News

TOI : PUNE: The swine flu toll in the city rose to 66 with two more persons succumbing to the virus, health officials said on Saturday.

The latest casualties were identified as Kasarbai Londhe (48) and Vikas Pramanik (27), Ashok Mehta, Joint Director, State Health Department, said.

Ten fresh cases of the deadly virus have also been reported and the number of critical patients was put at seven by hospital authorities.

Pune, which reported India’s first swine flu death on August 3, is worst hit by the virus in the country.
Topics: Pune Flu Swine More Stories from this section Swine flu cases rising in state Artists backing me, says Wadekar Girish Oak to play lead role in ‘To Mee Nhavech’ Change mindset to tackle terrorism: Satya Pal S…More

TOI : PUNE: Commissioner of police Satya Pal Singh said on Friday that terrorism has become a business for some and to eradicate it schools and colleges should develop an educational system that will help change the mindset of the people.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management, conducted by Sarhad Research Centre. Lt General (Retd) Moti Dhar, founder president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, advocate S K Jain were present on the dais.

Singh said, “The root of terrorism is in the minds of people. The mindset of people should be changed and that should be done in educational institutes.”

Lt Gen Dhar said, “India is the only country where sincere efforts have been made for establishing peace. There should be a politico-military policy to control terrorism in our country.”

Nahar said the post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management will start next week. “We do not aim to create security guards, but security professionals who will tackle terrorism,” Nahar said.

Topics: Pune terrorism More Stories from this section Swine flu cases rising in state Artists backing me, says Wadekar Girish Oak to play lead role in ‘To Mee Nhav…More

TOI : PUNE: Commissioner of police Satya Pal Singh said on Friday that terrorism has become a business for some and to eradicate it schools and colleges should develop an educational system that will help change the mindset of the people.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management, conducted by Sarhad Research Centre. Lt General (Retd) Moti Dhar, founder president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, advocate S K Jain were present on the dais.

Singh said, “The root of terrorism is in the minds of people. The mindset of people should be changed and that should be done in educational institutes.”

Lt Gen Dhar said, “India is the only country where sincere efforts have been made for establishing peace. There should be a politico-military policy to control terrorism in our country.”

Nahar said the post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management will start next week. “We do not aim to create security guards, but security professionals who will tackle terrorism,” Nahar said.

Topics: Pune terrorism More Stories from this section Swine flu cases rising in state Artists backing me, says Wadekar Girish Oak to play lead role in ‘To Mee Nhav…More

TOI : PUNE: Commissioner of police Satya Pal Singh said on Friday that terrorism has become a business for some and to eradicate it schools and colleges should develop an educational system that will help change the mindset of the people.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management, conducted by Sarhad Research Centre. Lt General (Retd) Moti Dhar, founder president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, advocate S K Jain were present on the dais.

Singh said, “The root of terrorism is in the minds of people. The mindset of people should be changed and that should be done in educational institutes.”

Lt Gen Dhar said, “India is the only country where sincere efforts have been made for establishing peace. There should be a politico-military policy to control terrorism in our country.”

Nahar said the post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management will start next week. “We do not aim to create security guards, but security professionals who will tackle terrorism,” Nahar said.

Topics: Pune terrorism More Stories from this section Swine flu cases rising in state Artists backing me, says Wadekar Girish Oak to play lead role in ‘To Mee Nhav…More

TOI : PUNE: Commissioner of police Satya Pal Singh said on Friday that terrorism has become a business for some and to eradicate it schools and colleges should develop an educational system that will help change the mindset of the people.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management, conducted by Sarhad Research Centre. Lt General (Retd) Moti Dhar, founder president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, advocate S K Jain were present on the dais.

Singh said, “The root of terrorism is in the minds of people. The mindset of people should be changed and that should be done in educational institutes.”

Lt Gen Dhar said, “India is the only country where sincere efforts have been made for establishing peace. There should be a politico-military policy to control terrorism in our country.”

