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TOI : PUNE: The Khadak police have booked a tour operator from Ahmedabad for allegedly duping 31 persons to the tune of Rs 18 lakh on the pretext of making arrangements for Haj pilgrimage.

After registering the case, the Khadak police transferred it to the Nagpada police station in Mumbai as the incident took place at Nagpada. The police have identified the suspect as Ashfaq N Sayyad of Ahmedabad. A complaint in this regard was filed by Mohammed Maula Chandsaab Ali (42) of Karnataka, also a tour operator.

According to the complaint, the suspect took Rs 18 lakh from Ali for making arrangement of the Haj tour. Ali paid him the money at Nagpada and also gave him the passports of the 31 pilgrims to obtain visa. However, the suspect fled with the money. The complainant, along with a few others, went to the suspect’s office in Mumbai and managed to recover 26 passports from his office.

Senior inspector G V Nikam of the Khadak police station said, “We have registered the case and transferred it to Nagpada police station in Mumbai.” More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom Sex racket busted Luxury b…More

TOI : PUNE: Lack of awareness among diabetic patients about the haemoglobin A1c test, also called HbA1c test, and the tendency among general practitioners and family physicians to follow conventional blood sugar tests are among the few reasons for poorly controlled sugar levels and serious long-term complications among diabetics in the city, say experts.

“There are a large number of diabetic patients in the city who go to family physicians and general practitioners for monthly check-ups of their blood sugar. Most of them opt for the conventional blood sugar test which gives a picture of the sugar of that day only. The HbA1c level, however, changes slowly, over 10 weeks and gives a true picture of the blood sugar and so it can be used as a measure to keep a tight control on the blood sugar level,” said Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the city unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Sugar levels fluctuate from minute to minute, hour to hour, and day to day. Thus, for hour to hour control, or day to day, a sugar level is the best guide. “In diabetes sugars tend to rise more than usual, dropping with exercise, rising after food, rising a lot more after sugary food and can be hard to control,” said Bhondwe, who has around 2,500 diabetic patients that visit his clinic.

All patients with diabetes need regular haemoglobin A1c tests. Most people with diabetes also need to self-monitor their blood glucose to get a complete picture of blood sugar control. “Self-monitoring blood glucose gives a snapshot of control at the time of the test, while the haemoglobin A1c test gives the big picture of control over the past three months. Together, these tests tell a patient and his or her doctor whether the patient’s blood sugar is under control,” said diabetologist C S Yajnik.

Lowering the haemoglobin A1c number can delay or prevent the…More

TOI : PUNE: Jal Biradari (Pune district), has embarked upon a state-wide people’s participation movement to bring about a sea-change in the way we view our water resources, along with other groups.

Starting with Pune, the organisation will then endeavour to take the movement to other industrial cities of Maharashtra.

A part of the Jal Biradari national movement of individuals concerned about the country’s water resources,promoted by Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh, the people’s movement seeks to cover vast and varied ground, said Sunil Joshi, co-ordinator of Jal Biradari.

This includes: reaching out to various citizen groups, schools and colleges; bringing about an action plan to minimize the wastage of water on a day-to-day basis; a water demand audit which will assess how we use water; and advocating the need for various industries – including chemical, manufacturing and construction units – to come together and find a way to recycle, and reuse both solid and liquid waste.

“To convince every citizen of Pune, that a river is not a carrier of waste but a lifeline, is akin to bringing about a change in the attitude of a small European nation. With a population of 4.5 million, the sheer number of people in the twin cities of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, exceed the occupancy of Ireland,” Joshi said.

“We exist, because rivers exist. It is the rivers that are the focal point of development, not cities,” Joshi said, while speaking to TOI on the backdrop of the recently-concluded Nadi Chintan Shibir in PCMC. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have emerged as cultural bastions and industrial hubs only because of the presence of rivers like Mula, Mutha and Indrayani, he said.

“Each one of us needs to stop and reassess our lifestyles at every juncture. How much water do we actually need while flushing the toilet and washing utensils, and how much do we waste? Ultimately, all of this accumulates…More

TOI : PUNE: On the backdrop of the recent religious strife in Sangli and Miraj, special inspector-general of police Suresh Khopade on Friday said communal riots were an outcome of administrative failure.

