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TOI : PUNE: Keeping incidents like 26/11 and the border conflicts between India and its neighbours in mind, the members of the Professional Party of India (PPI) drafted its manifesto focusing on issues, like defence budget, training of personnel for internal and external security, among other things.

“Our country’s defence outlay is badly under-budgeted. It should ideally be three per cent, but in India it is only 1.5 per cent. The manifesto also stresses on avoiding the use of the country’s armed forces for internal security,” said DVR Rao, general secretary of Professional Party of India at a press conference on Tuesday.

Regarding internal security, Rao said that the country’s police force should be modernised. “The police force should be de-politicised and the reforms suggested by the National Police Commission should be implemented,” he added.

To further up the efficiency of our police force, the manifesto suggests working towards upgradation of training programmes for police personnel. “Most importantly, the manifesto also suggests sharing intelligence information between organisations and bodies responsible for maintaining the country’s internal security,” said Rao.

The Professional Party of India is a two-year-old organisation comprising citizens, activists and various professionals. “The objective of our party is to act and bring about changes for betterment of the citizens,” said Rao. More Stories from this section Swine flu claims 57th casualty in Pune Sena nominates Mokate from Kothrud, Babar from Hadapsar Three Karnawadi students discharged COEP takes home the Purushottam Karandak HC summons …More

TOI : PUNE: The National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) has organised a health food exhibition at its premises on Tadiwala Road from September 24 to 28, between 10 am and 8 pm. Health food items will be on display along with their method of preparation and uses.

Natural health foods like butter milk without milk, uncooked kheer’ and haemoglobin laddu,’ to name a few will be on offer. Not to forget a variety of juices.

The exhibition will stress on correct way to living by improving food habits. Besides, banners explaining right foods and food habits will also be on display. NIN’s naturopathic diet centre has taken the lead to put up the exhibition. The centre invites people for healthy breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner throughout the year. More Stories from this section Swine flu claims 57th casualty in Pune Sena nominates Mokate from Kothrud, Babar from Hadapsar Three Karnawadi students discharged COEP takes home the Purushottam Karandak HC summons …More

TOI : PUNE: The entire executive committee of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Congress party, alongwith the party corporators, has threatened to resign if the Congress does not get at least one assembly seat in Pimpri-Chinchwad township in the seat-sharing arrangements with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Babu Nair, secretary, Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Congress, is camping in Mumbai alongwith other Congress leaders from Pimpri-Chinchwad to press their demand.

Speaking to TOI, Nair said, “All leaders of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Congress have gone to Delhi to press our demand before the party high command. In the event of the Congress not getting any seat in Pimpri-Chinchwad township, all corporators and executive committee members of the party will resign en masse. We will take a decision on future course of action after reaching Pune.”

Stating that the very existence of the Congress party was at stake in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nair said at least one seat should be given to the Congress. He stated that in 2004, there was only one assembly seat, namely Haveli, for Pimpri-Chinchwad. “This time around, after delimitation, we have three assembly seats and we should get at least one,” Nair said.

“We are not asking for any specific seat for any specific person. We only want one seat in Pimpri-Chinchwad township so that the party gets represented here,” Nair added.

It may be noted that the NCP had bagged both Maval and Shirur constituencies in seat-sharing with the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, speaking to TOI from Mumbai, Bhausaheb Bhoir, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Congress, said that he will file his nomination from Chinchwad constituency on Wednesday.

An angry Santosh Barne group leader of Congress corporators in PCMC said: “Ever since the NCP was formed 10 years ago, the Congress workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad have had to work for NCP candidates in the assembly and Lok…More

TOI : PUNE: The crime branch sleuths claimed to have solved as many as 40 cases of theft of car stereos and 10 house break-ins following the arrest of a criminal on police records. The police have recovered 10 car stereos and 400 gms of gold, together worth Rs 7.50 lakh.

The criminal has been identified as Sangaji alias Sangappa Gangaram Kale (28) of Malad, Mumbai. Kale hails from Solapur. The police have also arrested a jeweller, Gopal Shriram Vaishnav (22) of Mumbai, for allegedly purchasing the stolen gold ornaments. A police team led by inspector Sunil Pawar of (unit-IV) of Pune crime branch made the arrests.

Speaking to mediamen, additional commissioner of police (crime) Anant Shinde said that the Mumbai police had arrested Kale and his accomplices in the car tape case. “As Kale was wanted in several cases of dacoities and burglaries in the city, we got him transferred from Mumbai. During sustained interrogation, Kale confessed his involvement in as many as 40 car tape theft cases and 10 burglaries in Pune,” Shinde said.

Kale’s accomplices Shankar Kale, Arjun Chavan and Laxman Babu Pawar are in the custody of Mumbai police.

