The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 14/11/2015

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MUMBAI

CITY

HC initiates suo moto PIL to protect corporate sector P2

Ex-soldiers battle for their pension P3

Keeping the Marathi musical theatre tradition alive

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

The Marathi film version of Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, based on the musical play of the same name, was released on November 12. On this momentous occasion, TGS spoke to five theatre groups that cherish the Marathi Sangeet Natak art and tradition and are doing all they can to keep it flourishing See Spotlight, p08 & 09

Man replicates wife’s suicide Depressed after wife’s suicide, man allegedly ends life in a copycat sequence

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke Arjun Vithoba Misal, 54, a forest watchman allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his home at Janwadi on early Wednesday morning. He was found by his son Santosh, who had gone to give him breakfast. Misal ended his life at the same spot in the room and with the same Arjun Vithoba Misal sari his wife had hanged herself with four months ago.

The Misals home is opposite PMC’s Savitribai Public Hall in the Neeljyoti

RAHUL RAUT

area of Janwadi, off Senapati Bapat Road.

Misal was an employee of the state forest department and his son runs a grocery shop on the ground floor of their house.

Sub Inspector Anandsingh Sable of Chatushrungi police station said that four months ago Arjun’s wife, Laxmibai (50) had committed suicide at the same spot as she was plagued with ill health. “We assume that Arjun took this extreme step as he was disturbed by his wife’s suicide,” Sable said.

“Misal had sustained serious head injuries in an accident on Senapati Bapat Road ten months ago,” a neighbour said.

His wife was shaken by the incident and her phase of ill health began soon after, culminating in her suicide.

“He was acutely depressed after his wife’s suicide,” Sable said.

Misal is survived by his son, three daughters, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who were all at home for Diwali. Unfortunately for them, the festivities have ended on such a tragic note, when he committed suicide. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Little progress over development works Majority of local MLAs have not taken up, or even recommended developmental works from their funds in their constituencies

Vijay Kale (Shivajinagar)

Madhuri Misal (Parvati)

Radha is no more

Closure of local nutrition centres by the government and her parents’ mistrust in hospitals killed her See on p3

Burglars and chain snatchers go scot-free

Pune Police lapses in investigation facilitate acquittals of eight accused in six cases See on p4

Jagdish Mulik (Wadgaon Sheri)

Dilip Kamble (Pune Cantonment)

Girish Bapat (Kasba Peth)

Yogesh Tilekar (Hadapsar)

Bhimrao Tapkir (Khadakwasla)

Medha Kulkarni (Kothrud)

Number of works recommended - Nil Amount sanctioned - Nil

Number of works recommended - 1 Amount sanctioned – Nil

Number of works recommended - 19 Amount sanctioned – Nil

Number of works recommended - 19 Amount sanctioned - Nil

Number of works Number of works Number of works Number of works recommended - 37 recommended - 108 recommended - 75 recommended - 21 Amt sanctioned – Rs 61 lakh Amt sanctioned – Rs 1.57 cr Amt sanctioned – Rs 30 lakh Amt sanctioned – Rs 73.50 lakh

BY GARGI VERMA @missgverma To err is human and never more so than with the Pune Police. But this time around, the local police’s goofups in less than a week have resulted in a series of acquittals. In just five days, eight accused in six cases have been acquitted owing to a lack of ‘cogent and reliable evidence’. The cases investigated by Yerawada Police Station are regarding break-ins and chain snatching incidents dating back to May 2014.

All the six cases were heard in Judicial Magistrate First Class court Number 5, presided over by Judge P T Gotey. Assistant Public

Prosecutor Waman Koli said that there were several lapses in the police investigation that led to the acquittal of the accused. “In chain snatching and house break-in cases, there are generally no eye-witnesses. Therefore, circumstantial evidence needs to be foolproof. But there were several lapses in procurement and recovery of the stolen goods,” advocate Koli said.

According to the court orders, “There was no eye-witness to the incident. The case of prosecution is based on the circumstantial evidence of alleged recovery of stolen property.

So, the panchanama is supposed to be foolproof and only document of evidence.

Contd on p 5

MUMBAI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

‘Rich Indian-Americans could dwarf official US aid to India’ P 13

“About 60 lakh farmers from 15,747 drought hit villages are expected to benefit from central assistance. I have spoken to the union agriculture minister and requested him to release the assistance as soon as possible.”

—Eknath Khadse, Agriculture Minister

HC initiates suo moto PIL to protect corporate sector Urges using provisions of IT Act to ensure security of the corporate sector

BY BAPU DEEDWANIA @TGSWeekly Concerned over the security of the corporate sector, the Bombay High Court has taken a serious note of the situation. The High Court has requested the Central Ministry to use provisions of the Information Technology Act to bring the entire corporate sector under the wing of a protected system so that any person acting in an unauthorised manner to gain access to digital records of companies, will face immediate prosecution. The High Court has already converted this issue into a Criminal Public Interest Litigation on its own.

Alarmed by the misuse of Digital Signature Certificates (DSCs), the court in one of its recent orders, said that their concern is not limited to any particular company but to ensure integ r it y of the digital records maintained by the Registrar of Companies.

It all started with three cases of corporate hijacking that reached the High Court. The Court asked the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Ministry of Information Technology to wake up and take immediate measures to put an end to hijackings and piracies. The Golden Sparrow reported on these matters in its May 3 edition.

misused to sell a huge plot of land in Bandra, belonging to the company.

After Justice Patel passed an order saying that the situation was a serious one and must be taken up as a PIL, the then Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice AK Menon converted the issue into a suo motu Criminal Public Interest Litigation. The Registrar of Companies was made a party and later even Infosys Limited was added as a respondent in the matter, taking into account that it’s one of big corporate companies.

Two of these three cases were taken up by Justice Gautam Patel.

In one of them, the entire board of directors was changed by obtaining fraud DSCs. In the other case, a fraudulent DSC was obtained of a deceased director and eventually

At a recent hearing of the matter, a set of revised guidelines was submitted to the High Court. Th is set was put forward in response to the PIL by the Registrar of Companies, the Union of India through the Ministry of Information & Technology, through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Ministry of Telecommunications.

However, the High Court in its order, said that it is at this stage unclear whether these guidelines, even if implemented, will sufficiently address the issue.

Infosys Limited told the High Court that they have asked the Ministry of Corporate Affairs that further security measures should be taken in order to prevent identity theft and misuse of DSCs. The division bench of Justice Patel and Justice Menon hearing the matter, has stated that the Ministry of Information & Technology, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the Ministry of Telecommunications must address issues on an urgent basis.

Firstly, it is not merely sufficient to try and increase the security or number of checks required before issuing DSCs. The portal of the RoC itself needs to be protected against unauthorised use.

The division bench added that the Union Ministries should see if a twofactor method of security verification for access at the RoC websites can be adopted for making it more secure.

The court observed, “Prima facie it is our view that an additional

Previous cases •

•

DDPL Global Infrastructure Pvt Ltd is a company with four directors. In March 2015, their auditors were alarmed to find that the signatory details for DDPL had been changed without notice to DDPL and two other persons were shown as signatories. These persons were entirely unknown to DDPL and its directors. They claimed to have obtained unique DINs themselves and were also shown on the MCA website as being directors of DDPL with effect from February 2015.

Another case is of Maneklal Mansukhbhai Private Limited (MMPL), a company that has a huge land parcel in Bandra. The scamsters in MMPL case had figured loopholes in the system, obtained fake digital signatures of one of the directors, and fi led returns on the Registrar of Companies (RoC) website using the signature. They later used these fake digital signatures to oust the board of directors of MMPL, took complete control of all the assets of the company including the 13,233 sq metre prime plot in Bandra, Mumbai and were all set to dispose off the land parcel when the entire fraud came to light.

layer of security will assist greatly in preventing unauthorised access to the RoC website in the fi rst place. It will also enable the RoC, through its server logs, to immediately identify the persons who have logged in at any given time and to detect and prevent any abuse or attempt at falsification of RoC records.”

Going a step forward the court also discussed the powers vested in the government to use section 70 of the Information Technology Act( IT Act), 2000, to declare certain systems as protected and the entire RoC network could be declared as a Protected System.

The court added that the benefit of this would be that any person who violates this section to gain unauthorised access will face immediate action. The court also said that this prosecution is not a bar in other sections.

The court also said that one of the requirements under that section for the government to declare any system as protected is that the system must be in relation to the economy.

Calling the corporate structures

an integral part of the economy the court said, “We understand this to mean it must relate to the country’s commercial resources. The corporate structures in India are undoubtedly an integral part of the ‘economy’ and we see no reason why the RoC network cannot be brought into the sweep of Section 70.”

The court said that it expects the three ministries in question to give this matter their immediate attention.

“What is alarming is that unauthorised persons have been able to access the RoC network and gain access to and manipulate digital records maintained by the RoC to the significant prejudice and detriment of companies, and this has already happened… if this is possible in one case, it is possible in the case of every company whose records are maintained by the RoC; and this includes some of the largest companies in India.

Our concern, we must clarify, is not limited to any particular company but to ensure integrity of the digital records maintained by the Registrar of Companies,” the court said. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Engage parents as BNHS to take up bird counting on Nov 15 partners in education Maharashtra government in its 44-page report on the draft of National New Education Policy has recommended a tag-line of “100 per cent students in schools learning for eight hours a day”.

The School Education and Sports Ministry headed by Vinod Tawde has invited suggestions from the public by November 23 that too online and in English only.

The report poses 73 questions which are based on 14 themes that have been culled out from discussions right from village, tehsil, district to state level. The state government supports the National New Education Policy statement of One Nation One Curriculum, free and compulsory education till secondary and flexibility in syllabus.

Among the various issues discussed in the report the state government

has advocated the need for engaging parents as a partner in education.

On the contentious issue of No Detention Policy (not failing students till Standard VIII), the report says that the policy needs to be linked with well defined learning outcomes and remedial teaching.

The report also advocates the need for introduction of biometric attendance system and remote monitoring devices for teachers.

It also advocates the promotion of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support for increasing number of schools and strengthening school infrastructure.

It calls for access to secondary education, face to face, Distance Education, ICT based education.

PTI

A random count of various species of birds would be taken up by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) on November 15 for which it has sought active participation of bird enthusiasts.

The compilation of results of the counting task, being taken up to commemorate the birth anniversary of noted ornithologist late Dr Salim Ali, known as the ‘bird man of India’, is likely to take about a month, a BNHS official said.

The ‘Salim Ali Bird Count’ is organised by BNHS in partnership with Bird Count India, a collective group of many organisations across the country working towards documenting and monitoring birds.

“The bird count (task) is open to all common people and amateurs. As bird enthusiasts, they can count the

BNHS is one of the largest NGOs in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research

birds by observing them from their balconies or windows, or wherever they like or is possible, for at least 15 minutes and preferably over an hour,” assistant director (education and

communication), BNHS, Atul Sathe told PTI. “When they are done with the counting, they should note down the details of their observations, complete lists of all species spotted, and then upload all the information on the ‘ebirds’ website from where our society will download, analyse and circulate the findings,” said Sathe.

One can visit multiple locations during a day, but must maintain and upload separate bird lists and count for each location, he said.

When asked how accurate or authentic would this bird count be, Sathe said it is a kind of random survey that would ensure larger participation from the people in rural and urban areas, farms, mountains, jungles and seashores.

AMU drops guest house plan The proposal to lease out Aligarh Muslim University land to a Mumbaibased builder for a guest house has been dropped, Vice Chancellor Lt General (Retd) Zameer-ud-Din Shah said. In an open letter to the AMU community, Shah has sought to remove misgivings on the issue and some other issues also.

Faced by widespread protests both by students, teachers and some other organisations, the builder, an alumnus of the institution had chosen to voluntarily withdraw from the project, which was based on a build-operatetransfer (BOT) basis on a 25-year lease,

the VC said. Shah explained that the proposal for leasing out university land had been prompted by the fact that the institution was woefully short of good guest houses and the varsity was expecting hundreds of guests during the centenary celebrations in 2017.

The proposal envisaged that out of 100 rooms, 10 would be reserved for the university.

Regarding the move for his being a life trustee of the Sir Syed Foundation, which plans to establish schools in all districts of Uttar Pradesh, Shah said that if community leaders and the

executive council in its next meeting decides to nominate someone else he would be more than happy to be replaced by someone else.

In his letter Shah points out that the Minority Affairs Ministry was ready to give Rs 10 crore per annum for building schools. However, if detractors continue to stymie his efforts then this proposal could well be derailed.

He said it was now up to the members of the Muslim community to decide whether they wish to be establish such schools or not.

PTI

Senior babus to be told to make periodic field trips The Maharashtra government will soon instruct every Guardian Secretary to visit the district under his jurisdiction on the fi rst FridaySaturday of every month to oversee progress of development works.

Additional Chief Secretary of General Administration Department (GAD) P S Meena said that a Government Resolution (GR) in this regard will be issued next week.

The moves comes after remarks made by Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis that the state bureaucracy was not fully co-operating with the new government and this was posing a hurdle in implementing policies.

Fadnavis had also said that around 30 per cent of the state’s higher bureaucracy and about 50 per cent of lower level bureaucrats are still reluctant to implement the policies and programmes of the government.

“Also, the bureaucrat will visit a district on the third Friday-Saturday of every month of which he is not the

Guardian Secretary,” he said.

A meeting was held recently by Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya with senior officials in this connection at the state secretariat. Meena further said the government will restart the ‘Memo Reading’ system.

“The official manual states that senior officials should go and inspect all documents and fi les to check the status of works related to common people. Officers used to stay in tehsils for the 2-3 days, meet local villagers,

talk to them about progress of the work and address their complaints,” he added. Meena said that the new GR will be issued as there are complaints of work not being done at grass-root level and that these complaints are reaching the Chief Minister directly on the ‘Lokshahi Din.’ “Now officers will have to go and carry out inspections at district levels to check the status of work and make people aware of government schemes,” he added.

PTI

“Whenever a large number of people take part in an initiative, many hidden facts are unfolded and this is what we want to repeat in this massive survey. Though we have presence in almost three fourths part of the country, it is also true that our associates cannot reach every place where birds can reach,” he said.

Notably, eight birds from India have become more vulnerable to extinction in just last year, as revealed in the latest ‘red list’ of species nearing extinction prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

BNHS is one of the largest NGOs in India engaged in conservation and biodiversity research. Many prominent naturalists, including ornithologist Salim Ali, have been associated with it.

PTI

HC seeks action on extra area for co-op courts The Bombay High Court has directed Maharashtra Government to spell out the steps it proposes to take to hand over additional area required for cooperative courts in the city.

The division bench of Justices VM Kanade and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi on October 27 heard a bunch of public interest litigations highlighting the lack of infrastructure and facilities in the co-operative court and consumer courts.

Government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani had earlier informed the court that the government proposes to call a meeting of the officials of cooperative court. Vagyani had also said that additional area for the court will be provided in the Old Customs House in south Mumbai or elsewhere.

In an order on October 27, the bench noted that despite several opportunities, the government had not taken any decision.

“The state government shall within one week inform this court about the steps which they are taking to hand over additional area... Either in the premises available from the Old Customs House building or any other premises which are vacant and unused and in possession of the state,” it said.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

Should my meat be someone’s poison?

P12

“In the hour of crisis, there should not be any issue while releasing water from any dam to any region when it is about drinking water crisis. It is our responsibility to support the policy adopted by the state.”

— Sharad Pawar, President, Nationalist Congress Party

Silt and grass have stolen the sheen from the lake

BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @TGSWeekly

The water in Lakaki Lake at Model Colony has turned a darker hue owing to silt, and the grass covering its surface is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The deplorable condition of the 100-year-old lake is a major concern for residents of Model Colony, as mosquito-borne diseases are taking their toll.

The lake with unique eco-system and natural habitat for migratory birds of various species and small animals, insects and fish, was last cleaned in 2012. Former Pune Municipal Commissioner Mahesh Pathak had planned restoration of the lake in 2012, allocated funds and the removal of silt had started. But PMC stopped the work as environmentalists raised some concerns.