Khopade, who pioneered the concept of mohalla peace committees to maintain communal harmony, was speaking at a function organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists. The committees were first set up in the then riot-prone Bhiwandi township in Thane district in 1988. The model was subsequently implemented across the state.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Khopade said politicians have a role in the occurrence of riots. Criticising the working of the police department, he stated: “In the present scenario, the police department merely tries to control communal tension. Hardly any steps are taken to restrict the spread of the strife to other areas. Besides, the police also have to initiate measures to maintain peace and law and order.”

Khopade observed that the mohalla committee concept was not being implemented seriously. “While working in Bhiwandi, I conducted an empirical study of communal riots in the city from 1960 to 1984. Based on the findings, I tried to built a strong mohalla network by introducing mohalla committees. The step was taken to avoid communal tension and establish a free dialogue between the police and the residents.”

Elaborating on the model, he said, “People from diverse backgrounds from one locality came together to form the mohalla committee. This created a platform to discuss issues across the table, which lead to the promotion of communal harmony.”

The experiment proved successful, the IPS officer said, and calm was maintained at Bhiwandi even as many cities in the country witnessed bloody riots following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992.

Khopade also called for newer methods by the police to increase the dialogue between the common people and law enforcers.

Keeping the peace

*…More

TOI : PUNE: The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has developed software Onama’ for engineering professionals in the country. The low-cost software will enable engineering colleges to churn out more high demand for high performance computing (HPC) professionals in the domestic and overseas market.

Speaking at the launch of the software, S.P Dixit, director, C-DAC said, “There is growing demand for HPC professionals and manpower in India and abroad. This software will come in handy to develop this manpower.”

The software will equip future engineers and scientists with HPC expertise, who’s application is suited to various engineering disciplines, like computer science, mechanical, electronics and telecommunication, electrical, chemical engineering and life sciences, among others.

For instance, the software will enable engineers to prepare diagram charts while making their projects. “The existing softwares that are available in the market are really expensive and can be afforded only by the likes of Indian Institute of Technologies. We realised the need for a cheaper software and came up with the idea of Onama, which is low-cost and can be affording by any medium range engineering institute,” Goldi Mishra, group co-ordinator and head of the HPC Solutions Group, C-DAC, informed.

Engineering institutions that do not have a lot of funds at their disposal can install this software at their respective colleges as per their requirements. The software is priced anywhere between Rs five lakh to Rs 50 lakh depending upon the institute’s requirement. C-DAC will train the faculties on HPC once the software is deployed at the respective college.

Various symposiums will be conducted in the coming months across the country wherein awareness will be created about this software.

The first of such workshops, which already has a confirmed participation from 100 engineering colleges specifically for Principals, vice-principals and department heads, has been organised at the College of Engineering, Pune on Saturday. More Stories from this section 2-yr-old…More

TOI : PUNE: Small-scale industries (SSIs) in Pimpri-Chinchwad suffered huge losses because of disruption in power supply on Wednesday, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Small-Scale Industries’ Association (PCSSIA) said.

Speaking to TOI on Thursday, PCSSIA president Suresh Mhetre said power supply was disrupted throughout Tuesday night. On Wednesday, supply did not resume till 12.30 pm in the industrial belt.

Consequently, nearly all units in the industrial areas of Pimpri, Chinchwad, Bhosari, Chikhli, Moshi and Talawade, among others, declared a holiday by afternoon. This caused production losses to almost all the 6,000-odd small industries, he stated.

Mhetre said a delegation from the association met Ratan Sonule, executive engineer of Bhosari division, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), to know the reasons behind the protracted power outage. Mhetre ascribed the delay by the MSEDCL in restoring supply to insufficient manpower and equipment.

Sonule, however, denied the charges. “A large number of trees were uprooted because of the rain and strong winds, bringing down electricity cables and disrupting power supply. We tried our best to restore supply as soon as possible.”

The PCSSIA will now meet MSEDCL chief engineer Siddharth Nagtilak on November 17 to discuss the issue. The association also plans to approach state power minister Ajit Pawar and submit a memorandum stating the problems faced by the units. More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom Sex racket busted Luxury b…More

TOI : PUNE: Thanks to the Phyan cyclone effect, Pune got its quota of November rain in just 24 hours.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city received 93.8 mm rainfall in the 24 hours preceding 8.30 am on Wednesday. The usual rainfall for the month of November is 90 mm.

