunting case.

The policemen summoned for interrogation are assistant sub-inspector Prakash Pandurang Ahivale, and constables Sharad Ingole, Nandu Kadale and Samir Shabbir Chaman Shaikh, all attached to the local crime branch (LCB) of the Pune rural police at Pashan.

Speaking to TOI on Thursday, assistant conservator of forest Popat Balaji Bhalekar, who is conducting the investigations, said, “I have send letters to the Dehu road division, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Shrikrishna Kokate and senior police inspector Bhausaheb Andhalkar of the LCB for seeking the presence of the cops at the forest department office at Senapati Bapat road for interrogation.”

Bhalekar added, “The letters were dispatched on Wednesday as a section of media had published reports that the policemen had allegedly demanded bribe from the suspects.”

Forest officials on Saturday had arrested the suspects including Chetan Nimhan, son of a former corporator and national shooter Shehzad Mirza for hunting two peahens for meat at Kondhawale village in Paud on September 6.

Superintendent of police Pratap Dighavkar of Pune rural police on Tuesday had suspended the policemen as they were indicted in a preliminary inquiry conducted by SDPO Shrikrishna Kokate for suppressing the case with a view to favour the suspects.

Dighavkar has now directed the SDPO Ravindrasinh Pardeshi of Haveli division to institute a departmental inquiry against the policemen and submit the report at the earliest.

According to Bhalekar the interrogation will shed more light on the investigations as it will enable the department to determine the role played by each of the policemen in the case as they had initially taken some suspects into custody after the incident had come to light. “I will first record the statements of the policemen. The statements…More

TOI : PUNE: A 31-year-old H1N1 flu patient, who was on ventilator for over a month, has made a miraculous recovery and is likely to be discharged within two days.

“The patient went through all the complications related to H1N1 influenza during her 38-day stay at the Sassoon general hospital. She developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), haemoptysis (coughing up blood from the lungs), hypotension (abnormally low blood pressure) and underwent tracheostomy (surgical creation of an opening in the neck to bypass an obstructed airway) as well as bronchoscopy (a technique of visualising the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes) during her battle against the H1N1 virus,” Sassoon hospital superintendent P S Pawar said.

The patient, a resident of Nigdi, had mild fever, cough, headache and gradually progressing breathlessness from August 2. “She was admitted to the Lokmanya hospital in Nigdi on August 8 where she was diagnosed with pneumonia. The hospital sent her throat swab to the National Institute of Virology for testing on August 9. Due to high suspicion of H1N1 influenza, the patient was moved to the isolation ICU of Sassoon at 6.35 pm on August 10,” said Pawar.

“She developed severe breathlessness and was hence intubated on August 11. Later, she was put on ventilator. Her throat swab report declared her positive for the H1N1 influenza the same day,” added Pawar.

The patient’s oxygen saturation was dropping while on ventilator and was given re-intubation on August 18. “On the same day tracheostomy was done on the patient. The tracheostomy tube got blocked requiring reinsertion on August 22,” said Pawar.

“As the patient’s oxygen saturation was not improving, bronchoscopy was performed, after which her condition improved. Her throat swab was again sent to the NIV for testing on August 22. Report was received on the next day which was negative. She was shifted to the general medical ICU of the…More

TOI : PUNE: In an attempt to prevent sale of illicit liquor during the assembly polls, the state excise department has launched a drive against production, distribution and sale of illicit liquor in the district. As many as 169 offences have been registered for illegal transaction of liquor, while material worth Rs 11.58 lakh has been seized during the raids conducted between September 1 and 15.

In August, 241 offences were registered for illegal sale of liquor of around 5,170 litres and material worth Rs 14.38 lakh was seized. As many as 18 people were arrested during the raids.

Vijay Chinchalkar, superintendent, state excise (Pune), said: “Strict action against illegal production, sale and distribution of liquor is being taken since the model code of conduct came into force. A seven-member team has been deployed in each of the three tehsils in the district. Officers of the department will assist the quick response teams set up by the district administration for election duty.”

Chinchalkar said that the sale of illicit liquor goes up during the election period. “Inspection drives are being carried out at places where illicit liquor sale might occur. We have conducted raids at critical spots, including Phursungi, Hadapsar, Handewadi Ramdara, Yerawada, Bhosari, Pimpri, Chinchwad, Wagholi and Lonikand. The vulnerable areas in the district include Daund, Saswad, Bhor, Paud, Talegaon Dabhade and Narayangaon.”

Chinchlakar added that special drives will be undertaken at dhabas and garden-restaurants on the Pune-Nashik, Pune-Mumbai, Pune- Solapur and Pune-Satara highways and on the Katraj-Dehuraod by-pass.

“We will be on continuous vigilance at these spots till the end of the model code of conduct,” Chinchalkar said, adding that a control room has been established at the Pune office of the excise department. People can give information on illicit liquor on 26127321, he added.

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TOI : PUNE: The principal of St Mary’s School, Jessica Simoes, on Thursday, said that the possibility of reopening three pre-primary classes from September 21 will be explored in the weekly review meeting on Friday.