Resident of the area Avinash Jadhav said, “We have sent letters to PMC officials, local corporators to remove silt and grass from the lake but they have ignored the issue. The grass has created a mosquito menace and residents of the area suffering from fever, coughs and colds because of this. Some are leaving this area. Lakaki Lake is known for its rich of ecology, and all kinds of birds used to migrate here but urbanisation has taken its toll. Since the silt has not been removed for long, the water is polluted and exotic birds

The deplorable condition of the 100-year-old lake is a major concern for residents of Model Colony, as mosquito-borne diseases are taking their toll

like the fl amingo no longer come here. The fi sh are dead or dying due to pollution. The 28 ducks are not drinking polluted water and residents are feeding them and giving them water. In the garden around the lake, only one of the fi ve sprinklers is working.”

PMC’s garden department superintendent Ashok Ghorpade said, “We were cutting grass in the lake in 2012 but some citizens said we were harming the ecology so we stopped. We also released guppy fish in the water to control mosquito

Radha Kadam, the two-and-half-year-old, who was being treated for acute malnourishment at Sassoon General Hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), breathed her last on Saturday, November 7. Her condition was said to be critical but stable in the TGS report of last week. However, little Radha’s battle for life reached its tragic end as said, “Prior to the closure of the VCDC and she was unable to overcome the lung infection and CTC centres by the health department, children’s sepsis she had contracted owing to her fragile and malnutrition was a problem that was being brought severely malnourished state. under control. The VCDC centres were ensuring One of the key reasons for the delay in Radha that malnourished children in villages were being being brought to the PICU for treatment is her treated in time.” parents’ mistrust of hospitals. The closure of the The manch is planning to protest the closure Village Child Development Centres (VCDC) and of the centres. “We want to pinpoint and find just Community based Therapeutic Care (CTC) centres why these schemes were stopped by the health are another reason for the prevalence of Severely department and urge them to restart them,’’ said Acute Malnutrition (SAM) cases in Pune district.

Bendre.

Th is year alone, 370 cases came to light, primarily “The VCDC used to operate from the anganwadi in rural areas. centres where malnourished children were provided It is glaringly obvious then that child dry fruits, milk and nutritious meals. Children malnutrition is an issue that is largely ignored were referred to CTC centres for even better care.

“We hav at the riversid e started prep state and district levels, and one wonders after their closure, malnourished children the 2015e in Puhow ne city aring a But report an — Kun rates. The re d the cost op on the realign many more Radhas will pay r al Kfum o po were to NRC at Aundh which is a distance er sent m ar, mu rt will be subm ations for th ent of the ro nicipal ute alon e total itted be pr commis away such inexcusable oversights d ways a RBSK doctor. accord g the Finsaid sioner fore Nfrom ovembe ojectvillages,” ing to p r 15.” lastic w to use asworkers “Anganwadi or RBSK with their lives. in laying ro te ads: NG P8 Radha, a resident of doctors sentT malnourished Chakan was identified children to VCDC where with SAM at a local suMffisertrinusgt of hospitals by they were given a nutritious her pare from ac ute mal nt nutritio s has delaye anganwadi centre by diet and were kept under d the tr n eatmen t for litt Rashtriya Bal Swasthya close observation,” he said. le Rad ha who is Karyakram (RBSK) doctors of Khed ABOUT VCDC AND CTC taluka in October.

Village Child Development Centre (VCDC) catered to She weighed just malnourished village children 4.2 kgs, and it under five years of age. Children took determined identified with Severely Acute efforts by the Malnourished (SAM) or Moderate RBSK doctors and Acute Malnutrition (MAM) by several others, RBSK doctors and anganwadi before Radha was brought to workers were sent to VCDC. Up Aundh District Hospital Nutrition to 70 per cent of such children Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) which referred her used to recover thanks to the special to Sassoon Hospital’s PICU. nutritional protocol, and the rest were Radha could have been treated in time at the sent to Community based Therapeutic Centre VCDC. Doctors blame the state health department (CTC), which were set up to improve the coverage for her death. The government cut off funds for the and impact of selective feeding programmes for the VCDC and CTC centres in August 2015. treatment of acutely malnourished children.

Dr Shekhar Bendre of Jan Aarogya Manch, dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

Malno u is fight rished Radh a ing for her life

THE GO

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infectio ns at Sasso , we referre d her to on Hos the PICU pita l.”

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Goof-ups galore regarding retired army personnel and widows pensions

VISHAL KALE

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @sushantranjan

claim that PMPML is Rs 8,000 every day due to breakdowns, is absolutely wrong. They are hiding the actual data.”

PMPML sources said buses needing new tyres and tubes have been hired by the Pune Municipal Corporation on contract. “But since the PMPML is unable to clear the earlier dues of the contractor, he is not replacing the tyres and tubes of the buses that he is providing,” PMPML sources said.

Rathi said, “If PMPML management knows that drivers are responsible for breakdowns, why do they employ them? They have training procedures and they have to fulfi l the norms.” sushant.ranjan@goldensparrow.com

RAHUL RAUT

PMP Pravasi Manch say PMPML officials are ignoring collections

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dbhonde1

Ex-soldiers battle for their pension

As losses mount, officials blame drivers for vehicle breakdown road and all their officials are involved. The buses are purposely withdrawn since the contract rates have been hiked.

While contract buses were sent out on long routes, earning more money, PMPML buses run only within city limits.”

He said, “There is no record showing the difference in the distances covered between PMPML and contract buses.

The organisation is not suffering any loss and fake numbers are generated to attain more contract buses.

“More than 650 buses are run by contractors, 450 buses are owned by PMPML but maintained by contractors. The officials are ignoring collections.

They have no planning. Their

Closure of local nutrition centres by the government and her parents’ mistrust in hospitals killed her

RAHU

breeding but these fish died because of pollution. Firstly silt has to be lifted from lake and pollution has to be controlled. I have requested additional funds to feed the ducks. Lake restoration is not in my list of duties but we will act according to orders from our elected representatives.”

PMC’s additional commissioner (Estate) Rajendra Jagtap said, “Removing silt will take time but we will cut the grass to curb the mosquito menace, and fumigate it to stop breeding of mosquitoes. We are floating tenders for removing silt from the lake. The budget has been approved by the standing committee for restoration of Lakaki lake. Work will begin in the coming days.”

Corporator Nilam Kulkarni said, “I had raised this issue at PMC’s general body meeting, and we got Rs 75 lakh from the corporation for restoration of Lakaki lake.

Our fi rst priority is to lift silt from the lake and control pollution. PMC has floated a tender to lift silt from the lake, and in the coming days we will clean up Lakaki lake and restore its ecology. Earlier environmentalists said desilting will hamper biodiversity of the lake. But we will use modern machine so there is no issue of harming biodiversity of the lake.” tgs.feedbck@goldensparrow.com

70 PMPML buses break down every day The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) buses breaking down is a common sight. On an average, 60-70 buses break down every day, resulting in losses of Rs 8,000 per vehicle to the PMPML. PMPML runs a total of 2053 buses, including BRTs, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

While passengers are left fuming every day, officials at PMPMPL are busy playing the blame game. Seniors in the transport body blame the drivers for constant breakdowns.

PMPML chief engineer Anant Waghmare says that every day 60-70 buses are off the roads.

“Drivers use the accelerator and clutch simultaneously and use just one or two gears if a traffic signal is close by,” he said. He added, “Six per cent of daily revenue of Rs 1.5 crore goes towards spares. More than 200 PMPML buses are over 10 years old.”

The drivers blame the officials. PMPML Workers Union General Secretary Naruddin Inamdar said, “It is very difficult and stressful to drive buses in heavy traffic.

Commuters blame the drivers for breakdown. But we do not get spares parts and drivers have to make do with the available buses.”

PMP Pravasi Manch president Jugal Rathi, said, “There is a big conspiracy to keep PMPML buses off the

Radha is no more PICS BY VISHAL KALE

Lakaki lake is shrinking

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @sushantranjan

PUNE

Lt Colonel Pranav Bora had to struggle for seven years for his medical pension after 27 years of service. His is not an isolated case, but the Department of Sainik Welfare (DSW) has dealt with over 77,000 cases regarding pensions. Former servicemen, mainly those who retired before 2006, and their spouses have faced issue regarding their pensions.

Bora served in the 80 Field Regiment and in 1983 he was posted to Kargil and sent to Siachin Glacier for a month. He suffered a stroke and was hospitalised for five months.

He resumed work though he had not fully recovered. He was hospitalised again in 2001 and then opted for voluntary retirement. He was given a 50 per cent disability certificate and was receiving medical pension through Pension Payment Order (PPO). In 2006 the Ministry of Defence revised the pension, and his medical pension was stopped, the Army claiming his pension was excessive.

His wife Surabhi said, “He was getting basic and medical pension in his PPO account. But, in 2006 the army revised the pension and started a big deduction. The officials said that we were getting excessive pension. We approached the DSW as well.”

DSW pension cell head Group Captain Suhas Phatak (Retd) said, “We sent letters to AGM Customer Care, SBI and Additional Controller, Allahabad and now they get Rs 12.50 lakh.”

Sepoy Keru Tanaji Chakke’s (Retd) pension was stopped without any reason. He joined the army in 1962 and served in the 15 Maratha Light Infantry. He retired when he was declared unfit as he had liver infection.

After retirement he was getting only Rs 900.

Since 1972 he was getting disability pension which was stopped three months ago after a medical check-up at Bombay Engineer Group (BEG), Pune.

“I don’t know why my pension was stopped. To support my four children and wife, I started working as security guard with MSEB,” he said.

Keru Chakke (centre) has been deprived of his pension for no reason

Chakke was told by army officers to approach DSW in August 2015. He met Phatak, who sent a letter to Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (Pensions), Allahabad.

They found that he was not getting disability pension since 1972. In October 2015, he got Rs nine lakh as disability pension. Phatak said, “It was a rare case.”

The DSW launched the pension cell in 2013, to resolve retired army men’s pension issues.

There are 1.7 lakh pre-2006 veterans/ war widows in the state. In the last oneand-a-half years, the cell has received 77,477 applications from ex-servicemen and their families across Maharashtra, and 25,000 from Pune. They found over 50,000 not getting the due pension. A deceased major’s wife was getting a former captain’s pension, while a subhedar’s wife was drawing the pension for a sepoy.

Naik Eknath Kardile of 5 Maratha Light Infantry was martyred in the 1971 war and

awarded Vir Chakra posthumously. His widow Kaushalya, who lives in their native village in Ahmednagar district, was getting ordinary pension instead of liberalised family pension as well as monetary allowance for the gallantry award. The error was noticed last year and she was given Rs 7.5 lakh in arrears.

ZSWO Colonel Bipin Shinde said, “There is an lack of communication from the regimental centre to the individual about changes in the variables of their allowance.”

Deputy Director, DSW, Major Milind Tungar (Retd), said, “In 2009 I was Zilla Sainik Welfare Officer in Pune. In 2009 during the question hour in Rajya Sabha, the Minister of Defence declared that of the 19 lakh ex-servicemen, only three lakh were receiving the right amounts of pension. On checking the situation in Pune district, we found 15 war widows who were not getting the stipulated pensions.” sushant.ranjan@goldensparrow.com

SPAR ROW ON NO VEMB

ER 7,

SATU RDAY 2015 PUNE

Domes ti traffic c air to three-fo soar ld

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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

“People living in the urban pockets need to be extra cautious as these localities have recorded the highest number of dengue cases this year. It is vital to tackle mosquito-breeding sites to prevent dengue.”

— ST Pardeshi, Medical Officer, PMC

Driverless buses in Switzerland

Hindu marriage process simplified

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RAHUL RAUT

MLAs’ ANNUAL REPORT CARD

Little progress over developmental works Majority of local MLAs have not taken up, or even recommended developmental works from their funds in their constituencies

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka The Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government has completed one year at the helm in the state. On one hand Fadnavis was under fire from the Opposition recently regarding the misuse of CM’s Relief Fund, and on the other, with the exception of Shivajinagar MLA Vijay Kale, the remaining

seven BJP MLAs of Pune have not spent the entire Rs 2 crore allotted to each of them every under the MLA Local Area Developmental Scheme (MLALADS).

First-time MLA from Vadgaon Sheri, Jagdish Mulik, has not spent a single rupee from his first instalments of funds, and neither has he made suggestions for developmental work in his constituency over the past year. Even Minister of State for Social justice and Empowerment and Pune Cantonment MLA, Dilip Kamble, has not devoted much effort for improvements in his constituency, having come up with just a single developmental work worth Rs 1.25 lakh in the entire year.

MLAs are entitled to a sum of Rs 10 crore each, for the five years of their tenure, which is meant to be

used for developmental works in their constituencies. The performance of the other MLAs is also not up to the mark, with large amounts of MLALADS funds remaining unused.

According to the District Planning Committee (DPC), though Hadapsar and Kasba Peth MLAs Yogesh Tilekar and Girish Bapat respectively have drawn up plans for developmental works, they have not been sanctioned by the DPC on account of nonfulfilment of norms.

The Kothrud, Khadakwasla and Parvati MLAs have ensured that at least part of their MLALADS funds were utilised, while Shivaji Nagar MLA Vijay Kale has topped the table by coming up with 75 developmental works worth Rs 5.20 crore, and getting sanctions for works to the

Samaj Mandir being constructed at Medha Kulkarni’s Kothrud ward

tune of Rs 1.57 crore.

WHAT DPC SAYS District Planning Officer, PR Kembhavi, said that though it is not mandatory for the MLAs to utilise the fund in one year, they are expected to recommend developmental works in their constituencies at the

least. “However, Mulik has not recommended even a single work. I have been corresponding with him regularly but he is yet to give his recommendations,” Kembhavi said.

An officer said that most of the funds are being used for the construction of community halls, amusement centres and providing

computers to schools.

“We have not sanctioned funds for developmental work drawn up by the Hadapsar, Pune Cantonment and Kasba Peth MLAs owing to incomplete documentation or non- fulfilment of norms related to developmental work,” said Kembhavi. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

Jagdish Mulik (Wadgaon Sheri) Bhimrao Tapkir (Khadakwasla) Medha Kulkarni (Kothrud)

Y

oungest of the MLAs, when Jagdish Mulik was proposed as candidate for the assembly elections from Vadgaonsheri, voters not just expected a lot from him, but also presumed that Jagdish and his elder brother Yogesh who is the corporator from Vadgaonsheri to make joint efforts to develop the ward.

Ironically, Mulik has not recommended a single developmental work in his constituency. The DPC report regarding the MLAs shows that Mulik has not send a single letter recommending any work in his constituency. The officials say that Mulik’s entire amount of Rs 2 crore remains unused.

Mulik however, has denied this citing that there must be some misunderstanding on the part of district administration. “I have already sent letters recommending works like construction of roads, community halls and playgrounds, but it seems that the district administration has not received them,” Mulik said.

The MLA later changed his statement and said that he was yet to get his funds. However, when

T

TGS told him that other MLAs had recommended works which had been sanctioned by DPC, Mulik refused to comment.

Number of works recommended - Nil Amount recommended - Nil Amount available - Rs 2 crore Amount sanctioned - Nil

Vijay Kale (Shivajinagar)

V

ijay Kale is a first-time MLA, and the only one who has made optimum use of the MLALAD fund. Kale has recommended 75 works

he Khadakwasla c o n s t i t u e n c y encompasses more than 50 villages and around 70 bastis.

Apart from MLALAD funds, MLA Bhimrao Tapkir also gets funds from NABARD and other governmental machineries for the development of villages.

“MLALAD funds must cater to the needs of all the voters. Roads in interior villages, public toilets and community halls for villagers are the major demands from the people of my constituency,” said Tapkir, a second time MLA. Tapkir has suggested 108 works worth Rs 4.63 crores and 31 works worth Rs 61 lakh have been sanctioned by the DPC. Apart from the MLALAD fund, Tapkir spent around Rs 4 crore on the Jalyukta Shivar Scheme.

