News

TOI : PUNE: A large number of foreigners who have been deported for overstaying or indulging in illegal, even anti-national, activities in Pune have been somehow returning to other cities, including Bangalore and Hyderabad, according to intelligence sources.

Worse still, some of those overstaying in Pune or involved in illegal activities have also sneaked into other cities, the sources said, adding that the development has sent alarm bells ringing in the departments concerned.

Deputy commissioner of police Ravindra Sengaonkar of the special branch, Pune, on Wednesday confirmed the development. He said, “We have intelligence inputs that those who were deported have come back to other cities, which is a matter of serious concern.”

Sengaonkar, however, said there was no specific record available at the foreigners registration branch of the Pune police in this regard. A total of 230 foreigners have been deported for overstaying and violating visa rules in Pune since September 11 last year, he said.

Those deported were mainly from Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, Sengaonkar said.

“The drive against the foreigners was launched as we had identified those violating visa rules, overstaying and indulging in unlawful activities, which is detrimental to the nation,” the DCP said. Topics: Pune Ravindra Sengaonkar More Stories from this section Pujari was killed to keep crime under wraps: Cops Strict police action makes foreigners shift to other cities Mortality rate up even as H1N1 positive cases drop Power cut for more than 12 hours in c…More

TOI : PUNE: A large number of foreigners who have been deported for overstaying or indulging in illegal, even anti-national, activities in Pune have been somehow returning to other cities, including Bangalore and Hyderabad, according to intelligence sources.

Worse still, some of those overstaying in Pune or involved in illegal activities have also sneaked into other cities, the sources said, adding that the development has sent alarm bells ringing in the departments concerned.

Deputy commissioner of police Ravindra Sengaonkar of the special branch, Pune, on Wednesday confirmed the development. He said, “We have intelligence inputs that those who were deported have come back to other cities, which is a matter of serious concern.”

Sengaonkar, however, said there was no specific record available at the foreigners registration branch of the Pune police in this regard. A total of 230 foreigners have been deported for overstaying and violating visa rules in Pune since September 11 last year, he said.

Those deported were mainly from Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, Sengaonkar said.

“The drive against the foreigners was launched as we had identified those violating visa rules, overstaying and indulging in unlawful activities, which is detrimental to the nation,” the DCP said. Topics: Pune Ravindra Sengaonkar More Stories from this section Pujari was killed to keep crime under wraps: Cops Strict police action makes foreigners shift to other cities Mortality rate up even as H1N1 positive cases drop Power cut for more than 12 hours in c…More

TOI : PUNE: The credit policy announced by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Subba Rao on Tuesday may have hints of a tighter credit regime, but it may not have an impact on the interest rate structure for home loans, say experts.

Experts say that their opinion is based on two facts. First, the demand for homes and home loans, in turn has gone up in the wake of the soft rate regime put in place by the finance minister early this year as part of his anti-recession measures. Second, the Centre has already expressed concerns about the bankers’ unwillingness to pass on the benefits of the revival package announced by the finance minister.

Shobhit Agarwal, joint managing director for capital markets at real estate research and advisory firm Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, tells TOI that the banks will now be a little more cautious while lending to real estate players, however, interest rates are at their lowest in recent times, and even a marginal hike due to this tightening in provisioning, will not affect the overall sector seriously.

“The current credit policy has made only two changes that could conceivably affect the real estate sector. For one, the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) has been increased by one per cent. Secondly, the provisioning for real estate loans has been increased to one per cent from the earlier 0.4 per cent. The impact on the sector is not significant as we see it. Rather, it might help, as the Central Bank is trying to curb the formation of an asset bubble – in other words, trying to control the asset prices for end users,” Agarwal says.

If well-implemented, this policy will benefit property buyers in the long run, Agarwal observes, adding that as the projected increase in inflation is in line with India’s long-term inflation history, and is automatically factored into the markets and overall market sentiments,…More

TOI : PUNE: Laboratory studies carried out on 60 isolates of the H1N1 virus at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) here showed sensitivity to oseltamivir, while in western countries a resistance to the drug was seen in a few cases.

Moreover, while in western countries all influenza cases turn out to H1N1 flu, in India there are cases of seasonal influenza also along with H1N1 influenza cases.

These were some of the interesting inputs exchanged, along with tips of clinical management of the H1N1 influenza, between experts of the Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta and the John Hopkins Centre for Clinical Global Health, Baltimore, and experts of the B.J. medical college and Sassoon general hospital via a video-conference held on Wednesday.

The objective of the conference was to review the latest practises for diagnosis, triage and clinical management of H1N1 influenza.