The investigation has also revealed that Kale and his accomplices stole 40 stereos from cars parked in the Bund Garden, Shivajinagar, Chatushrungi and Nigdi area. “The suspects had sold the tapes to one Bhaiju Kamal Khan in Bhendi Bazar, Mumbai,” Shinde said, adding, “Kale also confessed to burgling houses in Hadapsar, Wanowrie and Kondhwa. We have recovered 400 gms of gold worth Rs 6.40 lakh from him.”

As many as 50 cases, including dacoity and house break-ins, are registered against Kale and his accomplices in Pune, Mumbai and Solapur, Shinde said.

The investigation team comprises of assistant police inspector Karbhari Handore, police constables Sikander Jamadar, Sudhir Sakore, Steven Sundaram and Shivanad Swami. More Stories from this section Sena faces unrest over ticket…More

TOI : PUNE: A 70-year-old watchman at the Mahaveer Market, a wholesale cloth market in Budhwar Peth, was brutally done to death by unidentified persons in the wee hours of Tuesday. The suspects also managed to open four shops owned by two brothers in the same complex, but nothing appeared to have been stolen.

The Faraskhana police identified the deceased as Laxman Sitaram More, who used to stay in the market itself. More’s body was found lying in a pool of blood on the first floor of the building. He had 14 stab injuries and his limbs were tied, a piece of cloth was stuffed in his mouth. The incident came to light around 10 am on Tuesday.

The three-storied market mainly houses garment godowns and shops. More, who was not married, had been working and staying in the market for the last 30 years. He used to make his living with the money given to him by the shopowners and sleep on the first floor. He used to lock the main gate around 11 pm and open the same around 9.30 am the next day.

Owner of Rathi cloth stores Balasaheb Rathi said, “When I came to open my shop in the complex, I noticed that the main shutter was still closed and I entered through the wicket gate. I told Pandit Sitaram Bhalekar, an employee of B M Late cloth stores, who was doing some cleaning work, to look for More. When Pandit went to the first floor, he noticed the body and came down screaming. Soon after the police was called in.”

The four shops which were opened belong to Shri Vardhman Traders. They are owned by Zalamchand Jain and his brother Zumbarlal. The shops are located on the first and the fourth floors of the market. “The suspects have tampered with the drawers and other material, but nothing is missing,” Zalamchand said.

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TOI : PUNE: Several Navratra Mahotsav mandals have cancelled the customary Navratra processions following a spurt in the number of H1N1 cases in the city, a press note said.

This year the mandals will avoid festive processions, toran processions and other entertainment programmes, to check the spread of the H1N1 virus, it was stated.

The decision has been jointly taken by several Navratra mandal leaders, including president of the Dhanalaxmi Pratishthan Balasaheb Umrale, president of the Gujarat Mitra Mandal Trust Nitin Naik and president of the Bhoi Pratishthan Milind Bhoi, the note added.

Elaborating on the rationale behind cancelling the processions, the note said that the H1N1 virus had claimed as many as 56 lives in the city, and everyday brings news of two to three additional cases. Since the festive season is conducive to the spread of the virus, the processions stand cancelled, and mandals have decided to celebrate Navratra in a simple manner with havans.

The note further added that the cancellations of the processions were in keeping with the appeals made by joint commissioner of police Ranjit Dhure and the sense of social responsibility felt by the mandals.

The mandals that will comply by the decision are: the Vastad Sheikchand Naik Taleem Navratra Utsav Samiti, Honaji Taryn Mandal, Khadak Navratra Utsav, Akhil Ravivar Peth Navratra Utsav Samiti, Shitladevi Navratra Utsav Trust, the Jai Bhavani Mitra Mandal and the Hirabaug Navratra Utsav Samiti. More Stories from this section Sena faces unrest over ticket allotment in city, district Bengalis in city set to celebrate Durga Puja Jayant Patil files nomination from Islampur Rose Society seeks trial ground, office space Bill to regularis…More

TOI : PUNE: The state animal husbandry department has decided to replicate the Karnataka state model to regularise poultry and piggery sectors.

The proposal to regularise the poultry industry, which was mooted when the avian flu struck in 2006, was gathering dust till the H1N1 flu broke out.

Vasant Ramteke, additional commissioner of the state animal husbandry department, said, “Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have a policy for poultry regulation and development and the states have introduced some laws for it. The Maharashtra government wants to study them and the guidelines introduced by the Karnataka government. A bill based on the guidelines will be drafted.”

The first meeting for preparing the draft is scheduled on Wednesday. “We were planning to meet in August but could not do so because of other priorities. But with the first meeting scheduled on Wednesday, we will speed up the process,” said Ramteke.

The department has appointed Ramteke as chairman of the experts committee for drafting the bill. Ramteke said, “As there are hardly any piggeries in other parts of the country, the department will draft a bill for regulation of piggeries on its own.”

The experts committee will draft a bill in six months which will be presented to the state government for approval. The move assumes significance in the backdrop of H1N1 flu outbreak in the state.