“Though I receive funds from various agencies for development of rural areas, I have to spend from the MLALAD fund for the development of urban areas of

F

my constituency. But the fund is inadequate to pay for the repairs of one road in the urban area,” said Tapkir.

Number of works recommended - 108 Amount recommended - Rs 4.63 crore Amount available - Rs 1.39 crore Amount sanctioned – Rs 61 lakh

MLA can initiate developmental works in their constituencies. “I have recently received sanction from Union Road and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari of Rs 200 crore for a grade separator at Chandni Chowk,” Kulkarni said.

Number of works recommended - 37 Amount recommended - Rs 3.57 crore Amount available - Rs 1.26 crore Amount sanctioned – Rs 73.50 lakh

Dilip Kamble (Pune Cantonment) Madhuri Misal (Parvati)

D

ilip Kamble is a senior party member and the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.

A second time MLA from Pune Cantonment, Kamble is familiar with the use of MLALAD funds, and is well versed with the problems in his constituency like water shortage, bad roads and the lack of basic amenities. But he has failed to use his allotment of funds, and has come up with just one work worth Rs 1.25 lakh, of the Rs two crore, which has not been sanctioned by the district administration. His office refused to comment to TGS about this issue.

Number of works recommended - 1 Amount recommended - Rs 1.25 lakh Amount available – Rs 1.98 crore Amount sanctioned – Nil

worth Rs 5.20 crore, which exceeds the two crore rupee MLALAD fund first instalment, and has even got all the works sanctioned.

“An MLA’s duty does not stop at recommending works to the DPC, but he must also ensure that department officials are putting MLALAD funds to optimum use,” said Kale.

He said that being a firsttime MLA has not deterred him from assessing the problems in his constituency. “Water shortage and traffic snarls are the major problems in my area. I have recommended works all through the year and the district administration has sanctioned work worth Rs 1.57 crore,” said Kale.

Number of works recommended - 75 Amount recommended - Rs 5.20 crore Amount available – Rs 43 lakh Amount sanctioned – Rs 1.57 crore

Girish Bapat (Kasba Peth)

Yogesh Tilekar (Hadapsar)

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F

irish Babapt is a veteran BJP leader who has been elected MLA five times, and has been rewarded for his loyalty with a cabinet berth. Guardian Minister of Pune, Bapat has recommended 19 works worth Rs 1.18 crore in his constituency, but none have been sanctioned. DPC officials think that the works do not fit into the norms. Bapat was unavailable for comment.

Number of works recommended - 19 Amount recommended - Rs 1.18 crore Amount available – Rs 2 crore Amount sanctioned – Nil

ormer corporator Medha Kulkarni contested the assembly election for the first time and was elected MLA from Kothrud constituency. Though many areas of her constituency were completely unknown to her, her priority was assessing the needs of her constituency. Kulkarni has recommended 37 works worth Rs 3.57 crore, and nine of these worth Rs 73.50 lakh have already been sanctioned by the district administration.

“Instead of recommending community halls and playgrounds, I recommended water tankers for BanerBalewadi area. A cardiac ambulance for senior citizens is another of my recommendations from the MLALAD fund,” Kulkarni said.

She is not pleased with the size of the fund though. “MLAs representing rural constituencies have no limitations regarding funds, but city MLAs get just Rs 2 crore a year. My constituency has 20 panels and it is difficult to undertake developmental works in a vast constituency like Kothrud with just Rs 2 crore,” Kulkarni said.

She said that the MLALAD fund is not the only source through which

irst-time MLA Yogesh Tilekar gave Shiv Sena’s Mahadev Babar a run for his money in his bastion of Hadapsar in the state assembly’s elections.

But regarding the use of MLALAD funds in the constituency, Tilekar has left around Rs 1.43 crore unspent since he was elected MLA from Hadapsar.

However, his track record is better than Mulik’s, having come up with 19 developmental works worth Rs 57 lakh in his constituency, although none of them have been sanctioned by the district administration.

“I recently met with the DPC offi-

cials and instructed them to sanction the fund at the earliest. They have promised to sanction works I have recommended this week,” said Tilekar. The major problem in his constituency was water shortage which could not be resolved with the entire Rs 2 crore.

“Installing water pipelines would be done later. Under this year’s MLALAD funds, I have recommended road repair work in my constituency,” Tilekar said.

Number of works recommended - 19 Amount recommended - Rs 57 lakh Amount available - Rs 1.43 crore Amount sanctioned - Nil

S

econd time MLA Madhuri Misal has recommended 24 works worth Rs 70 lakh, of which works worth Rs 30 lakh have been sanctioned, which is an improvement over her last tenure when she did not even recommend developmental work from her last instalment of MLALAD funds.

“Public toilets for women was my priority and I gave suggested two near Swargate bus depot and Saras Baug,” said Misal. Library, ambulances and computers for schools and police chowkys are her other recommendations.

Misal said that she has sent other proposals but they were yet to reach the DPC department.

“Funds do not get lapsed but I will be able to use them over five years,”

Misal said.

Number of works recommended - 21 Amount recommended - Rs 70 lakh Amount available – Rs 1.70 crore Amount sanctioned – Rs 30 lakh

What can be done There is vast scope for development works in urban constituencies. MLAs are expected to recommend and get developmental works like construction of public toilets, culverts, foot bridges or subways sanctioned that are technically feasible. Street lightings, construction of roads, sanitation and providing drinking water are the other priority works to be undertaken with the MLALAD funds.

However, except for a couple of MLAs, the rest have just recommended community halls, Samaj Mandir and providing computers to schools.

MLAs claim that the amount is very inadequate to undertake repairs of even a single road, and that when they recommend sizeable developmental works, they are not sanctioned by the district administration even under the special category.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

“We will require around Rs 40,000 crore to implement Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) which can’t be achieved without engaging private players in our development projects.”

— Kunal Kumar, Municipal commissioner

Lokshahi Din meant to resolve our problems has degenerated into a total farce

citizens can approach the civic body with unresolved issues. The hearings are attended by the commissioner, the department heads and an official from the Collector’s Office.

Anil Vishwas Pawar – illegal hoardings

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n i l Vishwas Pawar, 48, has been trying for seven months to being down the illegal hoardings at the Swargate Chowk.

“I have registered numerous complaints but no action has been taken. I attended the last Lokshahi Din hearing, but to no

avail,” he said.

Three commercial hoardings have been put up on the 1952-built Sahastra Arjun Bhavan building. According to the 2003 hoarding rules, billboards can not be put up on old or heritage buildings, and that hoardings should be 25 metres from traffic signals.

“The rules have been flouted, there are creepers on the building and the already fragile building cannot bear the weight of the hoardings. It also happens to be next to a traffic signal,” he said.

Ramesh Karmarkar – Land acquisition

P

MC retired Building Superintendent Ramesh Karmarkar says that the PMC’s Lokshahi Din hearings are of no use.

Karmarkar, a resident of survey number 264, Narayan Peth, was forced to vacate his house by develop-

hearings as the commissioner himself does not attend. If the commissioner showed an interest, our problems will be solved quickly, they feel.

On the Lokshahi Din hearing of November 2, the PMC received 77 complaints from citizens, which is a little above the average 60-70. ekta.katti@goldensparrow.com

was taken which is why I had to move court,” he said.

Karmarkar visited the Commissioner’s office regularly.

“I have been attending the meetings since they began. The PMC does not bother to inform citizens and the Lokshahi Din hearings do not help in getting problems solved,” he said. RTI ac-

ers in 2012. “I wasn’t assured any accommodation and was given Rs 5000 as reimbursement. But I refused and approached court. In April 2012, the court ordered a stay on the project. I had registered several complaints regarding the same with the PMC but no action

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PICS BY RAHUL RAUT

BY EKTA KATTI @Ektaak The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) observes Lokshahi Din on the first Monday of every month, when

However, this initiative launched in the late 90s has now been reduced to a mere formality, citizens say, and that commissioner Kunal Kumar is conspicuous by his absence. PMC officials say that most of the citizens’ complaints are about illegal constructions, encroachments and such issues.

The citizens have lost faith in the

Goyal sees USD 30bn savings from discom revival by FY19

Climate change threatens 55mn on India’s coasts

This is doing people no good

PUNE

Devendra Shamsundar Sharma – Land acquisition

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evendra Shamsundar Sharma, 59, has had an unresolved issue for five years and has attended eight Lokshahi Din hearings without any outcome.

The Land Acquisition department demolished a building and handed over the premises to the PMC in 2010, leaving shopkeepers of Ramchandra Sonawane Trust, Babu Genu Chowk in the lurch.

“My family had been running a restaurant there for 90 years and we were paying Rs 150 a month as rent. We were planning to put up a supermarket but the place has turned into a garbage dump in five years.

The Lokshahi Din hearings are a farce as the PMC officials don’t even listen to our grievances.”

Sharma said.

P M C Superintendent Eng ineer Rajendra Raut said, “The members have made arrangements which will be discussed at the next General Body meeting. If approved, the work will begin soon. The total cost of the project will be Rs four crore.”

tivist Qaneez Sukhrani said, “Nothing really happens on Lokshahi Din. Applicants whose problems are not solved at the zonal level approach the PMC’s Lokshahi Din which is a complete jamboree. I myself have attended a couple of meeting producing no outcome.”

Additional Municipal Commissioner, Omprakash Bakoria said, “Lok-

shahi Din was started with to solve citizens’ problems. It is a long-term process.

Neighbourhood issues and family matters are given priority. Most issues are related to land dispute and illegal constructions which take time to resolve.”

“The commissioner is present for most meetings but at times he has other work and cannot attend,” he said.

Burglars and chain snatchers go e-catering, what’s that? scot-free thanks to police goof-ups Most passengers still unaware about Railways’ e-catering service

FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY

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However, the panchas, who are supposed to be the key witnesses of recovery of stolen goods either deny being present at the time of recovery or give contrasting inputs. According to one of the orders, Bhagwan Mandlik (one of the panchas, who was also a prosecution witness) stated that he was called by the police to the Commissioner’s office, Pune and his signature was obtained on panchnama. He has stated that nothing was seized in his presence.” Another pancha, brought in as witness, Khandu Shitole, has stated that “(one of the) accused has given memorandum in Marathi and police have taken it in question answer form.” However, this is contested on two points, the first raised by Defence Lawyer Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar that the accused in question doesn’t know Marathi and the second that the memorandum is in a straight narrative form.

This has led the court to believe that the spot panchanama and memorandum were already prepared by Investigating Officer, the order states, doubting them both.

In another case, the panchas and the police’s versions don’t

match as they have not kept proper proof of their travels and discovery. According to the order, “( the police and the panchas) could not state the sequence of spot as shown by accused Firoj Khan because they did not go to the spot.” In another case, the fact that the police actually got the stolen goods from the accused’s house in Kusgaon, Lonavala couldn’t be corroborated.

It’s not just the panchas’ statements that don’t match; the police keep many things in the dark, according to the lawyers.

“The most important parts of such cases are identification parades, where both the victim and the informant are involved.

However, in these cases, no identification parades were conducted for any victim or informant. In fact, even after recovery, the informant and

the victim are kept in dark regarding who the stolen goods were recovered from. This leads to confusion in the court later making the case look weak,” explained Koli. In these cases, the main bone of contention is that there’s no proof to show that the accused were indeed present at the instances of chain snatching or house break-in.

Another wrong move by the police is to include a barrage of sections, without any need. In fact, in many cases, the police couldn’t justify the sections applied, leading to the acquittal. In one of the cases, apart from robbery, the police have applied sections of robbery, extortion and physical hurt. However, according to the order, “(Sushma, victim) she has never stated anything about causing of hurt, wrongful restraint or putting her under

fear of instant death, hurt or wrongfulrestraint. It is also not the case of the prosecution that accused have put the informant under threat and thereby extorted her golden,” clearly jeopardising the statement of the police and prosecution due to discrepancies.

The police had put forth a confession in form of memorandum from all six accused, but these don’t hold much sway as these are all made in police custody. “Judges always hold the confessions made under police custody with less importance than actual proof since the general idea is that police can sometimes get a wrong confession under duress,” explained advocate Kolhatkar.

“Due to the small discrepancies, the bigger points get clouded and thus, the bigger picture, of the crime happening gets obstructed. It is clear that these people are actually culprits, but they are going scot free simply because there are smaller discrepancies regarding the case. It is clearly a negligent action by the police,” explained Koli.

Clearly, burking isn’t the only fault the Pune Police can be accused of. gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @sushantranjan

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched e-catering, but passengers are unaware of the facility owing to the absence of marketing and publicity. Started on 1,516 trains initially, e-catering is now available on all trains.

E-catering services are meant to give passengers the luxury of ordering meals of their own choice.

The Pune-Indore Express does not have a pantry car so passengers must make their own arrangements and they are also unaware of e-catering, thinking it is available only on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

IRCTC PRO Sandeep Datta said, “E-catering is now available on all trains. Passengers can also order their meals through an SMS to 139 or the toll-free number 1800-1034-139 by giving details of their PNR and seat numbers.”

The objective is to provide quality and hygienic food to rail passengers, with the convenience of pre-ordering and delivery at the berth/seat. Passengers can pre-order/pre-book the meal from the menu options available, for delivery at the opted stations either online through the E-catering website and through phone/SMS

with E-catering call centre. The facility to book orders through a Mobile App will be provided soon.

Pune Rail Division Acting PRO Sanjay Kumar said, “There is a good response to e-catering in Pune. Passengers are booking meals through internet.”

Sachin Rathod, 29, was aboard the Pune-Indore Express with his wife. “I didn’t know about e-catering. The IRCTC probably has not done any marketing.”

IRCTC Pune manager B S Bramhanand said, “IRCTC started this service on October 30 and it will take time to reach passengers. People have different choices for their meals. Our

VISHAL KALE

supervisors are in close contact with restaurant to give passengers their choice of food.”

IRCTC gets just two three orders a day. Passengers ask for pizzas and burgers from multinational brand. It is impossible to provide such items because at Pune Station there are no such brand outlets, a source said.

“I don’t know about e-catering started by IRCTC. But the railways should publicise it for the passengers’ benefit,” said Vaibhav Rathore, 25.

“I was unaware about this and thought it was only available on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains,” said Sushobhit Verma, 28. sushant.ranjan@goldensparrow.com

Spruced up operations theatres at Kamla Nehru rendered useless Lack of attendants, sweepers is holding up the modular OTs at Kamla Nehru Hospital TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @TGSWeekly The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) spent Rs 52 crore to renovate the Kamla Nehru hospital in 2012, which included four Modular Operation Theatres as well. But the medical equipment installed at the modular OTs is not in use owing to the lack of attendants, sweepers, faulty air conditioning

system and water leaks.

Modular OTs are crucial for brain, spine, heart, and neuro surgeries.

A medical officer of the Kamla Nehru Hospital, on the condition of anonymity, said, “The four OTs functioned for three-four months, but our seniors shot down the modular OTs, owing to the lack of class 3 and 4 workers. The OTs have been shut ever since and surgeries take place at ordinary operation theatres. But for brain, spinal and heart surgeries modular OTs are needed, so we send such patients to Sassoon Hospital or private hospitals. The non- availability of class 3 and 4 workers is a lie but the fact is that the modular OTs were

not built up to the standards as there were water leakages in a few days.

So they decided to shut down the modular OTs to avoid accusations of mismanagement.”