“The aim of the Indo-US video-conference was to review the latest information on the clinical management of severe H1N1 flu in adults and children,” said Arun Jamkar, dean of the B.J. medical college and Sassoon general hospital.

Paediatrician Arti Kinikar of Sassoon hospital made a presentation of a representative paediatric case of H1N1 flu in Pune followed by paediatric H1N1 epidemiology and clinical experience here.

“The key steps for optimising the diagnosis and triage of suspected H1N1 cases in the hospital setting in adults and children were also discussed,” Kinikar said.

The key aspects in clinical management of children and adults with severe H1N1 flu to reduce mortality rate were also discussed in the conference.

A presentation on swine origin influenza A H1N1 virus (S-IOV) in pregnant woman was made by B.B. Kadam, head of the isolation ICU of Sassoon hospital.

“The clinical management of the H1N1 influenza is more or less the same. They advised early initiation of treatment as it has been largely seen that patients are coming…More

TOI : PUNE: Shrinivas Havaldar, a gymnast of national repute who has several Mallakhamb titles to his credit and is presently coaching young enthusiasts in the city, has launched the country’s first-ever website dedicated to the sport of Mallakhamb.

With information on the history of the traditional Indian sport (called as pole gymnastics in English), benefits and types of Mallakhamb, the website is a virtual guide to various local, state and national level tournaments.

Havaldar has been into coaching for the last 10 years and has established three coaching academies in various parts of the city. “It is disappointing to see that Puneites today don’t even know what Mallakhamb is. It is especially disappointing because the city in the yesteryears used be known for this sport. The sport is dying and this is my effort to revive it,” Havaldar said.

The website, www.shrinivashavaldar.com, has separate links on how Mallakhamb developed, its history, how it was introduced in the city, its benefits and detailed description of types of the sport.

Havaldar said, “My aim is to promote the sport among children and ultimately encourage them to take up traditional sports and keep the legacy alive.”

A photo gallery with pictures of his students is one of the features of the website. So far, Havaldar has trained students for district as well as national competitions. He also intends to upload information on various competitions held at all levels. Topics: Pune Mallakhamb More Stories from this section Submit action plan to control spread of diseases: Mayor H1N1 death toll rises to 93 More city buildings turn green PCB to ban polythene bags 4 de…More

TOI : Oct 21: The Wanowrie police detain three minors involved in raping and beating up a four-and-a-half girl at Ramtekdi in Hadapsar. The minors allegedly committed the crime to make it big in the underworld.

Oct 22: A 15-year-old boy is held by the police for killing a seven-year-old girl in Kharadi, allegedly because she did not return his toys.

Oct 22: A 16-year-old boy is held for the murder of Ratnadeep Anil Sonawane (20) of Lohiyanagar, beaten to death over a petty dispute.

These are just three of the most recent cases in which minors have been involved in serious crimes including murder, attempted murder and rape. Juvenile crime is on the rise, say the police, and statistics reveal just how bad the situation is.

In 2006, the city police detained 658 minors. In 2007 the figure rose to 784 and by 2008 it had gone up to 995.

Figures for 2009 have not been compiled as yet, but in just one zone, 115 minors have been detained so far. The figures were available at the office of the deputy commissioner of police (zone IV) Jalindar Supekar.

Expressing concern over the rise in crime involving minors, additional commissioner of police (crime) Anant Shinde described the situation as worrisome and said that steps needed to be taken to prevent juveniles from committing more offences in future.

Not only are the figures rising; the nature of the crime is becoming more serious and the motives more trivial.

Earlier minors were detained in petty crimes including theft and cell phone snatching. Now, more serious charges of rape and murder are being levelled in many cases.

According to deputy commissioner of police (crime) Anil Kumbhare, “Most minors involved in serious crime come from slum areas. They are not educated and are willing to do almost anything in order to make quick money. They consider…More

TOI : PUNE: On October 16 this year, 14 boys involved in various criminal cases escaped from the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Udyog Kendra, an observatory and remand home in Yerawada.

As the juveniles were involved in serious cases like murder, rape, robbery, house-breakins and vehicle theft, the women and child welfare department has initiated steps to see that a similar incident is not repeated in the future.

The boys had escaped from the home by cutting the window grills with a hacksaw. Speaking to TOI, Kendra superintendent D L Shinde said that of the 14 boys, the police have tracked down three and have sent them back to the kendra.

The state government has already allotted funds of Rs 15.99 lakh to the kendra to construct a wall around it on a par with the Yerawada central jail.

According to Shinde, the government is considering a proposal submitted by the administration to undertake various measures like increasing the height of the existing wall by four feet, put barbed wire on the fence, install new doors and windows and change the iron grills.

