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TOI : PUNE: Sulbha Brahme, senior social activist on Friday criticised the Union and state governments for ignoring the villagers’ welfare by pushing the atomic and thermal power projects in Konkan. Addressing a press conferene here, Brahme maintained that the Konkan Bachao Samiti (KBS) is going to continue with its agitation against the state government’s land acquisition.

According to the documents shared by the Samiti, the government has planned to set up power plants in Shahapur (dist. Raigad), Dhopave, Bhopan, Jaigad and Ranpar (all in dist. Ratnagiri), Munge and Dhakore (dist. Sindhudurga). “Soon after the code of conduct was revoked, government officials started the work of acquiring more land in these villages,” she said.

“The combined power generation capacity of these projects is said to be around 18,100 Mega-Watts. Generating this much energy will need huge amounts of coal, uranium and other hazardous materials that would contaminate the land, air and water in these areas,” Brahme said. As per the figures released by the government in 2008, the state has the capacity to generate 17,500 MW of power, whereas the electricity generated is only 13,575 MW, she said.

The existing thermal power projects at Parali, Paras, Khaparkheda, Bhusaval and Chandrapur are yet to be utilised to their optimum capacity. Electricity leakage should be checked to meet the state’s power needs better, Brahme said.

“Villagers have clarified that they do not want to give their land for these projects. Nobody has assured us of the safety of these projects, especially nuclear energy generation plants. They may harm the life and environment in the region. As these project need highly-skilled manpower, it is unlikely that these projects will generate significant employment in rural areas. Konkan is known for its alphonso mangoes, rice, fishery industry and rich natural resources. All these would be adversely affected if such power projects are introduced,” she said.

“It must be observed that though…More

TOI : PUNE: Sulbha Brahme, senior social activist on Friday criticised the Union and state governments for ignoring the villagers’ welfare by pushing the atomic and thermal power projects in Konkan. Addressing a press conferene here, Brahme maintained that the Konkan Bachao Samiti (KBS) is going to continue with its agitation against the state government’s land acquisition.

According to the documents shared by the Samiti, the government has planned to set up power plants in Shahapur (dist. Raigad), Dhopave, Bhopan, Jaigad and Ranpar (all in dist. Ratnagiri), Munge and Dhakore (dist. Sindhudurga). “Soon after the code of conduct was revoked, government officials started the work of acquiring more land in these villages,” she said.

“The combined power generation capacity of these projects is said to be around 18,100 Mega-Watts. Generating this much energy will need huge amounts of coal, uranium and other hazardous materials that would contaminate the land, air and water in these areas,” Brahme said. As per the figures released by the government in 2008, the state has the capacity to generate 17,500 MW of power, whereas the electricity generated is only 13,575 MW, she said.

The existing thermal power projects at Parali, Paras, Khaparkheda, Bhusaval and Chandrapur are yet to be utilised to their optimum capacity. Electricity leakage should be checked to meet the state’s power needs better, Brahme said.

“Villagers have clarified that they do not want to give their land for these projects. Nobody has assured us of the safety of these projects, especially nuclear energy generation plants. They may harm the life and environment in the region. As these project need highly-skilled manpower, it is unlikely that these projects will generate significant employment in rural areas. Konkan is known for its alphonso mangoes, rice, fishery industry and rich natural resources. All these would be adversely affected if such power projects are introduced,” she said.

“It must be observed that though…More

TOI : PUNE: Next time you find a snake in your vicinity, don’t panic and please don’t harm the reptile. Just consult the snake diary’ and dial the number of your nearest snake rescuer.

In a novel initiative, snake rescuer Ram Bhutkar has put together a database containing information about snake rescuers in the city which will be published in the form of a pocket diary. The diary will contain contact details of at least 300 snake rescuers in the district. The 65-page diary will be ready within a month’s time and will be distributed at all public places, Ganesh mandals and even shops.

Bhutkar, who runs Sarpavishwa Sanstha, an organisation dedicated to creating awareness about snakes among the common people, said, “The reason behind coming out with such a diary is that over a period of time the city has seen a rise in the number of snake rescuers. Secondly, awareness among citizens has also increased. So, there is a willingness to save the reptiles. However, when a snake is found at a residential area, it is a case of emergency and often people start looking to contact rescuers after it is seen. Many a times, it is too late by the time these rescuers reach the spot.”

The diary will contain a list of over 300 snake rescuers in the city with their contact details, e-mail addresses, residence addresses, and also a photograph for identification.

“Last year, the forest department had issued identity cards to 150 snake rescuers in the city and I was instrumental in providing this database to the department. Those 150 rescuers and some more have been contacted and their details have been availed for the purpose,” Bhutkar said.

The diary will also contain a basic guide on what to do if a snake is found in enclosed areas. This is for the citizens who are not exposed to snakes in…More

TOI : PUNE: Next time you find a snake in your vicinity, don’t panic and please don’t harm the reptile. Just consult the snake diary’ and dial the number of your nearest snake rescuer.