Modular OT superintendent Dr Rajendra Joshi said, “I took charge as superintendent one and a half year ago. The modular OTs were not functioning at that time so we had to use the ordinary OTs. I have kept urging my seniors to get us class 3 and 4 workers to start the modular OTs. The water leakages were from the air conditioners and were repaired immediately. The acting chief medical officer has promised us class 3 and 4 workers, attendants and cleaners by next month, and immediately

The Modular Operation Theatre is furnished with ultra-modern equipment

thereafter we will start the modular OTs.” PMC’s health department Dr S T Pardeshi said, “Our central oxygen plant at Kamla Nehru Hospital got licence from the petroleum and explosive safety agency a month ago and the plant is functioning. Kamla Nehru Hospital requires 12 jumbo cylinders of 7.5 cubic litre capacity every day. We used to send empty cylinders to the refilling station at Chakan and Vadgaonsheri which was time consuming process. We are trying to get class 3 and 4 workers for modular OTs and in the next three weeks we will start up the modular OTs.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

“We had a meeting with traffic police and were told about providing some basic infrastructure in few areas so as to improve the traffic condition in Pimpri-Chinchwad. We are confident that the necessary infrastructure would be provided in this financial year itself.”

— Rajeev Jadhav, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner

Government website to bring in transparency fails

Technical glitches galore in e-District Information System of NIC compels lawyers to visit Tehsil offices VISHAL KALE

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka Advocate Jyoti Limaye has been unable to check the current status of her client’s case through the e-District Information System of NIC (e-DISNIC) for the last week. The case concerns property in Purandar and Limaye wanted to know the date of the next court hearing. However, the software introduced in the district on August 1 with the objective of simplifying the procedure for revenue cases, has been prey to a host of technical glitches.

District Collectorate Tenancy branch officials admit that the concept of introducing the software in Pune has failed, and of the 14 Tehsils, only Bhor, Haveli, Maval and Baramati started using it, and that too on a very limited scale. The district administration’s apathy towards e-DISNIC is however keeping lawyers on their toes.

“I have to go to Tehsil offices to verify the date of next hearing. The Tehsils offices are spread all over the city, and travelling to them takes a lot of time,” said Limaye, who handles revenue cases for her clients at Purandar, Maval and Shirur. A properly functioning e-DISNIC

Advocate Jyoti Limaye’s job would be easier with a working e-DISNIC system

will bring transparency to the legal process, she feels.

“The defendant’s lawyers pressurise judges to adjourn hearing dates, while prosecutors seek early hearings. The e-DISNIC could ensure that hearing dates will not

be manipulated by anyone,” Limaye said. She has been unable to fill the case registration number owing to the technical software problems.

Limaye’s colleague in Revenue Court, Advocate Murlidhar Taware has had similar experiences. “We are

PMC dialysis centre is a boon for the poor

VISHAL KALE

Centre at Kamla Nehru Hospital draws good response thanks to concessional rates

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Dengue diagnosis made quicker

PMC installs ELISA readers at Kamla Nehru, Naidu hospitals for dengue tests

DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dbhonde1 Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has received two Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) readers to check blood samples for presence of the dengue virus, after a three-year wait. Now patients and corporation hospitals will not need to approach National Institute of Virology (NIV) or Sassoon General Hospital for diagnosis of dengue. The two readers have been installed at Kamla Nehru Hospital in Mangalwar Peth and at Naidu Hospital near Pune station. The facility will start within a week, health officers said.

ELISA is an antibody test or a test for immune response to things attacking the body such as virus, bacteria and allergens. The test is done in an ELISA plate, also known as a 96well plate or micro plate. The ELISA reader reads the plate and confirms whether a sample is positive or negative for dengue. The facility will benefit 33 lakh Puneites in PMC limits.

The dengue outbreak last year had claimed 15 lives in PMC limits. The previous year also witnessed a heavy toll which alerted the PMC health department and they ordered two readers in November 2013. “Now that we gave two readers, we will be able to diagnosis dengue samples. Each

The dialysis center at Kamla Nehru Park which started functioning a month ago, will soon be operational 24x7

clerk’s salary he was finding it beyond his means, so the PMC unit is a godsend for him.

Suresh Natu of Yerawada has been on dialysis for five years. He however, finds Mangalwar Peth too far, as he cannot afford the Rs 300 needed to commute to Kamla Nehru Hospital. There are 44 PMC authorised hospitals in Pune which provided dialysis.

PMC Chief Medical Officer (Health) S T Pardeshi said, “We

have shifted a couple of patients to this centre. The facilities here are top notch and we are urging dialysis patients to get their treatment here. Those who are not satisfied can shift back to their original hospitals.”

The Kamla Nehru Hospital’s dialysis centre was opened a one month ago.

Thanks to the positive response, the dialysis centre will soon function 24x7. ekta.katti@goldensparrow .com

RAHUL RAUT

equipment costs around Rs 1.5 lakh,” said Dr Sanjiv Waware, assistant health officer of PMC. These machines have been installed in hospitals but washer equipments are non functional.

This system will started within 15 days, assured Waware.

Currently all the PMC run 15 hospitals send blood samples to NIV or Sassoon hospital for dengue tests.

The burden on Sassoon and NIV will be eased. “While testing the sample, a serum is separated by washing out blood of a patient with help of washers.

That serum is tested by ELISA reader for confirming positive or negative sample. The reader can read 100 samples within three-four hours. Now citizens will get their sample earlier” said Waware. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

Discarded by the society, they earn their self-esteem here Jewellery made by 11 CSWs at Mundhwa Observation Home is adorned by US women

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke

BY EKTA KATTI @Ektaak The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), in a joint venture with the Lions Club and Aruna Naik dialysis unit, has opened a dialysis centre at its Kamla Nehru Hospital, Mangalwar Peth.

Vinod Lohat, 53, who requires dialysis regularly, is grateful to the PMC for providing dialysis at concessional rates. “This dialysis centre is a boon for people like me and the PMC deserves praise for this,” said Lohat, who used to pay Rs 600 for a dialysis session at Poona Hospital.

Lazarus Dass, 55, another dialysis patient is also thankful for the treatment at lower costs provided by the PMC. Sanjay Tambe, 40, requires dialysis twice a week and on his

forced to make rounds of the Tehsil offices to know the current status of the cases. The process at the Tehsil offices is far from smooth and we have to make repeated visits. At times we are made to wait two-three hours for the dates of the next hearing,” said Taware, who has to placate his clients over such delays.

Advocate Bharti Patil thought that the new software would ease the lengthy legal process. “It’s disappointing that none of the option mentioned on the websites really work,” Patil said. The current status of appeals using e-DISNIC in Bhor, Haveli and Baramati is far from satisfactory.

Since the software was introduced on August 1, Baramati Tehsil has received only three appeal applications, while Bhor, Maval and Haveli have received two, one and 60 respectively. “Our staff is trained but they are not using it. There is a host of technical glitches and the Kolhapur District Collectorate is helping us resolve them,” said Ramdas Jagtap, District Collectorate Tenancy department head. After TGS enquiry, he has planned to issue circulars to Tehsildars to use the e-DISNIC software. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

How can we let water go down the drain?

The government-run Observation Home for Women in Mundhwa is changing the lives of its inmates, by giving them hope and chance to earn for themselves.

Mumbai-based NGO Freedom Firm and Ooty-based Rohma Design are training 11 of the 13 rescued CSWs to make stone bead jewellery at the centre. And most of their designed jewellery is marketed in the US. The rehabilitation centre houses around 50 women, including commercial sex workers (CSWs), deserted, destitute, orphaned and mentally challenged, who are above 18 years of age.

Observation Home’s Superintendent Leela Khade said that the women learn and make jewellery between 1 pm and 5 pm.

Speaking to The Golden Sparrow, Rohma Design’s Pune representative Rani Kumar said, “The jewellery made by these women is very much in demand in America. We source the beads from Ooty (Tamil Nadu) and women learn to make the jewellery within 3-10 days. Apart from the US, we are exploring MNCs based in India to buy these products.”

The inmates weave stone beads in steel wires

to make bracelets. Also, ear rings are made using silk threads and steel or copper wires. “Bracelet and a pair of earrings are packed together and sold in the market,” she said.

The authorities said that rescued women are often shunned by family and find the observation home as their only refuge. “Their families do not accept them. Also, they do not have any job skills. Many end up going back

to the place from where they were rescued.

We want to take them out of this vicious circle,” Rani said.

The money earned is deposited in the inmate’s bank account. Apart from making jewellery, Rani and her colleagues also impart soft skill training to these women and run a literacy programme. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

Stopping swine flu in its tracks

State government vaccination drive for pregnant women evokes a huge response in Pune district PICS BY RAHUL RAUT

BY EKTA KATTI @Ektaak The state government’s vaccination drive for pregnant women to grant them immunity from swine flu launched on July 20, has received a good response in Pune district, with 7738 pregnant women being vaccinated, the highest in the state, followed by Mumbai/ Thane 3778 and Nagpur 3708.

The government has set up 67 centres where 17,393 pregnant women have been vaccinated so far. The five Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) recognised hospitals, including Rajiv Gandhi Hosptial, Yerawada, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Mangalwar Peth, Sonawane Hospital and Sutar

Hospital, Kothrud and Sassoon Hospital, offer influenza vaccines.

“So far 1775 expecting women have been vaccinated. There has been a good response,” said a PMC official.

There is a talk about health before the procedure starts, wherein information

about swine flu, the benefits of vaccination and the possible side effects are discussed.

“We believe in providing complete information before vaccination and our officials are well versed with the matter,” said the official. “The virus

is at the peak in these months, so we want the maximum number of people to avail of this,” he said.

Among the five PMC hospitals, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital recorded the highest number. “Our hospital received the best response. One the first day itself, we vaccinated 33 pregnant women. On an average, 40-50 women come in everyday for vaccination,” said Dr Shrikant Vaidya, medical officer, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital.

The hospital also provides them with iron and calcium tablets, and TT immunisation.

Nazima Arif Sheikh, 21, is happy with the PMC initiative. “The health talk was quite informative. They explained what kind of food we should

So far 1,775 expecting women have been vaccinated against swine flu at the five PMC recognised hospitals

eat and the benefits of vaccination,” said Nazima, a resident of Adarshnagar.

“I don’t think I could have afforded vaccination at a private hospital. Here,

it’s free of cost. That’s why the response is good,” said Manisha Kakare, 24, a resident of Ramnagar. ekta.katti@goldensparrow. com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should learn a lesson from drubbing in Bihar polls and work towards removing fear of the minority community.”

— Azam Khan, Uttar Pradesh minister

“ The life of every community requires that we fight the cancer of corruption, the cancer of human and labour exploitation and the poison of illegality.”

— Pope Francis

Reining in infamous traffic law breakers through cartoons Renowned city cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar has been handing out satirical cards on road safety at traffic signals RAHUL RAUT

BY ABHA PANDIT @abha_pandit The city of Pune is no stranger to unruly traffic and mismanagement. Infamous for breaking traffic rules, the vehicle owner considers himself king of the roads. The public is, without a doubt, too impatient for its own good. But one man is trying to bring about a change in people’s mindsets. Renowned Marathi cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar, 80, feels very strongly about the issue and thus began attempting to create awareness.

He has been using his forte, cartoons, as a way to spread the message to the people of the city.

It has been 19 years since Tendulkar began distributing cartoon cards to people at traffic signals. The cartoons are in Marathi and are largely sarcastic in nature. Despite his advanced age, Tendulkar still personally hands out these cards to vehicle users, while wishing them a happy Diwali. A lot of the younger lot don’t recognise him, but the people who do always make it a point to tell him what a fantastic job he has been doing for so long.

The irrepressible Mangesh Tendulkar giving away his cartoons at a busy intersection

The Nal Stop junction on Karve Road is one of the busiest in the city.

Since distributing these throughout the year is a tedious task, during the five days of Diwali, one can spot Tendulkar along with four or five volunteers, waiting patiently for the signal to turn red. For two hours each in the morning

and evening, this enthusiastic group can be seen handing out cards to people stopping at the signal.

Since a picture speaks a thousand words, Tendulkar believes cartoons are a quicker method to get the message across. The colourful cartoons come in seven different types, and talk about

Running to brighten the night Ten people will hold a crazy marathon in city today

BY SALONEE MISTRY @SaloneeMistry The city street for the first time will see ‘glowing’ men and women, young and old, running at night! A group of avid runners have taken the marathon movement to a different level by organising ‘Glow Run Pune’ on November 14. The proceeds from the event, including promotional programmes to be held before the marathon, will be donated to an NGO CR Ranganathan Deaf School Pune that looks after the welfare of the speech and hearing impaired. Around 700 volunteers have joined hands to make this one-of-its-kind run a success.

MULTIFOLD INITIATIVE The organisers through this marathon want to spread the message that women should feel that Pune is safe for them, even at night. “As the run starts around 11 pm and the route is in the heart of the city, we hope people will turn up in large numbers to support our cause. Only when each and every one in the city starts feeling safe and comfortable with being out at night will the city actually start feeling like a safe space,” said Nikhil Shah, one of the organisers.

The organisers aim to get Guinness World Records entry

The event is also an opportunity for families to run together. As part of several running clubs from across the city, the organising team found that participation at morning marathons consists mostly of men and often just one member of the family. The younger ones are generally not morning people and the women have enough chores around the house in the morning to take care of before stepping out.

Hence, the late-night run will be a sort of family get-together. Guinness World Records representative will also observe the event as the organising team is aiming to bring together the most number of people whose lips and ears shall be glowing.

PLAN AND EXECUTE With an event of such a grand scale,

one might assume that the planning must have taken months. However, the whole event was laid out in mere two months, right from the route to sponsorship and registration.

Apart from a host of sponsors and benefactors, NGO Kala Anubhav has thrown open its offices for the event besides providing volunteers.

“We cannot ask for more from the way everything has turned out. We have accepted over 3,000 registrations and more are coming in every day. Th is is a crazy marathon that we have planned,” Nikhil said.

The core committee for the marathon consists of 10 members from different professional backgrounds, including software engineer Nikhil Shah and business consultant Rahul Pawar.

THE EVENT Promotional events will begin from 8.30 pm prior to the 10km-marathon that will be flagged off at 11 pm on November 14. Fun-filled activities for children, including kidszone and magic show, will be part of the attraction. The starting and finish point for the run is Sanas Ground. The runners will cover Tilak Road, Swargate, Golibar Maidan, MG Road and return through the same route after touching Aurora Towers.

Those running 21 kms would continue from MG Road to Yerawada, Deccan College and return to Sanas Ground. salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

Call for universal brotherhood TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Pune for the fi rst time witnessed over 7,000 religious delegates from all over India for the Kairos National Youth Convention and the 16th National Catholic Charismatic Convention.

The four-day programmes began at St Ursula School (Nigdi) and St Andrew’s School (Chinchwad) respectively from November 11.

Veteran BJP leader and District Guardian Minister Girish Bapat and Vatican’s ambassador to India Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio

inaugurated the events.

An ancient Greek word, Kairos means ‘opportunity’. The Biblical meaning is ‘the appointed time in the purpose of God’. The speakers talked on experiencing God for inner, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing.

A worldwide movement, Kairos is making efforts to urge people of faith and other ‘peace-builders’ to extend support to the oppressed and create a tolerant society through global engagement.

Political leaders Laxman Jagtap, Shrirang Barne, Ulhas Shetty and RS

Kumar and Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre were among the other dignitaries who attended the events.

According to Shirish Sebastian, one of the coordinators of two events, both the events take place once in three years in different parts of the country and it is coincidence that both events are happening simultaneously at one place at the same time.

“We started planning for these two events two years back. Over 150 volunteers from Pune and PimpriChinchwad are part of the organising team,” he said. tgs.feedback.goldensparrow.com

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various aspects of traffic rules. “It is ironic how even after looking at a cartoon asking you to not jump red lights, people calmly put the card in their pocket and go anyway,” says Tendulkar.

Often people feel that they are being asked to buy something, and refuse to even look at the cards. But Tendulkar and his team are used to it. Mandar Chakradeo, a volunteer with Tendulkar says, “Sometimes, people decline to even roll down their car windows, while some others yell at us telling us to go away.” But this doesn’t deter them. The volunteers smile, wish them a happy Diwali and move on to the next vehicle.