“The heavy rainfall that fell was the effect of a deep depression, which converted into cyclonic storm Phyan,” IMD officials told TOI.

The rain started on Tuesday morning with a deep depression over the east central Arabian Sea. Later, the depression moved in a north, north-easterly direction and then north again to form the cyclonic storm. By 8.30 am on Wednesday the cyclone was about 250 km south southwest of Mumbai and by 5.30 pm it was around 100 km north-east of Mumbai before it moved towards Madhya Pradesh.

Many parts of the state, including Pune, witnessed very heavy showers during this period.

“This kind of storm is not very common in November,” said A B Mazumdar, deputy director-general meteorology, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

As per IMD figures, because of the sudden heavy showers in Pune, the post-monsoon rainfall figures have gone up drastically. Since the start of the post-monsoon season on October 1, the city has received 241.5 mm rainfall, so far. More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom Sex racket busted Luxury b…More

TOI : PUNE: The proposal to lay underground cables for power supply in the city needs to be re-examined considering the cost involved, said state minister Ajit Pawar on Friday. He also asked the civic body and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) to study the proposal in detail and frame a report in the next six days.

Pawar held a meeting in the city to sort out issues and problems pertaining to the implementation of the proposed MSEDCL project. Divisional commissioner Dilip Band, commissioner of the PMC Mahesh Zagade, PCMC chief Ashish Sharma, district collector Chandrakant Dalvi and MSEDCL officials were present at the meeting.

It was the first meeting held by Pawar after he took charge of the energy ministry. However, it ended with no decision being taken in respect of sorting out the issue of fixing a charge for laying the cables.

Under the project, the MSEDCL has proposed strengthening the power supply network in the city by laying cables and establishing sub-stations. The total cost it proposed for laying the underground cables in the PMC and the PCMC areas was fixed at Rs 229.19 crore and Rs 26.29 crore respectively.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) quoted digging charges of Rs 4,400 per metre. According to MSEDCL, the total cost of digging charges will come to around Rs 740 crore, which is three times the cost of laying the cables.

After listening to presentations by the civic body and MSEDCL, Pawar asked officials of both to study the proposal together and prepare a combined report.

During the meeting Pawar also said that the irrigation department should protect the water in the dams to make sure uninterrupted water supply was available to the city till July next year. More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom…More

TOI : PUNE: The Times Property Showcase begins on Saturday at Le Meridien, Pune. This is the winter edition of Pune’s most prestigious and successful property exhibition conceptualised with an aim of providing visitors the maximum value at unbeatable prices.

Select projects spread over the entire city suiting the needs of today’s discerning home-buyers and investors will be showcased at the exhibition. With more than 60 top builders and around 400 projects on display, visitors will have a wide range of properties to select from and can expect to get the best deals.

Entry to the exhibition is free and the timings are from 10.30 am to 7.00 pm on November 14 and 15. More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom Sex racket busted Luxury b…More

TOI : PUNE: The city and rural police have intensified security arrangements near major defence establishments in and around the city. The decision was taken after it was reported that US-based Lashkar terrorist David Coleman Headley had visited Pune.

Headley was arrested last week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During investigation it was revealed that he had done a recce for the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on 26/11. Investigations have also revealed that Headley visited major cities in the country, including New Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Agra, Kochi and Pune.

Speaking to TOI, deputy commissioner of police (special branch) Ravindra Sengaonkar said, “Security arrangements near major defence establishments like the National Defence Academy have been beefed up, based on our intelligence inputs.” However, he added that the Pune police did not have any inputs on Headley’s alleged visit to Pune.

The rural police are also taking precautionary measures near NDA, one of the vital defence establishments in the city. Speaking to TOI superintendent of police Pratap Dighavkar said, “We have intensified the security near parts of NDA under our jurisdiction. I have issued directions to the special branch and the security branch of the Pune rural police,” he added.

“We have started searching hotels and lodges in the vicinity of NDA,” Dighavkar said, “We have also imposed nakabandis in the area.” More Stories from this section 2-yr-old girl abducted, raped Over 17 lakh trees of 175 species surveyed Unidentified men loot digital cameras showroom Sex racket busted Luxury b…More