Shinde said the dormitories would also be revamped. Damaged tiles and drainage lines will be replaced, toilets repaired and kitchen rennovated. The public works department has been alloted the task and work is expected to be complete in three months, Shinde said.

Earlier, the kendra was used to rehabilitate orphan boys, under-privileged children and those from poor economic backgrounds. But since January this year, it has been authorised to keep juvenile criminals, found guilty under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The institute has 141 boys (114 in care and protection and 27 held guilty under IPC). The home has a sanctioned strength of 54 employees including 12 security guards, but is short of staff. Department commissioner Bajirao Jadhav has promised that additional manpower will be alotted soon.

According to…More

TOI : PUNE: The Kondhwa police arrested a land developer for allegedly cheating Shiv Sena MLA Mahadeo Babar to the tune of Rs 8 lakh on Tuesday. The police identified the suspect as Kumar Shrinivas Mandera of Kondhwa.

Babar had registered a complaint saying that Mandera had stolen his blank cheque and encashed Rs 8 lakh through Mandera’s bank account.

Deputy commissioner of police (Zone IV) Jalindar Supekar told TOI on Wednesday that according to the complaint, the cheque was stolen from a drawer in Babar’s office at Kondhwa between October 10 and 27.

Babar had discovered that the money was withdrawn from his account on October 24. He conducted an inquiry before registering a complaint on Tuesday, Supekar said.

Mandera was arrested as the probe revealed that Rs 5 lakh was withdrawn from his account.

Babar and Mandera don’t know each other. And investigations revealed that the amount was withdrawn by some other person. Mandera was taken into custody to ascertain some facts, the police said.

Topics: Shiv Sena Kondhwa police More Stories from this section Submit action plan to control spread of diseases: Mayor H1N1 death toll rises to 93 More city buildings turn green PCB to ban polythene bags 4 de…More

TOI : PUNE: After a successful start in September last year, the National Chemical Laboratory’s (NCL) outreach programme is on an expansion mode.

In an effort to popularise science among students at a young age, eminent scientists will visit Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) schools where they will deliver lectures, conduct science programmes and distribute chemistry kits among children.

Guruswamy Kumaraswamy, co-ordinator of the outreach programme, NCL, said, “Over the last one year, we realised that students belonging to the middle class and upper middle class categories only had access to the internet and knew how to register for these programmes. Children from the civic schools or other schools for the underprivileged were completely unaware. Hence, we are planning to take our guest speakers and eminent scientists to these schools.”

The outreach programme was launched with an idea to introduce students to the frontiers of modern multi-diciplinary science and encourage them to take up a career in research.

Guruswamy further said, “We definitely believe there is talent among these students and our effort to encourage students to take up science applies to these students too. Hence, we will discuss this with the PMC education board and other officials in order to reach these schools.”

The outreach programmes included talks on various subjects in science by scientists and experts in the field. Close to 40 schools participated in these lectures throughout the year.

“These lectures are open to all students in the 8th, 9th and 10th grades and science teachers as well. We have tried to incorporate experimental demonstrations into our talks to bring the science alive and kindle students’ curiosity. Now after achieving this goal, we intend to expand to a different class of students and tap them at the right age,” Guruswamy added. Topics: Pune National Chemical Laboratory More Stories from this section Submit action plan to control spread of diseases: Mayor H1N1 death toll…More

TOI : PUNE: Pandemonium broke out during the Pune Municipal Corporation general body meeting on Wednesday when allegations were made that a corporator was involved in octroi evasion and that some of the octroi department employees were also indulging in illegal activities.

While discussing a proposal tabled by the administration to increase the rates of escort octroi pass, NCP corporator Subhash Jagtap raised the issue of the fall in PMC’s octroi collection.

“Octroi is supposed to be the backbone of PMC’s revenue. Octroi evasion to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees takes place. Measures have to be taken to curb that. Even a corporator is involved in octroi evasion,” Jagtap said, following which the entire house erupted and demanded that the name be revealed.

Later, leader of the opposition Aba Bagul also alleged that there were six big transporters who are responsible for maximum evasion and that octroi department employees were also involved in malpractice.

Soon, BJP corporator Vikas Mathkari and others demanded Bagul to reveal the names.

Meanwhile, head of the department Rajan Muthe said that the half-year octroi collections were higher than that of the corresponding period last year.

He added that names of octroi evaders are declared in the press from time to time and adequate action is taken against them. Topics: Pune Municipal Corporation Octroi More Stories from this section Submit action plan to control spread of diseases: Mayor H1N1 death toll rises to 93 More city buildings turn green PCB to ban polythene bags 4 de…More