Tendulkar doesn’t have a favourable opinion of the Pune traffic police. “The policemen are least bothered, standing in the shade of a tree in some corner, while vehicle owners come and go as they please. If the people who are meant to enforce traffic laws turn a blind eye to rule breakers themselves, the people will never change,” he says.

Tendulkar feels that even if ten people get the message each day, it will slowly lead to a better and lawful society. abha.pandit@goldensparrow.com

Bringing Diwali cheer to the deprived

Smile Plus group lives up to its name by spreading the joy of the festival of lights among slum dwellers in the city

BY EKTA KATTI @Ektaak Smile Plus is an apt label for this group which helps out the underprivileged.

Founded by Yogesh Malkhare, 34, the group members went around the city bringing some joy to the needy on Diwali, as they gave away 3,000 packets of sweetmeats and gifts to residents of slums. But there’s more to it than just that. The Smile Plus volunteers first put up colourful decorations and diyas in the houses of the slum dwellers, and also spent time making elaborate rangolis, to give the entire area a bright and festive ambience. And the children too were made to feel special as they lit up the sparklers and fireworks the volunteers handed them.

“Bless these people for they have really made us feel the joy of Diwali,” said Banu Salima, 51, who lives in a

slum near Jagtap Nagar, Kasarwadi.

Sunil Kale, 34, said, “These kindhearted people are an exception in today’s selfish age.”

“We hired professional cooks who made 900 kg of chiwda, 250 kg of shev and 4200 motichoor ladoos in three days,” Malkhare said. These sweetmeats were distributed to slum dwellers at Akurdi, Nigdi, Aundh, Kasarwadi, Wakdewadi, Pune Station and Shivajinagar areas.

Smile Plus was helped in its charitable endeavour by well-wishers of the city, through monetary donations and raw materials. The Smile Plus team includes Nitin Kamble, Prashant Phakale, Ravi Sutar, Vishal More, Vikas Pawar, Anil Kadam, Vivek Nivale, Manoj Vanjari and Shobha Bangali who has joined recently. ekta.katti@goldensparrow.com VISHAL KALE

Smile Plus volunteers decorate the houses of slum dwellers with rangolis and diyas

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

Marathi Rangbhoomi

Keeping the M theatre traditio

F

ounded by doyens of Marathi theatre Jaymala and Jayram Shiledar, Marathi Rangbhoomi is one of the oldest and best known Marathi Sangeet Natak institutions in Maharashtra. Jaymala, or Pramila Jadhav as she was known before marriage, was a talented, well known Marathi actress and singer. Honoured with a Padma Shri, she passed away in August 2013.

Jayram too was a Sangeet Natak actor. Mutual love for theatre brought them together as they worked with the Gandharva Natak Company and they took on the task of making the Sangeet Natak form popular and more accessible to the public. Through Marathi Rangbhoomi the Shiledars revived old plays and also produced new ones, which have since then, become ingrained in public memory.

Kirti Shiledar, the daughter of Jaymala and Jayram Shiledar now looks after the company. Her home is filled with musical instruments and majestic photographs of her parents. Although she has long retired from the stage, her eyes light up as she talks about her performances and the magic that Marathi theatre evokes. Born with the acting genes in their DNA, there were never a question about the Shiledar girls, and they entered the Sangeet Natak portals as a matter of course. Taking the legacy of her mother forward, she took up roles such as Sindhu in Ekach Pyala, Bhamini in Manapaman and the title role in Draupadi, whom her mother Jaymala had brought to life so eloquently. So impressed was playwright Vidyadhar Gokhale with Kirti, that he wrote Swarsamradhini specifically for her.

Kirti affirms that the Marathi Sangeet Natak form has fallen from its golden era into hard times over the past couple of decades. “Sangeet Natak is not like any other art form. It requires detailed groundwork to bring it together.

The live instrumentalists, the intricate costumes, the jewellery, it’s all quite difficult to put together nowadays”, she explains.

Though technology has advanced in leaps and bounds, and microphones enable the artists to be audible even if they speak in whispers, a strong and powerful voice is indispensable for Sangeet Natak actors. New artists also lack the dedication and incentive to put in the efforts needed

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for a successful show. In this generation which expects instant results, very few are willing to struggle for their art. “Short cuts don’t exist in this field”, she says. “Taking the long way round is never easy, but if you want to make it big, there is no other way. Reality shows make people think that success can come instantly, but out of all those names and faces, how many do you actually remember ten or 20 years later?” she says.

Kirti believes that the use and nuances of the Marathi language have lost their sanctity. She recalls an incident where newcomers were staging a play. “Radha is trying to draw Krishna’s attention, and instead of persuading him in Marathi, the actress said ‘Krishna, please” in the midst of the performance”, she laughs. “A nauvari natak cannot be performed in a mini skirt,” she says pointedly. She admits that nowadays, the money is not great in this field.

For all the hard work that they are expected to put in, the artists do not get paid enough, and so they are moving further away from this old art, towards more modern-day stage performances.

Nadabrahma Pariwar

N

adabrahma Pariwar was established in 1991 as a Gurukul of Indian Classical Music and Dance in Chinchwad. It is founded and run by Dr Ravindra and Dr Vandana Ghangurde, both prominent actors in Sangeet Nataks. They consider these Sangeet Nataks in a different class of art altogether. ‘Art for class not for the masses’, is what they believe. Even if five people come to watch performances with enthusiasm and appreciation, the satisfaction is equivalent to an audience of 500. Some may call them ‘Classists’, but Nadabrahma Pariwar is concerned about preserving the sanctity of the art.

Exposing the public to good art is an artist’s duty.

It takes time to understand, learn and then begin to appreciate. If artists themselves do not pass on their art, they are in no position to complain when it begins to decline in society. “There is a certain immaturity in the portrayals by the young artists of today. The older artists have understood and studied their roles, and hence they end up playing the same roles even years later,” says

Ravindra Ghangurde. A large portion of the youth has also turned toward western arts, paying no heed to the rich Indian culture they are leaving behind. This has also contributed to the decline this industry is experiencing currently.

Through their Anahat Sangeet academy, they train new artists in singing as well as drama. “Talent can be found in everyone”, says Vandana Ghangurde. “Those who already have a vested interest in classical singing are usually the ones who turn towards Sangeet Nataks.

Although not many take it up as a full time occupation any more, there are some who learn and perform apart from their regular careers,” she says.

Nowadays it has become difficult to even find a theatre to put up performances of musical plays. There aren’t adequate provisions for the musicians, the artists and the elaborate sets that need to be constructed.

Despite all the increasing costs, Nadabrahma Pariwar has been successful in keeping the tradition of Marathi Sangeet Natak alive in its own way.

The Marathi film version of Katyar Kaljat Ghusl released on November 12. On this momentous occa Marathi Sangeet Natak art and tradition an

BY DEEPTI SALVI AND ABHA PANDIT @TGSWeekly Rich red drapery, elaborate sets and detailed costumes are synonymous with the time honoured art of Marathi Sangeet Natak. Well defined characters with distinctive and powerful oratorical skills brought the magnificent scripts to stirring

life. A Sangeet Natak live staging transcends the bounds of a mere performance, elevating theatre to an unforgettable experience.

But this well-loved and long-standing art form has been on the decline for the past few decades.

At the time of its origin, there were no other forms of entertainment, and therefore the audiences

thronged the Sangeet N enthralled by the audio actors performing their th with great aplomb and im of films and television, ho entertainment, the latter and thus began the dow

Bharat Natya Sanshodhan Mandir

B

harat Natya Sanshodhan Mandir remains one of the foremost producers of Sangeet Natak shows in the city even today. They have an academy that trains newcomers in acting, dancing as well as music. Rajeev Paranjpe is on the board of Bharat Natya Sanshodhan Mandir, and he himself used be an organ player for Sangeet Nataks along with looking after the Sangeet Nataks produced by the institution. “All art forms go through cycles of troughs and crests. The same has happened to the art of Sangeet Natak,” he said. From 955 to 1985, the industry was booming. There were good artists, scripts and strong performances. After 1985, it went on the decline.

People talk about how the art has declined, but the public will always come to see good shows, to appreciate good work. If you have a good musical, there is no shortage of audience. “Although there are government grants, they don’t always go to the deserving

people. If the work they are doing isn’t good, the audience will never come, and then what’s the point of the grants?” he wonders.

The problem arises since there isn’t enough monetary incentive in Marathi Sangeet Natak. The production costs are high, along with the rentals of theatres and travelling expenses. The profit margin declines and no one involved is satisfied with the money they receive. Television has killed good artists, he claims. The money is instant, quick success has gone to their heads and they die out much before they reach their potential. Once they are successful, they stop learning. He compares it to forcefully ripening a mango. Live performances are raw, and that is what draws the people. Once the moment is lost, it will never come back. The screen, whether big or small, is a very convenient medium in terms of production and retakes, and that is what separates theatre from cinema or television. The stakes are especially higher when the artist must be equally good at singing as well as acting. These are hard to come across, anyway.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

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PICS BY ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR, RAHUL RAUT AND VISHAL KALE

Marathi musical on alive

Varad Rangbhoomi

C

hittaranjan Kolhatkar is a name known to every Marathi theatre enthusiast. The renowned artist has featured in well-known plays like Ekach Pyala and Bhaav Bandhan as well as in over 130 films.

His production house Varad Rangbhoomi was in itself a pioneer of Marathi Sangeet Natak.

Love and talent for the theatre has run in the Kolhatkar family for generations. Chintamanrao Kolhatkar was known for his portrayals in Kanhopatra, Vasantsena and Arjun Yudh. His sons, Chittaranjan and Balkrishna took forward the legacy, the former with his acting and the latter with his writing for Sangeet Natak.

Chittaranjan’s son, Anand Kolhatkar, now runs Varad Rangbhoomi, the Kolhatkar banner under which Sangeet Nataks are produced, which was founded in 1979. “My father started out earning three rupees per night for his theatre performances. Even then, our house was always full of positivity,” he says.

Chittaranjan’s spirit has infused everyone in the Sangeet Natak industry. “There is no industry like the Marathi Sangeet Natak industry,” says Anand. There are no written contracts and no agreements. All commitments are verbal, and it runs entirely on trust. “Once you give your word, you will be held to it, and that is the beauty of it, he said.

An artist, especially in the Marathi Sangeet Natak industry, has to be extremely sharp and intelligent.

Educational qualifications are not important, but what really matters is how well he or she can make the character their own. Even as an audience, we never look at someone on stage and wonder how well educated he must be. They must have a fast decision making power, a sixth sense to judge the audience, and of course, an adequate skill set.

Recollecting one of his early memories from the industry Anand says, “I had just begun producing Sangeet Nataks, and we had gone out of town for some shows. Not many of the seats had been booked, and I was worried I was going to go into a loss if enough people didn’t show up. I was almost on the verge of cancelling the show, but my father and other senior artists convinced me to go ahead and let it run. By the end of the night, I had not only covered my costs, but also made a profit of more than Rs 20,000. This was when I learnt to take risks and not be scared of what could end up happening.”

li, based on the musical play of the same name, was asion, TGS spoke to theatre groups that cherish the nd are doing all they can to keep it flourishing

Natak venues, completely o-visual experience of the hespian and musical duties mpressive skill. The advent owever, provided alternative in one’s own living room, wnslide of the hours-long

Marathi musical theatre.

But there are institutions and groups in Pune city even today, who are devoted to preserving this one-of-a kind art form. Some of them adhere to the original versions, while others resort to adapted scripts to appeal to newer audiences.

The big news is that a Marathi film based on the

All said and done, when a good show or ‘khel’ as it is called, is put up at a theatre like Bharat Natya Mandir, people do flock to watch it. But maybe that just comes with the reputation of this long-standing theatre. Barely any producer looks further than newspapers to advertise their programmes, and thus they get through to only a restricted audience. Furthermore, since even the tradition of live musicians is on the decline, many theatres do not even have provisions for a pit in front of the stage where the saathidaars or accompanying musicians sit.

Currently, there is no good leader, or ringmaster if you may, who can head the revival. Since there are jealousy and ego problems

musical play Katyar Kaljat Ghusli hs been released this week and The Golden Sparrow spoke to five theatre groups who are striving to keep the flame and torch of the Marathi Sangeet Natak burning brightly. tgs.feedback @goldensparrow.com

between the artists as well as the other members of their team, not too much work has been happening. The producers of today are attempting to recreate old and popular Sangeet Nataks, with a younger cast. The comparison between the old and the new is inevitable. “Previously, if there was a shortage of artists, the same old ones would continue playing the roles of young characters.

If a woman, who is more than 50 years old, plays the role of a 17- or 18-year-old, how would anyone believe and appreciate it?

The audience is not made of fools. The actor must know when it is time to retire,” said Paranjpe. Now the newer lot is bringing believability into the art again, with age-appropriate casting.

Echoing thoughts similar to other eminent theatre personalities, Anand Kolhatkar believes that if the work is good, the audience will keep coming back. Quality is of utmost importance. The dedication needed to put on a successful show is missing and hence finding artists has become difficult. As for the question of audience, he does not believe that the youth is ignorant of their cultural heritage. “We don’t give the new generation enough credit. They are the first ones to have started questioning the reasoning behind everything, instead of merely accepting it. They have become observant. This is not to say that they have rejected everything that came their way.

They scrutinise, and if the work is good they will accept it wholeheartedly,” he explains.

There is a grandeur, a quality of timelessness to a well performed Sangeet Natak. When the script, artists and production blend perfectly, there is little chance of the art form ever dying out.

Raahen

T

he newest group on the block, Raahen was founded

by Rahul Deshpande in an attempt to revive old and famous Sangeet Nataks. The grandson of the non-pareil singer Dr Vasantrao Deshpande, Rahul has so far produced as well as acted in four new renditions of old Marathi musical plays, namely Sangeet Manapaman, Sangeet Soubhadra, Sangeet Sanshay Kallol and Katyar Kaljat Ghusli.

Since the inception, Raahen has put up more than 200 shows, not just all over Maharashtra but even in other parts of the country. In fact, they have even taken these plays to select places outside India. And the response has been phenomenal. The new generation is eager to see familiar faces from the silver screen on the stage, while the older generations are curious about the newer versions of long standing masterpieces.

Nipun Dharmadhikari, the director for Sangeet Nataks produced by Raahen, credits their success partially to their believable casting. “Instead of using old actors and actresses to portray the same roles over and over, our casts are younger, fresher and much more relatable to the roles they portray,” he says. Well-known voices from classical music, like Anand Bhate, began acting. Since they were known in their own right, the audiences recognised them and came forth to watch their new ventures.

Anand Bhate, a well-known Natya Sangeet singer,

took up the role of Krishna in Raahen’s performances of Sangeet Soubhadra on the insistence of good friend Rahul Deshpande. “I was initially sceptical since I had no prior experience of acting of any sort. But I knew all the songs, and after I went for some rehearsals I began acting,” he said. Bhate has since then performed in over 50 shows of Sangeet Soubhadra.

The musical plays have also been adapted keeping in mind the changing times and audiences. Performances which earlier would last longer than five hours, have been edited and fit into three hours to keep up with today’s fast paced lifestyle. The language has also struck a balance between the old and the new to make it relatable to the youth. Although the storyline and characters are the same as the original renditions, the new versions have a different kind of appeal to them.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

TECH/START-UP

PUNE

‘Pak’s Sindh can be an independent state’

“Alaska is the only state in America that can be typed on one row of a traditional English QWERTY keyboard.”

— http://www.thefactsite.com/

P 13

Innovation, skill development key for jewellery sector: Survey

It is high time that Indian manufacturers adopt new methods and engage in research, according to the joint study of Assocham and TARI

local unorganised players,” it said.

“Consumer demand is shifting from unbranded to branded jewellery globally. It has jumped to 20 per cent of total demand in 2011 from just 10 per cent in 2003, and it is expected to reach 30 per cent by the end of 2020,” it added.