Nahar said the post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management will start next week. “We do not aim to create security guards, but security professionals who will tackle terrorism,” Nahar said.

Topics: Pune terrorism More Stories from this section Swine flu cases rising in state Artists backing me, says Wadekar Girish Oak to play lead role in ‘To Mee Nhav…More

TOI : PUNE: Commissioner of police Satya Pal Singh said on Friday that terrorism has become a business for some and to eradicate it schools and colleges should develop an educational system that will help change the mindset of the people.

Singh was speaking at the inauguration of post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management, conducted by Sarhad Research Centre. Lt General (Retd) Moti Dhar, founder president of Sarhad Sanjay Nahar, advocate S K Jain were present on the dais.

Singh said, “The root of terrorism is in the minds of people. The mindset of people should be changed and that should be done in educational institutes.”

Lt Gen Dhar said, “India is the only country where sincere efforts have been made for establishing peace. There should be a politico-military policy to control terrorism in our country.”

Nahar said the post-graduate course in counter-terrorism and peace management will start next week. “We do not aim to create security guards, but security professionals who will tackle terrorism,” Nahar said.

Topics: Pune terrorism More Stories from this section Man abuses wife in court, arrested Army officer held for shooting neighbour’s dog 2 more die of swine flu; toll 66 NCP minority cell’s appeal Mahatma Gand…More

TOI : PUNE: BJP corporator Asha Landge, who had rebelled against the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance candidate in Bhosari constituency, has unofficially withdrawn from the election fray and has said that she will campaign for the official candidate, Sulabha Ubale.

The announcement came on Thursday during an election rally addressed by BJP national general secretary Gopinath Munde.

Landge, wife of late Ankush Landge, former president of Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the BJP, had filed her nomination as an independent candidate from Bhosari constituency. A section of supporters of Ankush Landge were upset over the constituency being allotted to the Sena.

Speaking at the rally, Munde said that the Democratic Front government should be dethroned as it had failed to carry out any development work in the state in the last 10 years. Munde alleged that the construction of malls and multiplexes on industrial land had ruined the lives of thousands of workers in the industrial township of Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Munde said the Pimpri-Chinchwad township was known for its industries, but the government’s decision had led to closure of industries in the area. Investments to the tune of Rs 25,000 crore went out of the state due to the wrong policies of the government. As a result, people lost good employment opportunities. Topics: Pune Shiv Sena BJP Asha Landge More Stories from this section Man abuses wife in court, arrested Army officer held for shooting neighbour’s dog 2 more die of swine flu; toll 66 NCP minority cell’s appeal Mahatma Gand…More

TOI : PUNE: Nationalist Congress Party MLC Laxman Jagtap, who is contesting elections as independent candidate against Congress’s Bhausaheb Bhoir, has claimed that he is not a rebel candidate.

Interestingly, Pimpri Chinchwad mayor Aparna Doke was seen campaigning for Jagtap initially, but later shied away saying she will not continue to do so.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday, Jagtap said, “Workers of all political parties encouraged me to contest the elections. There is no candidate of NCP in the constituency.”

Speaking about the problems in the constituency, Jagtap said, “Growing urbanisation and problems related to it, low pressure water supply and load-shedding were the main issues.” Jagtap claimed that Congress corporators were also campaigning for him and that many corporators were ready to resign if required.

“Had there been an NCP candidate in Chinchwad, I would have not contested the election,” said Jagtap.

Meanwhile on Friday, Congress women workers in Pimpri-Chinchwad resorted to “Gandhigiri” to protest against Pimpri-Chinchwad mayor Aparna Doke who recently campaigned for rebel candidate and MLC Laxman Jagtap. The women workers tried to present roses to Doke at her office in Chinchwad. Doke, however, dismissed the agitation as a publicity stunt.

Around 50 women workers of Congress comprising Pratibha Lokhande, pradesh secretary, Nigar Baraskar, vice-president, pradesh mahila, Leela Devkar, former corporators and others participated in the agitation.