Since August 6, students of the three classes have been asked to stay at home as a precautionary measure by school authorities. Simoes said, “The closure of pre-primary classes is not indefinite.”

“The three classes namely pre-school, nursery and upper kindergarten (UKG) may be reopened on September 21, depending on the review meeting to be held on Friday,” she told the TOI.

Simoes said, “The school is taking weekly review on every Friday to decide whether the pre-primary classes can be reopened from the following week, but so far we have not reopened the school for these three classes.”

“Children attending these three classes fall in the age group two-and-half and four years. They are too small to understand how to take precautions, what to do and what not to. Hence, we decided to shut the three classes,” Simoes added. More Stories from this section Eight deaths in city takes toll to 52 City lad to cycle to Kanyakumari to promote global warming Building permissions to be given online Prakash is member of telecom commisssion Nin…More

TOI : PUNE: Following a complaint by NGO Dnyana Devi (that runs Childline, a 24-hour helpline for children in distress) that the food provided to children under the government’s mid-day meal scheme was of poor quality, tasteless and infested with worms, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s school board launched a quality control campaign on Thursday and inspected four schools. The campaign aims to cover all the 274 corporation schools before the Diwali vacations. The board, however, refuted allegations that the food served at a PMC-run school was found to be full of worms.

Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe, founder-director, Childline, in a written complaint to the education department of the zilla parishad, alleged that the khichdi’ served to the students of the PMC-run Sant Dnyaneshwar school in Yerawada on September 9 and 10 was found to be full of worms. “We got the information from students of the school. Childline social workers Hemalata Potdar and Kshitija Kale visited the school on September 10 and the teachers confirmed this fact,” the letter says.

When contacted, Dattatreya Shendkar, education officer (primary) at the zilla parishad, said: “We have received the complaint and asked the Pune Municipal Corporation to submit a report.”

Rajani Rawade, superintendent, mid-day meal scheme, at the PMC school board, however, denied the incident. “There is a mechanism to check the quality of food. The school staff tastes the food and keeps a sample of the food cooked that day, apart from a taste register. Besides, there were no reports of children being sick after having eaten food infested with worms’,” she said.

Rawade showed TOI a letter written by the acting principal of the school, Popat Kutal, denying the episode. “He said that the volunteers of Childline reached much after the mid-day meal was over.”

Responding to the arguments put forth by the PMC officials, Potdar said: “We never claimed to be there when the meal was served. But…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune rural police busted a milk adulteration racket in Patas near Duand, about 50 km from the city, in the wee hours of Thursday by arresting a gang of six suspects. According to the police, the gang used to mix lactose powder and caustic soda in the milk to raise the degree and fat contents of the milk at a dairy named as L V Dairy.

The police have also seized two tanker containing around 17,000 litre of milk, three gunny bags of lactose powder, five gunny bag containing caustic soda and five bags of the milk powder totalling to Rs 93.59 lakh. Acting on a tip-off, the police team, led by senior inspector Bhausaheb Andhalkar of the local crime branch (LCB) of Pune rural police, arrested the owner and five employees of the dairy, said superintendent of police (Pune rural) Pratap Dighavkar.

The police have identified the owner as Mangesh Doshi (33) of Patas. The others are manager Rambhau Dhumal (40), Krishna Babar (56), Nagesh Zore (30) of Patas, Mithun Boni (22) and Tapan Boni (20) native of Assam, currently residing at Patas. A complaint in this regard has been lodged by food inspector Anil Gavate with the Daund police station.

Dighavkar said, “We received a tip-off about the adulteration, and accordingly, the police team led by Andhalkar conducted a raid at the dairy during the wee hours of Thursday. Later, food inspector was informed, who prima facie confirmed about the adulteration.”

Investigations have revealed that the suspects used to collect the milk at a cheaper rate of Rs 9 per litre from local farmers. They used to mix caustic soda, lactose powder and milk powder in the milk to raise the degree as well as fat content. Later, they used to sell the milk at Rs 13 per litre. “Investigations have also revealed that the gang was selling adulterated milk to…More

TOI : PUNE: National shooting champion Shehzad Ishrat Mirza (26) of NIBM road on Thursday moved the district and sessions court seeking bail in the alleged peahen hunting case.

Mirza moved the sessions court as the magistrate court had rejected his bail application on Wednesday.

Mirza, who is lodged at the Yerawada central jail, had filed the bail application through his lawyers Shrikant Shivade and Rohit Tulpule.

The application will come up for hearing before additional sessions judge B A Shaikh on September 19. The forest department has been issued a notice by the court directing them to file a written statement to oppose the bail.

Mirza has refuted the allegations of killing a peahen and instead has come up with a defence by saying that he along with the other suspects had cooked chicken meat at Kondhawale village in Paud.

Mirza claimed that the forest department had not collected any evidence against him and hence he was entitled to be released on bail. More Stories from this section Eight deaths in city takes toll to 52 City lad to cycle to Kanyakumari to promote global warming Building permissions to be given online Prakash is member of telecom commisssion Nin…More