As unorganised players

Signposts

POPxo, an online community for young women, has raised USD 2 million (about Rs 13 crore) from IDG Ventures India, Kalaari Capital and 500 Startups. The Series A funding will be used for expansion of editorial operations in English and Hindi, launching new verticals, scaling up of video production and adding new features on Android and iOS apps, POPxo said in a statement.

QiKU to launch its first phone in India Mobile phone brand QiKU, which made its debut in China a few weeks back, will launch its flagship device in India later this month.

The company sold 35,000 units of its phone QiKU Terra, priced at about USD 314 in China, within 8 seconds of going on sale, it said in a statement.

RepUp gets funding from Indian Angel Indian Angel Network (IAN) has invested an undisclosed amount in Gurgaon-based online reputation management start-up RepUp. No financial details were disclosed.

Sanjay Mehta, Keshav Murugesh and Apurva Parekh have led this round of investment on behalf of IAN, IAN said in a statement.

Yes Bank joins IBM for digital solution Technology giant IBM today said it has partnered Yes Bank to help the latter implement a solution to provide enhanced digital experience to existing and potential customers. “The Indian banking industry is at an inflection point, wherein technology is the key enabler driving market penetration and growth,” Yes Bank Senior President and CIO Anup Purohit said.

may not be sufficient, especially when the need is to modernise so as to beat global competition,” it pointed.

It also pointed out that “availability of trainers is also a major challenge in skill development. Trainers are typically skilled workers with 10-15 years of experience. They may be excellent workers themselves, but they lack the ability to teach and impart knowledge”.

“The industry needs systematic and collective investments in skill development through increased training and manpower development programmes.

Government can also create national centres of excellence for this purpose,” the survey suggested.

Pointing out the importance of innovation (in designs), it said, “In order to fulfill the changing requirements, innovations are essential. Though family-owned players are proficient in traditional designs, there is lack of designled innovations. This could be a limiting factor in meeting global and domestic demand”.

PTI

Driverless buses in Switzerland Collaboration between PostBus and a Swiss start-up founded by graduates from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

In a first, electric-powered driverless public transport buses will soon be operating in Switzerland which will be able to ferry nine passengers at a time.

The autonomous buses will launch in the canton of Valais, thanks to a collaboration between PostBus and a Swiss start-up founded by graduates from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne.

Two new driverless buses will be put in service in Sion during a two-year test period from early 2016, in what is a first for

FOR REPRESENTATION ONLY

POPxo raises two million dollars

constitute a majority in the industry, India should focus on building their brand in the global market to meet the growing international demand of branded jewellery, the survey suggested.

India exported gold jewellery worth USD 8 billion in 2013-14 and estimates to reach USD 40

billion by 2020 according to the World Gold Council, stated the survey. As per the survey, overall exports from the (gems and jewellery sector) in India during the first 6 months of 2015-16 stood at USD 19.22 billion.

The Indian Gems and Jewellery industry is one of the largest in the world with a share of 29 per cent in global jewellery consumption, it said, adding as per the figures of 2012-13, it (the industry) recorded a total market size of Rs 4,63,000 crore with domestic consumption standing at Rs 2,51,000 crore and exports stood at Rs 2,12,800 crore.

On the skill development front, the survey urged the industry to shed their age-old methods.

It said the industry provides employment to around 46 lakh people. It is expected that the work force may rise to more than 82 lakhs by 2020, adding over 35 lakh new jobs.

“The high growth rate of this industry indicates the potentially high demand for skilled manpower in future. In such a scenario, the inherent skills in gold-smith families and on-the-job training

The electric-powered vehicles will be able to carry nine passengers at a time

Switzerland’s public transport system.

The electric-powered vehicles will be able to carry nine passengers at a time and will be in service in tourist zones in Sion’s Old Town, ‘The Local’ reported.

Installed with technology developed

Create innovation network, says Prez Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship and educational institutes must work towards creating an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations, President Pranab Mukherjee said.

He said the country needs both reach and excellence, quality and affordability, and autonomy with accountability in education sector.

“Indian youth are second to none in entrepreneurship. India serves as the fastest growing start-up base worldwide and stands third with 4,200 start-ups, next only to US and UK. “The government has initiated the ‘Start-up India, Stand-up India’ campaign to incentivise entrepreneurial ventures. Heads of institutes of higher learning must work towards creating

an innovation and research network that will produce entrepreneurs and nurture innovations,” Mukherjee said.

He said academic institutions are an important stakeholder for the socioeconomic development of the nation.

“I had earlier asked central universities and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to adopt at least five villages and transform them into model villages. I now extend my call to all the 114 central institutions.

“After identifying problems in the adopted villages, they must pool all academic and technical resources at their disposal to provide solutions that will enhance the quality of life of our countrymen,” he said addressing ‘Visitors’ Conference at Rashtrapati Bhavan’.

PTI

PTI

India’s Gems and Jewellery sector needs attention of both government and industry members to drive innovations in terms of new designs, processes and skill development of work force to sustain in global markets, says a survey.

Consumer preferences have rapidly changed with the advent of globalisation and demand for new and innovative designs has increased rapidly. In such a scenario, it is high time that Indian manufacturers adopt new methods and engage in research, according to the joint study of Assocham and TARI. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI) survey also calls for overhauling of this “unorganized sector” which constitutes around 80 per cent of domestic market.

“Due to westernisation of lifestyles, Indian consumers are demanding new designs and varieties in jewellery, and branded jewellers, who are around 15-20 per cent, are able to fulfill their changing demands better than the

President Pranab Mukherjee with Union ministers Natin Gadkari and Smriti Irani at the Visitor’s Conference 2015 at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi

by Lausanne-based start-up BestMile, the distinctive vehicles will be able to navigate roads accurately, identify obstacles and read road signs.

The project is the result of a two-year joint research project conducted by BestMile and EPFL to develop the mathematical algorithms that allow driverless vehicles to deal with different scenarios on the road and be operated remotely.

The technology “offers a solution to control fleets of autonomous vehicles in the same way a control tower does in an airport,” BestMile said in a statement.

Following a six-month testing period at EPFL, the company is working with Nayva, a French specialist in sustainable mobility, to install its technology in two Navya Arma shuttles that will roam Sion.

PTI

Wizikey unveils tech platform with Nasscom 10,000 Startups Wizikey, a technology PR start-up, has rolled out its reputation engineering platform, in association with Nasscom 10,000 Startups, an initiative to scale up the start-up ecosystem in India. Founded by sisters IIT Kharagpur and ISB alumna Aditi Bhargava, and SRCC and MICA alumna Aakriti Bhargava, the company is headquartered in Gurgaon.

“Public relations is a start-up’s delight. In my first stint as an entrepreneur, I struggled with it. When I deep dived into the problem, I saw a potential to disrupt it with technology,” Wizikey co-founder and CEO Aditi Bhargava said.

The platform already features publications of India, Singapore, the US and the UAE. “While the current platform addresses a company’s PR needs, the real potential lies in networks,” Bhargava told PTI here.

Built on new-age technologies, the platform enables users to track news in less than five seconds, compare and analyse with competition in less than 30 seconds and build influencer lists in less than 30 minutes, on a curated database of more than 100 news publications.

Wizikey already has over 100 registered users and 20 start-ups reaping benefits from the platform, Bhargava said. “In its current avatar, it’s a free platform where any user can register, log in, create a track and kickstart. The platform has crawled a million news items and collected information on more than 12,000 influencers,” Bhargava added. Nasscom 10,000 Startups Vice-President Rajat Tandon said: “In our endeavour to build a start-up economy, we are encouraging formidable partners to join us, and aid in first steps to growth.

Our partnership with Wizikey is to assist start-ups in building a robust PR plan.”

In partnership with Nasscom 10K, the company would extend the product to all start-ups that get shortlisted for the Nasscom 10K programme and do workshops at Start-up Warehouses across the country, Tandon said.

PTI

APP WORLD

Get a grip on your expenses Goodbudget

IOS/ Android: Free Goodbudget is a money manager for budget planning and personal finance management. Goodbudget is an expense and budget tracker that allows you to proactively plan finances ahead of time with the Envelope system of budgeting. Organise your money into Envelope categories that you create, and decide how you want to spend your money. Keep track of bills and income to help you save more and make smart choices. If you’re looking for a finance manager, money tracker, checkbook ledger, or household budget planner, try the app.

Money Lover

IOS/ Android: Free How to manage your money efficiently? Money management includes tracking daily expense, budgeting and planning saving.

We know that pen, paper or excel sheet take a lot of your time and they are not fun. Personal finance management can be much easier with your phone and tablet. You can rely on Money Lover: a powerful expense, budget and saving manager application. It is all you need to manage finance for both individual and family as well. Money Lover is here to ensure you and your family a better and financially-secured lifestyle. Be the master of your money so you can get more out of life.

Mint

IOS/Android: Free This popular app gives you all the tools you need to manage your earnings, spending, saving, and budgeting. Each section is intuitively organized to give you the big picture of your finances. Mint shows your cash flow in real time, including deposits, expenses, credit card debts, and other investments. In addition to adding up all your accounts, and outlining budget and savings goals, Mint analyzes your spending habits, helping you pinpoint areas where you can potentially save. If you’re forgetful about balances, you can set a low-budget alert and Mint will email or text when you hit it.

iExpense Diary

IOS/Android: Free One of the biggest problems that many of us face is not knowing how much money you actually need every month. Knowing how much you take home and how much you spend on recurring expenditures like rent is a start, but you need to know a lot more than that to properly manage your money. This app lets you enter your income and expenses quickly and comes with a large number of categories you can sort your spending into. By doing this, you can track whether your movie watching budget is out of hand, for example. You can also save recurring expenses like payments to domestic help and rent, so they get deducted from your balance automatically. This makes it simple to keep track of your money, and if you keep the app on your phone, then you can add an expense in just a few seconds, right as it happens.

Money View

Android: Free Money View is only available on Android right now, but it is a very useful app that automatically tracks your spending. When you install it, you have to give the app permission to access your SMS inbox but that’s the only security clearance it wants. As long as you have SMS alerts enabled for your bank accounts and debit and credit card accounts, you will find this app incredibly useful.

When you start the app for the first time, it takes a while to load because it is scanning your entire inbox for messages from your financial institutes. It can then show you the balance in your bank accounts and also show you all the spending you’ve been doing. If you also get SMS alerts for bills such as your phone bill for example, then that also shows up in the app in the Bills Due section. Trends shows your daily, weekly or monthly spending trends, and cash management tracks all the cash you’ve been withdrawing from the ATM.

ENVIRONMENT “It could be that farmers who practice organic farming don’t have very high yields, but over time it averages out.

When you consider the expenses are much lower.”

— Ashish Kothari, Founder Member, Kalpavriksh

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

H EALTH

NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

“The conservation of the Western Ghats was important not just for the preservation of local biodiversity, but also from an economic point of view.”

— Swati Gole, Founder Member, Ecological Society

Climate change threatens Immersion not completely banned in Yamuna 55mn on India’s coasts Idol immersion in river Yamuna was not completely prohibited but can be done only from the designated places

PTI

Many coastal areas of India are likely to be submerged in sea with 4OC global increase in temperature

Meeting the 3.6F goal would cut exposure by more than half in the US, China, and India, the world’s top three carbon emitters, as well as in many other nations

If the world temperature rises by 2 degrees Celsius, homes of 20 million people in India would be submerged in sea while the figure is expected to be 64 million in China.

China has the most to gain from limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius.

Carbon emissions causing 4 degrees Celsius could lock in enough sea level rise to submerge land currently home to 470 to 760 million people, the report said.

It also showed that aggressive carbon emissions cuts resulting in 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warming equivalent to 2 degrees Celsius could bring the numbers down to 130 million.

Sonagachi gets AIDS prevention plan The project received clearance from National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Health Ministry

BY PRADIPTA TAPADAR

cleaner and brighter side of the Yamuna and also promote its banks as a spiritual destination for visitors,” said the official Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the chief guest of the event while his deputy Manish Sisodia the guest of honour.

Delhi Minister for Water and Tourism Kapil Mishra was special guest at the event.

Several cultural programmes and activities were performed at the ghat on the occasion.

THANK GOD IT’S S AT U R D AY PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 28, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

TGS LIFE

Run for... yourself

NATION

CITY

Get your voice heard on NetaG P6

No damaged goods please P3

GRANDCHILDREN SUE THE COMPLETE MAN

PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 21, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

PAGES: 16+16 (TGS LIFE) | PRICE: `5

PUNE, MARCH 14, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

Dr Vijaypat Singhania’s grandchildren from his estranged son Madhupati have moved Bombay High Court seeking their share in ancestral property. They have filed a suit against their grandfather, father, mother and Raymond Limited. Detailed story on p7 TGS LIFE

When hunger strikes past midnight

NATION

CITY

Bakery worker’s daughter gets her wings P 12

Why are traffic cops taking selfies these days?

P3

AUTO,

HAIL A

CAB

or long distances (depending on their mood), overcharge or ask for obnoxious fares, often refuse to ply by meter – the list is endless.

TGS Team members decided to give the ‘victimised’ autorickshaw drivers a chance.

Five members of the team tried hiring rickshaws for distances

Intentions of Dr Singhania were ‘malafide and illegal’ with a motive to grab the share of Madhupati and Anuradha as well as grandchildren and to achieve the same he directed that his son and daughter-inlaw move to another country ‘instead of Collectively Pune Municipal continuing to stay in India with the family.

DEHU

6

Corporation, PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited have spent `1,816 crores on constructing dedicated corridors and flyovers along major routes, erecting bus shelters, and buying buses.

Despite this not a single route is operational or has succeeded in years. Citizens residing in twin cities continue to cry foul over pathetic public transport system. And from the looks of it nothing is going to change in near future.

See Spotlight on p8&9

Precious man hours are lost every day at Hinjewadi just because planners forgot to make more entry and exit points. Over a decade after Hinjewadi was planned to house country’s best IT firms and saying is true. But what they are not telling us or willing to talent, planners have finally woken up to the plight of citizens. concede is that their enemy lies within. Their enemy number one They have now planned five alternative roads. But the authorities is not private cabs but members of their own ilk – many of whom are in no hurry to complete them. See spotlight on p8 & 9 are rude, refuse to ply short

BHOSARI

4 KALEWADI FATA

WAKAD

DIGHI

NASHIK PHATA

5

LOHEGAON

DAPODI 50

PIMPLE GURAV

WAGHOLI

3 4 BANER

VISHRANT VIMAN WADI NAGAR YERWADA

AUNDH

2

SANGAMWADI PASHAN

AH47

WADGAON SHERI

MUNDHWA

SHIVAJI NAGAR

GHORPADI

9

BAVDHAN

CAMP

HADAPSAR

KOTHRUD

SWARGATE PARVATI

WANOWRIE

1

NANDED AMBEGAON BUDRUK

KONDHWA

UNDRI

KATRAJ

4

Had it not been for a Pune-based activist everybody had forgotten about a film on Lokmanya Tilak commissioned in 2001 by Central Government at the cost of 2.5 crores. Three years after Vishnu Kamalapurkar raised questions about the film,

said director of the school, who

fi led the FIR and kept in touch with “We are feeling the investigating officer and public prosecutor The director is let down by the PUNE, MARCH 14, 2015throughout. | www.thegoldensparrow.com yet to get a copy of the order. prosecution The case dates back to February 2013 when some of the students and the system. studying in class five walked up to their class teacher and alleged that It is upsetting their creative writing sir had touched because we do them inappropriately. The class teacher in turn informed the principal and not how to face management.

School authorities spoke to several other students and the parents and found that 22 girls in all had levelled similar allegations. Director of the students who school approached Chaturshrungi came forward police station and lodged an FIR under the Protection of Children from to give their Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA).

The investigation was carried out by statements.”

DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL

CHINCHWAD

THERGAON HINJEWADI VILLAGE

RAHUL RAUT

RITU GOYAL HARISH

ALANDI

AKURDI

RAVET

Sab golmal hai...