The expert committee will comprise senior professionals from disease control division, poultry development division and veterinary doctors.

“Pig farming is a scattered business in the state. Hence, piggeries are not on the surveillance system of the department. Once the bill is passed, it will become mandatory for all piggery owners to register themselves with the department. This in turn will help keep a check on outbreak of diseases or viral infections among pigs,” said officials in the department.

Elaborating on the benefits of such an act, officials said, “The greatest…More

TOI : PUNE: An office of its own, as well as a trial ground to encourage rose breeders are amongst the foremost challenges before the Rose Society of Pune, president Sharad Gatne told TOI on Tuesday.

The Rose Society of Pune was founded in 1962 under the guidance of the late Jayantrao Tilak with the objective of popularising the cultivation of roses, as well as to foster a love and interest for roses among the masses.

While an experimentation station to develop hardy and indigenous varieties that require less water is in the offing at the Jayantrao Tilak Garden, Sahkarnagar, which the Rose Society of Pune manages jointly with the Pune Municipal Corporation, Gatne said that the need to have its own office was keenly felt.

“We are essentially a charitable organisation with a membership of 950 people, 850 of these are life members. We have a limited income, and we appeal to donors and rose lovers to come forth and contribute towards the purchase of an office space,” Gatne said.

Currently, the Rose Society operates from an office space in the basement of the Tilak Smarak Mandir. “However, sooner or later, we are going to need our own space,” he said.

Apart from this, Gatne said the society would eventually like to own about three hectares of land on the outskirts of Pune with a view to encourage rose breeders. “These trial grounds are common in western countries and contribute majorly to the development of new varieties of roses. There is a great need to have our own trial grounds, as the challenges faced by plants in India are vastly different from those faced by rose plants in western countries. For instance, bad weather in the west means snow; out here, bad weather means soaring temperatures,” he said.

Gatne said the Rose Society of Pune had a significant role to play in making Pune…More

TOI : SANGLI: State home minister and NCP leader Jayant Patil filed his nomination papers from the Islampur assembly constituency in Sangli district on Tuesday.

Patil was accompanied by over 4,000 supporters while filing the nomination at the office of the Islampur returning officer and tehsildar, Sandesh Shirke. Co-operative leaders and key aides Shyamrao Patil, P R Patil and Dilip Patil were also present.

A four-time MLA from the erstwhile Walva assembly seat since 1990, Jayant Patil had to shift to the newly-formed Islampur constituency following the merger of Walva in the delimitation exercise.

Patil is known to have won all the past elections which he contested with a handsome margin ranging from 24 to 43 per cent votes over his nearest rivals. In 2004, he defeated his nearest rival Raghunathdada Patil of the Swatantra Bharat Party by over 88,000 votes.

In the impending assembly polls, Shiv Sena’s Sangli district chief and corporator Ananda Patil is tipped to take on Patil from Islampur.

Meanwhile, state NCP chief and former deputy chief minister R R Aba’ Patil and senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam are expected to file their nominations from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal and Palus-Kadegaon assembly constituencies respectively on Wednesday. More Stories from this section Sena faces unrest over ticket allotment in city, district Bengalis in city set to celebrate Durga Puja Rose Society seeks trial ground, office space Bill to regularis…More

TOI : PUNE: It’s the time to celebrate the victory of good over evil as Bengalis across the city are all set to celebrate Durga Puja from September 24 in a number of Durga Puja pandals spread across the city. Despite the H1N1 flu outbreak in the city, these pandals will celebrate the festival like every other year, but with an emphasis on safe health practices.

“There are approximately three lakh Bengalis in the city and Durga Puja being our most favourite and loved festival, we will celebrate it because it is not just a religious festival but also an occasion for all families to come together. But we have outlined certain measures like distributing masks to everyone and having an ambulance and a doctor on standby in case of any medical emergency,” said Surya Sengupta, member of the puja committee of the Bangiya Sanskriti Samsad which celebrates the puja at the Congress Bhavan.

According to J P Banerjee, president, Nandanik, which has organised the celebrations in Koregaon Park, the Bengalis settled outside West Bengal, known as Probashi Bangali, get together to celebrate the five-day of festivities in a serene splendour befitting the regal grace of the Mother annihilating the demon, Mahishashura. “Similarly, we pray to the Goddess to give us the same strength to fight evil,” said Banerjee. Nandanik too has in place an ambulance and two doctors on standby apart from a crisis management team and an emergency room to take care of any medical emergencies.

The festival is also an amalgamation of entertainment and great food with literature, theatre and music being an intricate part of the Bengali culture. “This is an opportunity for the Bengalis and devotees belonging to other communities to enjoy the rich Bengali cultural of music, dance and drama, along with the delicious sweets and mouth-watering savouries. It brings nostalgic memories of Kolkata. Bengalis and non-Bengalis expect a few things from…More