In a novel initiative, snake rescuer Ram Bhutkar has put together a database containing information about snake rescuers in the city which will be published in the form of a pocket diary. The diary will contain contact details of at least 300 snake rescuers in the district. The 65-page diary will be ready within a month’s time and will be distributed at all public places, Ganesh mandals and even shops.

Bhutkar, who runs Sarpavishwa Sanstha, an organisation dedicated to creating awareness about snakes among the common people, said, “The reason behind coming out with such a diary is that over a period of time the city has seen a rise in the number of snake rescuers. Secondly, awareness among citizens has also increased. So, there is a willingness to save the reptiles. However, when a snake is found at a residential area, it is a case of emergency and often people start looking to contact rescuers after it is seen. Many a times, it is too late by the time these rescuers reach the spot.”

The diary will contain a list of over 300 snake rescuers in the city with their contact details, e-mail addresses, residence addresses, and also a photograph for identification.

“Last year, the forest department had issued identity cards to 150 snake rescuers in the city and I was instrumental in providing this database to the department. Those 150 rescuers and some more have been contacted and their details have been availed for the purpose,” Bhutkar said.

The diary will also contain a basic guide on what to do if a snake is found in enclosed areas. This is for the citizens who are not exposed to snakes in…More

TOI : PUNE: The state government has decided to undertake a state-wide programme for capability building and skills enhancement of elected women representatives in local self-government bodies like gram panchayats and zilla parishads.

The training programmes will be ready for implementation by next month and sessions will start from February while the trainers’ training programmes will be taken up in January.

The chairman of state election commission, Neela Satyanarayan elaborated the programme details while addressing a meeting in the city on Saturday. Satyanarayan said, “The programme focuses on strong and effective women’s representation at the local level. This would be a three-year programme and will cover all the local self-government bodies and zilla parishads in the state.”

“The trainees will be told about the administrative work at grampanchayats, economy of a gram panchayat and effective implementation of the Panchayat Raj Act. The training would also talk about the success stories of women in villages and overall personality development of women,” said Satyanarayan.

The programme will bring awareness in women representatives about their roles, functions, duties, responsibilities and authority. Also, the programme is a step ahead to encourage women’s participation in the process of local development.

Satyanarayan said, “Each district in the state would have a separate programme considering the social, economical and geographical whereabouts as well as the local problems. The consideration is also being given to the educational background and social standing of the women representatives. It would also have interactive sessions to make the programme more effective”.

The state government would move ahead the proposal to the union government in demand of the financial assistance for its implementation. The programme is being framed with the help of Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada), Akhil Bharatiya Sthanik Swarajya Sanstha, Yashaswini and Symbiosis College.

Topics: Women training More Stories from this section KBS irked with land acquisition for power projects in Konkan…More

TOI : PUNE: The state government has decided to undertake a state-wide programme for capability building and skills enhancement of elected women representatives in local self-government bodies like gram panchayats and zilla parishads.

The training programmes will be ready for implementation by next month and sessions will start from February while the trainers’ training programmes will be taken up in January.

The chairman of state election commission, Neela Satyanarayan elaborated the programme details while addressing a meeting in the city on Saturday. Satyanarayan said, “The programme focuses on strong and effective women’s representation at the local level. This would be a three-year programme and will cover all the local self-government bodies and zilla parishads in the state.”

“The trainees will be told about the administrative work at grampanchayats, economy of a gram panchayat and effective implementation of the Panchayat Raj Act. The training would also talk about the success stories of women in villages and overall personality development of women,” said Satyanarayan.

The programme will bring awareness in women representatives about their roles, functions, duties, responsibilities and authority. Also, the programme is a step ahead to encourage women’s participation in the process of local development.

Satyanarayan said, “Each district in the state would have a separate programme considering the social, economical and geographical whereabouts as well as the local problems. The consideration is also being given to the educational background and social standing of the women representatives. It would also have interactive sessions to make the programme more effective”.

The state government would move ahead the proposal to the union government in demand of the financial assistance for its implementation. The programme is being framed with the help of Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (Yashada), Akhil Bharatiya Sthanik Swarajya Sanstha, Yashaswini and Symbiosis College.

Topics: Women training More Stories from this section KBS irked with land acquisition for power projects in Konkan…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) health department will use e-tendering to purchase medicines.

Nagkumar Kunchagi, Medical Officer of Health (MOH), PCMC said, “The Science and Technology Park (STP) has prepared the software, the trials for which will be held on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“The PCMC has started inviting bids for contracts of various civic departments, but it is yet to start inviting bids for contracts of the health department because our operating procedures are different from other departments. We do not have to only consider the criteria of low cost but also consider quality as our department is directly concerned with the health of the people,” said Kunchagi, expalining the reason for a separate e-tendering process.

Meanwhile, a proposal will be discussed at the standing committee meeting to be held on Tuesday to grant approval for the purchase of medicines and equipment with a total expenditure of Rs 1.5 crore. The proposal has been tabled as STP has completed the demo of the e-tendering process and a period of 15 to 20 days has to be provided to bidders to submit their bids.