The creative writing teacher from a reputed school in Baner was booked and arrested in February 2013. A special court acquitted him on the grounds that police bungled up in collecting evidence

The case created ripples across the city. A teacher was accused of sexually abusing 22 students all from fi fth standard of a reputed school in Baner.

In February 2013, Chaturshrungi police registered a case of sexual abuse against the creative writing teacher and arrested him immediately. Two years after the cops went all out to claim that they had a watertight case, the teacher has been acquitted by a Special Court. The court ruled that the prosecution made out a weak case. The management of the school and parents of students are not only disappointed but also irked with the outcome.

“We are feeling let down by the prosecution and the system. It is upsetting because we do not how to face the parents and students who came forward to give their statements.

We believe we were on the right,”

CHIKHALI

KIWALENIGDI

~ Suit filed by the siblings

What a mess!

Teacher booked for sexually abusing 22 students acquitted

Parents teach them more than exams do P 10

`1,816 1,816 crores spent on BRTS,

~ Suit filed by the siblings

And yet no respite for commuters

DR VIJAYPAT SINGHANIA

Madhupati Singhania (57) and his wife Anuradha (54) with their children Ananya (29), Rasaalika (26), Tarini (20) and Raivathari (18)

Rickshaw unions across the city want us to believe that private cab service providers or radio cab operators, as they are popularly known as, are villains.

Around 12,000 radio cabs have made their lives miserable for 50,000-odd autorickshaw drivers in twin cities of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The auto drivers want us to believe that corporate houses with deep pockets behind the cab services are eating into their share. Essentially poor rickshaw drivers are getting poorer because of stiff competition from private cab operators.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

CITY

Truly, a tree lady P4

PICS ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

DITCH THE

GAUTAM SINGHANIA

While Gautam Singhania ‘in a span of 14 years as CMD of Raymond Limited has built a personal net worth of `1.4 billion, Madhupati belonging to the same family was struggling to settle down in a new country, educate his children and make a new life.’ Gautam and his family led a luxurious life ‘with fancy cars, private jets, yachts and expensive holidays.’

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

of defective condoms, the virus can infect a person. Th is can be prevented by regular intake of such a medicine,” he explained.

Rewari agreed that PrEP has the potential to bring down the HIV risk factor by 60-70 per cent among highrisk groups such as sex-workers.

The initiative, meanwhile, was welcomed by the AIDS Society of India, which felt that the feasibility project could be made part of a policy to prevent AIDS. “It will surely help bring down AIDS prevalence among those who are in the high-risk zones. The government needs to move step by step. The feasibility project could soon turn into a policy to prevent AIDS, given that the PrEP Medicine is very cheap,” said President of AIDS Society of India, IS Gilada.

Rewari, however, pointed out that some factors need to be considered, such as its acceptability in society, especially among sex workers. He added that the medicine along with the use of condoms had been very successful abroad in preventing HIV infection.

According to Jana, the project will be a two-year one to be implemented after identifying the HIV-negative sexworkers at Sonagachi.

PTI

As part of its efforts towards cleaning the river and promoting tourism, the Delhi government organised its “fi rst-ever” Yamuna Aarti at Kudesia Ghat on November 13, on the lines of the famous Ganga Aarti held in either Varanasi or Rishikesh.

According to officials from the Water and Tourism department, 11 priests from Varanasi were invited to conduct the fi rst ever ‘Yamuna Aarti’ in the national capital on November 13, same day as ‘Bhai Dooj’.

“The aim of the event is to showcase the

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

AIDS Society of India said feasibility project could be made part of a policy to prevent AIDS

Delhi govt hold ‘first ever’ Yamuna Aarti

‘Discarding of clothes in Pampa river never a practice’ Discarding of clothes by Ayyappa devotees in the river Pampa and throwing away other material has never been a practice and violators would face severe penal action, a top official said.

“We do not see any ebb of custom, any ritual,or otherwise in the pilgrimage of Sabarimala which requires or obliges or permits any person who is a pilgrim to discard used clothes and any other personal belongings of whatever nature into the Pampa river,” Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, K Babu said.

The Commissioner, in a statement, referred to the October 16 order of the Kerala High Court, which had said that those who pollute Pampa river (also called Pamba) shall have to face penal consequences.

The HC had said that as per provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, those who pollute river and water bodies are punishable for a prison term of up to six years with fine. Babu later told PTI that police personnel deployed at Pampa had been informed of the HC order and to ensure that pilgrims comply with it.

He said such acts by pilgrims would generate sufficient basis to consider initiating prosecution, resulting in conviction for a minimum period of one and half years.

The Commissioner said those leading the devotees have to impress on them not to indulge in such practices.

PTI

from the designated ghats.

The green panel’s observation came on a plea fi led by one Ojasvi Party which claimed that due to the earlier order banning of idol immersion in Yamuna, religious faith and sentiments of thousands of people has been hurt.

The plea, fi led through one Swami Om ji, who claimed that during Diwali and Chhath

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

One of Asia’s largest red light districts, Sonagachi will next month roll out an experimental project for providing HIV-preventive medicine to sex workers in what will be the fi rst such initiative in the country.

The feasibility project recently received clearance from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Union Health Ministry and is likely to commence in December.

“We recently gave clearance to this project. It is a feasibility project. It is for the fi rst time that such a project is being taken up in India,” national programme officer at NACO, BB Rewari, told PTI. Under the project, ‘Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis’ (PrEP), regular medicine would be given to an HIV-negative sex worker who engages sexually with an HIV-positive person, said a senior official of an NGO working for the welfare of sex workers.

The medicine is designed to prevent sex workers from HIV infection, said Samarjit Jana principal of the NGO, Sonagachi Research and Training Institute (SRTI).

“We have already started survey of HIV-positive and HIV- negative sex workers in Sonagachi. We hope the project will start from December this year,” Jana said.

The project is to be financed by the Melinda Gates Foundation.

SRTI is an arm of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC), a forum of 1,30,000 sexworkers in West Bengal. According to Protim Roy, a doctor associated with the project, an awareness drive for the campaign has already been taken up among the sex workers.

Jana said that the use of condoms and taking PrEP medicine everyday would offer double protection against HIV infection.

“We all know that use of condoms has brought down the prevalence of HIV, but often customers do not use condoms. In such cases and in cases

According to the report, China - the world’s leading carbon emitter - also leads in coastal risk, with 145 million people living on land ultimately threatened by rising seas if emission levels are not reduced.

Twelve other nations each have more than 10 million people living on land at risk, led by India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The United States is most threatened outside of Asia, with roughly 25 million people on implicated land.

Meeting the 3.6F goal would cut exposure by more than half in the US, China, and India, the world’s top three carbon emitters, as well as in many other nations.

PTI

NGT bench asks Centre, Delhi, Pollution Board and civic bodies to constitute panel and designate more space for idol immersion

Supriya Bhoite from Chaturshrungi police station.

Contd on p4

advance, and second instalment was to be released after completion of certain formalities. The very next year second instalment was also disbursed.

Cut to October 2012 – Kamalapurkar fi led an RTI with chief public information officer (CPIO) of Ministry of Culture seeking information about the fi lm on Tilak.

The CPIO was clueless about the project and sought information from

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

Climate change threatens nearly 55 million people in India’s coastal areas and could lock in enough sea level rise to submerge land currently home to more than half a billion people globally if the temperature spikes by 4 degrees Celsius — humanity’s current trajectory.

Homes of 55 million people in coastal areas of India are likely to be submerged in sea with a 4 degrees Celsius global increase in temperature, warned a new report published in Climate Central — a US-based non-profit research and journalism organisation.

It warned that a 4 degrees Celsius increase in temperature could submerge a whopping 145 million in China.

The findings comes just weeks ahead of a UN climate summit in Paris from November 30 to December 11. The objective of the summit is to cap the rise in Earth’s temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Achieving the two-degree goal remains a serious challenge.

“A 4C warming scenario could lock in enough sea level rise to submerge land inhabited by half or more of today’s population in Shanghai and Shantou, China; Haora (Howrah), Calcutta and Mumbai, India; Hanoi, Vietnam; and Khulna, Bangladesh,” it said.

The report, however, said that if the increase in global temperature is managed to 2 degrees the target set by the international community this man-made calamity could be considerably reduced.

several people have been immersing idols for past several years and due to tribunal’s earlier order, their religious sentiments would be hurt once again.

The bench asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Delhi Government, Central Pollution Control Board and civic bodies to constitute a committee immediately and designate more space for idol immersion.

“You can develop a mechanism, where idols could be immersed and not just let it take it a dip and let it float or submerged for a distance and pulled out from a latter point,” the bench told advocate Balendu Shekher appearing for East Delhi Municipal Corporation after he submitted that proper compliance was being ensured.

PTI

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

BY LALIT K JHA

National Green Tribunal (NGT) said idol immersion in river Yamuna was not completely prohibited but can be done only from the designated places, saying its earlier order has been misconstrued.

“We have never said that there is complete prohibition from idol immersion in river Yamuna. Our earlier order has been misconstrued. We respect the sentiments and faith of all religions. What we have said is that idol immersion should be done from a designated place so that the river doesn’t get polluted,” a bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar said.

The bench said it cannot allow the river to be polluted and hence its earlier order had prohibited throwing of puja materials from anywhere, except

PUNE, MARCH 21, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

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Hum

Fourteen years later, there is no sign of the fi lm. Vishnu Kamalapurkar, Pune-based activist, sought details of the project in 2012 from the Central Government only to be told that they had no records left, the concerned ministry had been wound up, and that fi lm-maker could not be traced.

Essentially, the government acceded that it had been duped of `2.5 crores, the sum that was transferred to the fi lm-maker.

It has taken Kamalapurkar three years since he sought details about the fi lm under Right to Information Act to get the government to launch a fullfledged investigation. Dhumale has

receiving his RTI finally been traced by the government with the help of police and claims that the fi lm will be released in “next two to four months”. He still hasn’t answered several questions raised by the government about the script and the star cast.

It all started in December 2001, when Commemoration Bureau under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture commissioned a fi lm on Lokmanya Tilak. A sum of Rs 1.25 crores was paid to Dhumale immediately as an

Saath Saath

When

HUNGER STRIKES past midnight

A family that prays together stays together. Pune’s joint families on why they agree to disagree

TGS takes a night trail around the city to look for places that will silence a grumbling tummy in the dark of night

The Kamdars

Run for…

yourself

Puneites are running to fight depression, lethargy, even physical disadvantage. Marathoners are taking over the street and making the city fitter than it has ever been

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Contact : 02024450705 (during office hours only)  tgs@goldensparrow.com Pilgrims take a dip in Pamba river, trek the Chalakayam route of about five kilometers to Ayyappa’s temple

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

“The prime minister can’t be blamed for the defeat in Bihar. There cannot be arrogance in our party. We can’t think of becoming arrogant. The prime minister was trying his best to communicate with the people and there is nothing wrong in it.”

— Rajnath Singh, Home Minister

I’m on my way to becoming a Puneite P 15

Kashmiris turn down PM’s development package

The Madras High Court has upheld the amendment made in the year 1968 to simplify Hindu marriages

SRINAGAR: The business fraternity in Kashmir rejected a Rs 80,000 crore package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development of the state, saying it was “merely an eyewash”.

“This package is merely an eyewash. We reject it. Most of the allocations for various sectors under this package had already been made by this government before and by the previous UPA government,” president Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Mushtaq Wani told reporters here.

Wani said a major chunk of the package, about Rs 42,000 crore, has been earmarked for national highway project which would go to the central agency.

“The larger chunk, ie, Rs 42,611 crore of the package is exclusively for Roads and National Highway Projects.

The money will go to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and not to the state government.

“Similarly Rs 5,263 crore have been earmarked for rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrant families, families from Chhamb and PoK and for creation of India Reserve Battalions,”

CHENNAI: Nearly 50 years after Tamil Nadu government legalised “self-respect” marriages which are conducted without a priest the Madras High Court has upheld the amendment made in the year 1968 to simplify Hindu marriages.

Dismissing a PIL filed by A Asuvathaman, an advocate, against the amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act, the first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam in its recent order said “the Hindu religion by itself is pluralist in character and thus various forms of marriage have traditionally existed depending on the area and the custom prevalent therein.”

“Section 7-A (inserted by Tamil Nadu government in 1968) provides for a particular kind of marriage “Suyamariyathai” (self-respect) marriages among two Hindus.

It has also stood the test of time now for nearly half a century”, the judges said.

“It was the state of Tamil Nadu which legalised the Suyamariyathai marriages, which simplified conducting of marriages without Brahmin priests and the couple going seven steps around the fire 47 years ago”, the judges said.

Asuvathaman contended that “Saptapadi” (seven steps going around the fire by the couple as part of marriage ritual) was an important

PTI

Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend his rally during the inauguration of 450 MW Baglihar Hydro Electric Project Stage-II, at Charankote in Ramban in J&K

he said.

The KCCI president said the Centre had ignored the relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected people in the package.

“The details of the...package funds suggest that the Central Government has ignored the requirement of funds essential for relief and rehabilitation of the people who suffered enormous losses in September 2014”, Wani said.

Immediately after the deluge, the KCCI put in all efforts to make spot assessment of losses which came out to be over Rs 100,000 crore, he said.

“The same was submitted to the State and Central Governments for consideration and to be dispensed to the people (affected by flood)for

Fund sharing plan approved by Centre

“It also increased the amount of money going to the states from the divisible pool from 32 to 42 per cent.

So the states are now getting much more unconditional money than they had been getting earlier,” he said.

Claiming that the Centre was quite “generous” towards NE states, he said it has also set aside Rs 2,369 crore for DoNER to fund projects across the region.

Lauding Meghalaya fiscal health, Sinha said, “I am pleased that Meghalaya is doing very well economically. The state GDP is growing 15 per cent a year, which I think is quite extraordinary. The fiscal deficit of GDP is below 30 per cent (currently 25 per cent) which we wanted it to be.”

On the state’s potential, he emphasised the need to tap hydroelectric power generation and agroprocessing and assured central assistance including finance of some of the projects.

Sinha also campaigned for safe passage of the GST Bill pending in Parliament.

Stating that the Bill will help the financially weak NE states, Sinha said, “We are hopeful that the NE states will support the passage of GST in Parliament.”

PTI

The sharing formula for the NE states should be 90:10

Vol-II* lssue No.: 22 Editor: Yogesh Sadhwani (Responsible for the selection of news under the PRB Act, 1867) Printed and Published by: Shrikant Honnavarkar on behalf of Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. CIN:U22200PN2014PTC151382 and printed at PRI – Media Services Private Limited CIN: U22222MH2012PTC232006 at Plot No. EL-201, TTC Industrial Area, MIDC, Mahape, Navi Mumbai.

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rehabilitation and revival of their normal day-to-day activity”, Wani said.

The state government however downplayed the assessment made by the Chamber and instead made their own estimates and sought Rs 44,000 crore relief package from the Centre, the KCCI president said.

Wani said contrary to the expected immediate response from the Centre, the Prime Minister in his “inordinately belated announcement has come out with a baffling allocation of funds” in the name of package.

“The Chamber has noted with concern that the amount of money earmarked for flood relief and reconstruction including flood

Notice to Gujarat govt over Anganwadi issue

management is mere Rs 7,854 crore as against the requirement of Rs 37,000 crore demanded by the State Government exclusively for losses suffered.

“The flood management is estimated to involve a separate huge expense of over Rs 30,000 crore for enhancing the carrying capacity of the existing flood channels, digging alternate flood channels and dredging of river Jhelum and its tributaries,” the KCCI president said.

Wani said out of the earmarked amount of Rs 7,854 crore, the floodaffected people would get “nothing”.

“It will only be used for dredging. We want the Centre to grant the package submitted by the previous state government,” he said, threatening to “explore other options” for seeking compensation as done in Uttarakhand.