Speaking to TOI on Friday, Baraskar said, “The mayor accepted a rose from me but she did not accept it from others. Doke had campaigned for the rebel candidate in Sangvi two days back. This has disturbed us a lot.”

Lokhande has demanded that district guardian minister Ajit Pawar should hold a meeting in Sangvi for Congress-NCP candidate.

Dismissing the agitation as a publicity stunt, Doke said that she had already clarified that will be abiding by the alliance rules. “I had not gone to Sangvi for campiagning for MLC Jagtap….More

TOI : PUNE: The newly-carved constituency of Wadgaon Sheri has been in focus ever since the seat went to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the seat-sharing truck with the Congress.

This has created a major hurdle for the political career of sitting Congress MLA Chandrakant Chhajed. After threatening to contest against NCP nominee Bapu Pathare, Chhajed later dramatically withdrew from the fray. The contest is now mainly among Pathare a former chairman of the PMC standing committee Shiv Sena city chief and former corporator Ajay Bhosale, Maharashhtra Navnirman Sena corporator Rajendra Endal and Sayyad Afsar Ibrahim of the Republican Party of India (Athavale).

Across parties, adequate water supply has emerged as the dominant issue. Several areas, including a few villages, have been receiving insufficient supply and are compelled to rely on tankers. Allegations are rife that a lobby preserves interests of water tanker owners, choosing not to solve the water problems by augmenting supply through a proper pipeline network.

NCP candidate Pathare says he is committed to solving the water supply problem. “The Rs 350-crore Bhama Askhed water supply project is in the process of receiving approval. Besides, other projects, costing Rs 45 crore, have also been completed. New water reservoirs are being constructed, and these steps will definitely help improve supply,” he said.

Pathare further accused rival candidates of making false allegations of a pro-tanker owner lobby being at work due to a lack of issues. “My poll planks include a development plan for the area, solving traffic problems and completing road development projects,” he said.

“Several new development works were initiated during my tenure as standing committee chairman,” he stated. A confident Pathare also predicted a huge win for himself, with the other candidates even losing their deposits.

For Sena’s Bhosale, too, water supply is one of the main poll issues. Besides making the constituency “tanker-free”, his campaign centres around development of…More

TOI : PUNE: To Mee Nhavech,’ a classic Marathi play written by Acharya Pralhad Keshav Atre, was first performed on stage on October 8, 1962. It was none other than veteran actor Prabhakar Panshikar who played five different characters and elevated the play’s status to the iconic level. From the tobacco merchant, Lakhoba Lokhande to the saint, Radheshyam Maharaj, Panshikar brought the conman quality of the mutli-faceted protagonist at his artistic best.

Forty seven years and some 3,000 shows later, the play is still synonymous with Panshikar and vice versa. And now it will be theatre and film actor, Girish Oak who will step into Panshikar’s shoes to carry foward this theatrical legacy.

The play, with its new star,’ will be performed at Balgandharva Rangmandir On October 4 at 5 pm. “The play broke new ground by introducing the concept of a portable’ or revolving stage used for cut scenes and flashbacks,” said the now-retired Panshikar, at a press conference on Friday.

Directed by Pune-based Shrinivas Bhanage, the new edition of To Mee Nhavech’ has been produced by Pune-based organisation, Shrinchi Ichcha run by Vijay Joshi.

During Panshikar’s reign as the play’s supreme actor, Oak played the small role of the character, Agnihotri, in To Mee Nhavech’ with Panshikar in the lead. “I’ve done more than 100 shows with Panshikarji and have watched him perform and prepare for this roles very closely. I learnt a lot in his company and I am preparing for his roles as the play’s protagonist keeping in mind the 21st century audience,” said Oak.

Joshi mentioned Panshikar’s involvement in the new edition despite his retirement. “Some seven months ago, we bought the play’s right from Acharya Atre’s successors Girish Pai and Meenatai Deshpande. Apart from Oak as the protagonist, the play with feature 20 supporting characters all of whom have been performed by Pune-based actors. And throughout the preparation, Panshikarji gave…More