Speaking about it, Kunchagi said, “The period of the earlier contract has expired. It will take some time to approve the e-tendering software. In order to meet the requirements of medicines and equipment for the next two to three months we are seeking the permission of the standing committee.”

Topics: PCMC More Stories from this section KBS irked with land acquisition for power projects in Konkan New law invoked against group that attacked city docs Govt to ensure safety of school bldgs 1,300 participate in Lonavla run Kolhapur boy b…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) health department will use e-tendering to purchase medicines.

Nagkumar Kunchagi, Medical Officer of Health (MOH), PCMC said, “The Science and Technology Park (STP) has prepared the software, the trials for which will be held on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

“The PCMC has started inviting bids for contracts of various civic departments, but it is yet to start inviting bids for contracts of the health department because our operating procedures are different from other departments. We do not have to only consider the criteria of low cost but also consider quality as our department is directly concerned with the health of the people,” said Kunchagi, expalining the reason for a separate e-tendering process.

Meanwhile, a proposal will be discussed at the standing committee meeting to be held on Tuesday to grant approval for the purchase of medicines and equipment with a total expenditure of Rs 1.5 crore. The proposal has been tabled as STP has completed the demo of the e-tendering process and a period of 15 to 20 days has to be provided to bidders to submit their bids.

Speaking about it, Kunchagi said, “The period of the earlier contract has expired. It will take some time to approve the e-tendering software. In order to meet the requirements of medicines and equipment for the next two to three months we are seeking the permission of the standing committee.”

Topics: PCMC More Stories from this section KBS irked with land acquisition for power projects in Konkan New law invoked against group that attacked city docs Govt to ensure safety of school bldgs 1,300 participate in Lonavla run Kolhapur boy b…More

TOI : PUNE: A group of 20 city-based lawyers and researchers have come together to launch a novel infobank service for helping out academic institutions, especially those in rural areas, with the mandatory compliance of various regulatory norms in higher education.

The infobank called as Lex Eye,’ a Latin expression for the term legal eye promises to be a one-stop source of consolidated information for improving academic, financial and administrative standards of an institution. These three standards eventually establish the legitimacy and brand of an institution.

Consider this: University of Pune (UoP) has more than 575 affiliated colleges and 300 recognised institutes operating in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts. Collectively, they account for over 6.5 lakh students.

However, barely 30 per cent of these institutions are permanently affiliated to the UoP. The rest have continued to run, for years, on a temporary affiliation that is subject to annual reviews by the local inquiry committees (LICs) for compliance of norms set by the university.

Institutions operating without permanent affiliation are not eligible for the crucial rating by accreditation bodies like NAAC and NBA, among others. As such, they stand denied of grants and incentives offered by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Lex Eye’s head consultant Manoj Wadekar said, “It is not that institutions deliberately avoid compliance. In many cases, particularly in rural areas, their managements and the higher-ups are simply ignorant about the need for the mandatory compliance and the accompanying benefits they can get.”

For instance, he said, one of the emphasising factors of UoP’s latest guidelines for permanent affiliation is, the performance of the local management committee (LMC) at the institution for the last three years. “Several institutions tend to falter on the very composition of such LMCs,” he said.

Similarly, factors like having an anti-ragging cell; women’s grievance cell; updated rosters for teaching and non-teaching staffers’ permanent approval and reservation and submission…More

TOI : PUNE: A group of 20 city-based lawyers and researchers have come together to launch a novel infobank service for helping out academic institutions, especially those in rural areas, with the mandatory compliance of various regulatory norms in higher education.

The infobank called as Lex Eye,’ a Latin expression for the term legal eye promises to be a one-stop source of consolidated information for improving academic, financial and administrative standards of an institution. These three standards eventually establish the legitimacy and brand of an institution.

Consider this: University of Pune (UoP) has more than 575 affiliated colleges and 300 recognised institutes operating in Pune, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts. Collectively, they account for over 6.5 lakh students.

However, barely 30 per cent of these institutions are permanently affiliated to the UoP. The rest have continued to run, for years, on a temporary affiliation that is subject to annual reviews by the local inquiry committees (LICs) for compliance of norms set by the university.

Institutions operating without permanent affiliation are not eligible for the crucial rating by accreditation bodies like NAAC and NBA, among others. As such, they stand denied of grants and incentives offered by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Lex Eye’s head consultant Manoj Wadekar said, “It is not that institutions deliberately avoid compliance. In many cases, particularly in rural areas, their managements and the higher-ups are simply ignorant about the need for the mandatory compliance and the accompanying benefits they can get.”

For instance, he said, one of the emphasising factors of UoP’s latest guidelines for permanent affiliation is, the performance of the local management committee (LMC) at the institution for the last three years. “Several institutions tend to falter on the very composition of such LMCs,” he said.

Similarly, factors like having an anti-ragging cell; women’s grievance cell; updated rosters for teaching and non-teaching staffers’ permanent approval and reservation and submission…More