Wani said KCCI has been advocating for transfer of power projects under NHPC in the state to the State control for a cogent reason that these projects could prove to be a great help to the state economy and its people. “Nothing is contained in the package on that score either despite the fact that the return of power projects has been agreed upon in the common minimum programme. Thus the package appears to be shallow way below the expectation containing nothing special,” he said.

PTI

ritual. The amendment had attempted to bring in the philosophy of a political movement”. He submitted that “Suyamariuathai” weddings are not in conformity with the customary rites and ceremonies and hence the amendment providing for them should be declared unconstitutional.

It was DMK founder C N. Annadurai as Chief Minister in 1967 who signed the first file legalising selfrespect marriages.

In the year 1968, it became an Act by introduction of section 7A amendment to Hindu Marriages Act. Declining to declare the amendment as illegal and unconstitutional, the HC judges, quoting a Supreme Court judgement, in its order said that “the amendment inserted by Tamil Nadu applies to any marriage between two Hindus solemnised in the presence of relatives, friends or other persons.”

PTI

INDO-SPANISH FUSION PTI

A major chunk of the package has been earmarked for a national highway project

SHILLONG: The Centre has accepted the recommendation of a panel that fund sharing between the central and state governments for Jayant Sinha 17 core centrally s p on s or e d schemes in north eastern states should be 90:10, Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said.

The Shivraj Singh Chauhan Committee recommended that the sharing formula for the NE states should primarily be 90:10 as it has been and for a few other programmes it should be 80:20, Sinha told reporters.

Although some centrally-aided schemes have been struck down by the 14th Finance Commission, it has replaced them with an unconditional devolution for which states stand to benefit, the minister said.

Stating that the total amount released under various schemes for Meghalaya was Rs 3,804 crore, Sinha said, “The allocation of 201516 is Rs 4,014 crore, an increase of about Rs 200 crore.

Hindu marriage process simplified

Kathakali dance with the incorporation of the Spanish Fusion Draupadi dance near the Taj Mahal

NEW DELHI: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notice to the Gujarat government over the issue of a separate Anganwadi for the Dalit children in Hajipur village of Patan district.

The Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that there are two separate Anganwadis, one for the children of Dalits and the other for the children of other castes, in Gujarat’s Hajipur village. The report stated that a three-year-old Dalit girl, who was lost in conversation with her four-year-old neighbour friend, walked towards Anganwadi no. 160 but was stopped at the gate and asked to go to Anganwadi no. 159 that was meant for Dalits. Anganwadi 160 is meant for the children of Patidars and Brahmins.

“The contents of the press report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of Dalits,” the Commission observed.

PTI

Should my meat be someone’s poison?

The Constitution does not talk only about prohibiting slaughter of cows, but also of other milch and draught cattle

BY DR SAUMITRA MOHAN As a sovereign citizen of a modern liberal democracy, it is me who has always taken all my decisions regarding ways to please my palate. So, what has lately become fashionable in this country a la Dadri is not in order and definitely not legitimate. Article 48 of the Indian Constitution says, “...the State shall take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter, of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.”

So, the Constitution actually does not talk only about prohibiting slaughter of cows, but also of other milch and draught cattle whose meat is relished by the Hindus. So, those asking for banning beef because it is mentioned in the Constitution should demand equal prohibition for other milch and draught cattle including goat and buffaloes.

A country whose citizens’ nutritional and employment status is already compromised just can’t afford to ban meat eating of one or the other kind.

Pandit Thakur Dass Bhargava who suggested article 48 relating to cow slaughter in the Constituent Assembly had said, “I do not want that, due to its inclusion in the Fundamental Rights, non-Hindus should complain that they have been forced to accept a certain thing against their will.”

As the founding fathers of our

Constitution did not want to force a decision on citizens, the end result of the debate in the Constituent Assembly was Article 48 in its extant form as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy. The Supreme Court has later ruled in several cases against a total ban on cattle slaughter on grounds of public interest.

Almost all the Committees and Commissions, formed from time to time, including Cattle Preservation and Development Committee (194748), Uttar Pradesh Committee (1948),

Family members of Akhlaq who was lynched in Dadri with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister AKhilesh Yadav (File photo/PTI)

PTI

Nanda Committee on the Prevention of Slaughter of Milch Cattle in India (1954-55), Gosamvardhan Committee (1960) and Special Committee on Preserving High-Yielding Cattle (1961-62) have recommended against the ban on cattle slaughter including beef on one or the other ground.

As a religion, Hinduism does not prohibit meat eating. Historians claim that ancient Hindus including Vedic Brahmins, Buddhists and even early Jains used to consume meat including beef. Old scriptures including Manusmriti and Arthashastra have been quoted to confirm this.

Arguably, if beef eating is bad just because cow is treated holy by Hindus, then the same reason holds for many other animals. If bruised sentiments of a section of Hindus could be the ground for banning beef, then eating meat of other animals including chicken, goat, buffaloes, lamb, pig et al should also be banned as they too hurt the sensibilities of the vegetarians. We should also not eat garlic, onions or tuberous vegetables because the same is forbidden to be eaten by a section of the Hindus and Jains.

PTI Feature

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

Pune FC hammer DSK Shivajians in the Maharashtra zone opener P 16

“If we can better identify the ‘red flags’ of risk around the world, we can better target diplomacy, development assistance in order to enable those nations to become more resilient and more secure and less likely to devolve into full-fledged wars and humanitarian crises.”

— John Kerry, US Secretary of State

‘Pak’s Sindh can be an independent state’

CRS said Sindh historically has possessed many of trappings of a modern nation-state but its autonomy is restrained by politically and demographically dominant Punjabi province

BY LALIT K JHA WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s Sindh always possessed characteristics of a “viable independent state”, but its role as Punjab’s conduit to the sea may be the ultimate reason that successful separatism could not yield results, a first-ever US Congressional report on the strategic province has said.

In its report, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) — an independent and bi-partisan research wing of US Congress — said Sindh historically has possessed many of the trappings of a modern nation-state.

“Yet it exists in a circumstance wherein its autonomy (and that of Pakistan’s other minority provinces)” is significantly restrained by a politically and demographically dominant Punjabi province and ethnicity,” said the report.

The CRS reports are prepared by eminent experts but are not considered the official position of US Congress. It is the first time CRS has prepared a report on Sindh which of late is facing serious discontent among locals.

“Although Sindh has always possessed most of the characteristics required for a viable independent state and some nationalist sentiments persist to this day, its role as Punjab’s conduit to the sea may well be the ultimate reason that successful Sindhi separatism faced long odds,” it said.

A copy of the report was released to the media by Congressman Brad Sherman, who is the co-Chair of the

Pervasive political, ethnic, and sectarian violence in Karachi has some analysts fearful that nuclear facilities near Sindh would be subjected to attack by militants

small Congressional Caucus on Sindh.

“Sindh thus operates in a seemingly permanent state of disadvantage, and is seen by some to be unlikely to meet its full social and economic potential in the absence of major qualitative changes to the Pakistani state,” said the report.

According to the report, Sindh’s Mohajirs (Urdu-speaking people who migrated from India during partition) had their own autonomist movement from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s.

This was rooted in that community’s loss of preeminence in provincial politics, bureaucracy, and industry, its lack of meaningful representation in the army, and its loss of identity following migration, among other factors.

After the 1970 election elevated a Sindhi to the prime ministership, Mohajir student organisations began efforts to consolidate community identity, and in 1984 the Muttahida

Quami Movement (MQM) political party was founded, one with an early “penchant for torture, kidnapping, and murder”.

Political violence in Karachi grew to such a scale that, by the early 1990s, it had caught the attention of the army, which launched a crackdown that sent MQM leader Altaf Hussein into apparently permanent exile in London.

Yet the party remains a major player in the province and has continued to be dominant in Karachi. Sindhi-Mohajir frictions remain unresolved, especially given widespread perceptions among Mohajirs that the provincial government is fundamentally unable to serve their needs, the report said. Pervasive political, ethnic, and sectarian violence in Karachi has some analysts fearful that nuclear facilities near the city would be subjected to attack by militants.

PTI

Indian teacher’s murder case cracked after 25 years TORONTO: A 25-year-old unsolved killing of an Indian schoolteacher who worked at a gas station seems to have been cracked with Canadian police arresting a man and charging him with the murder.

Surinder Singh Parmar, who was a teacher in India and held a PhD in history, was found stabbed to death on November 19, 1990, inside a men’s washroom of the Penny Gas Bar in Toronto.

The suspect Rupert Richards, now 61, was arrested on November 9 from his home in Toronto, police said. Richards was “quite surprised” to learn that he has been charged with first-degree murder in the 1990 killing, CBC news reported.

Det-Sgt Stacy Gallant, in charge of the Toronto police force’s cold-case unit, said innovations in DNA evidence and other investigative techniques helped crack the case.

“Items were re-examined,” Gallant said. “Items that had been sitting on a shelf for years.”

Parmar, 38, worked nights at the gas station and had family in India, including a wife and two children aged six and 12. After the killing, the family immigrated to Canada. The family currently live in the Toronto area, the report said.

Parmar arrived in Canada in June 1990 and had planned to return home in January. He died of multiple stab wounds to the neck and abdomen.

“He was trying to make a little money,” Toronto police Det-Sgt Jim Crowley told The Canadian Press in 1990.

At the time of the incident, police told reporters that Parmar was likely killed during a robbery at the 24-hour gas station.

PTI

Indian-origin barrister becomes UK judge LONDON: Kalyani Kaul, a prominent barrister of Indian-origin who has handled high-profi le cases, has been sworn in as a Circuit Judge in the UK. 54-year-old Kalyani, who has spent much of the past 32 years defending serious and high-profi le cases, is known for her extensive and wide-ranging experience in heavyweight criminal defence work.

She was called to the Bar in 1983 and became a Recorder in 2009. As a Recorder she prepared cases for trial and presided over hearings in county courts.

She took Silk in 2011 -- in order to “take silk” a lawyer usually has to serve as a barrister or a Scottish advocate for at least 10 years.

Kalyani was sworn in as a Circuit Judge yesterday and will be sitting at Snaresbrook Crown Court with immediate effect.

In the last 10 years, she has prosecuted offences of murder, manslaughter, serious sexual offences and fraud.

Kalyani was the third highestpaid barrister in terms of legal aid payments in 2005. She studied law from the London School of Economics (LSE).

She was the Senior Circuit representative on the Bar Council (2013-14), a vice president (former chair) of the Association of Women Barristers, and one of the two Diversity Officers for the South Eastern Circuit.

Kalyani is the daughter of wellknown British journalists Mahendra Kaul and Rajni Kaul, both of whom worked for long years with the Voice of America and the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Mahendra was the fi rst Asian to be honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1975.

PTI

‘Rich Indian-Americans could dwarf official US aid to India’

Kalyani Kaul, a prominent barrister of Indian origin, with her parents Mahendra Kaul and Rajni Kaul, after being sworn-in as a Circuit Judge in the UK

H-1B visa reform bill introduced in US Senate

Grassley-Durbin reform bill explicitly prohibits replacement of American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa holders

WASHINGTON: A bipartisan legislation seeking reform of the popular and modifying wage requirements has been introduced in the Senate with an aim to check “abuse of the system”, a move that could have implications for the Indian techies working in America.

The bill has been introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley, Chairman Senator Chuck Senator Dick of Senate Judiciary Committee, and Grassley Durbin Dick Durbin, Assistant Democratic Leader. It is co-sponsored by Senators workers and facilitate the outsourcing Bill Nelson, Richard Blumenthal, and of American jobs. The H-1B and L-1 Sherrod Brown.

Visa Reform Act would end these “The H-1B visa programme was abuses and protect American and never meant to replace qualified foreign workers from American workers, exploitation,” Durbin but it was said. instead intended The bill would also as a means to give the Department fi ll gaps in highly of Labour enhanced specialised areas authority to review, of employment investigate and that cannot be fi lled audit employer by Americans,” compliance as well Grassley said. as to penalise fraudulent or “The abuse of abusive conduct. the system is real, and media The bill says that working reports are validating what we have conditions of similarly employed argued against for years, including the American workers may not be fact that Americans adversely affected are training their by the hiring of replacements.” the H-1B worker, There is a sense “The abuse of the system is including who have of urgency for real, and media reports are been placed by Americans who are another employer losing their jobs validating what we have at the American to lesser skilled argued against for years” worker’s work site. workers who are It explicitly - Senator Chuck Grassley coming in at lower p r o h i b i t s wages on a visa replacement of programme that has gotten away from American workers by H-1B or L-1 visa its original intent, he said. holders. The Grassley-Durbin reform “Reform of the H-1B visa bill will for the first time prioritise the programme must be a priority,” annual allocation of H-1B visas.

Grassley stressed. The bill would In addition, the bill includes prohibit companies from hiring H-1B establishment of a wage floor for employees if they employ more than L-1 workers, give authority to the 50 people and more than 50 per cent Department of Homeland Security of their employees are H-1B and L-1 to investigate, audit and enforce visa holders. Th is provision would compliance with L-1 programme crackdown on outsourcing companies requirements, provide assurance that import large numbers of H-1B that intra-company transfers occur and L-1 workers for short training between legitimate branches of a periods and then send these workers company and do not involve “shell” back to their home country to do the facilities and a change to the work of Americans, the Senators said. defi nition of “specialised knowledge” “For years, foreign outsourcing to ensure that L-1 visas are reserved companies have used loopholes in the only for truly key personnel. laws to displace qualified American PTI

AERIAL SPECTACLE PTI

BY HS RAO

Al Fursan, the UAE Air Force aerobatic display team, perform during the opening of the Dubai Airshow in United Arab Emirates

Research claim that the community’s combined annual income is USD 67.4 billion

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed nearly 20,000 Indian-Americans at New York’s Madison Square Garden last year. Indian-Americans are donating more than ever before to help support social change aimed at reducing India’s inequities

WASHINGTON: Indian-Americans, who have a combined annual income of a whopping USD 67.4 billion, can play a key role in philanthropy activities in India that could dwarf official US foreign aid to India by 10 times, according to new research.

The donations could be to the tune of USD 1.2 billion per annum, said a report published in ‘Impact India’ - a magazine for philanthropists and social innovators targeting India published

jointly by the Bridgespan Group, Dasra, and Stanford Social Innovation Review - that also put the “combined annual discretionary income of Americans of Indian origin” at USD 67.4 billion.

The growing Indian diaspora settled in America totals over 1.9 million, the report said, adding that there are another 1.6 million Americans who report having Indian ancestry.

“If their philanthropic contributions were consistent with those of other US

PUNE

households in similar income brackets, and if they directed 40 per cent of their philanthropic giving to India, USD 1.2 billion per year would flow from Indian diaspora donors to Indian causes,” the report said. This sum would dwarf official US foreign aid to India (USD 116.4 million in fiscal year 2014). What’s more, it would represent more than half the entire amount of annual official development aid received by India from all countries - USD 2.2 billion, on average, from 2005 through 2013.

Noting that Indian-Americans are donating more than ever before to support broad-based social change aimed at reducing India’s inequities, it said the potential for impact is great, but so are the challenges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration seems particularly attuned to the upside potential for financial and non-financial support from the Indian-American diaspora. His focus on bilateral India-US initiatives may be an indicator of his openness to connect with Indian-Americans that could contribute meaningfully to India’s development, the report said.

PTI

Adani’s Aus plan faces roadblock

BY NATASHA CHAKU MELBOURNE: Indian mining giant Adani’s 16.5 billion dollar controversyhit coal mine project in Australia faced a fresh legal challenge from an environmental group which sought cancellation of a new government approval, saying it would harm the fragile Great Barrier Reef and add to climate change.

The mega project located in Queensland’s Galilee Basin was last month granted the new approval by Environment Minister Greg Hunt.

The mine, which would be the biggest in Australia, was approved subject to 36 strict conditions after a court action sidelined the project earlier this year because of its impact on the ornamental snake and yakka skink, a vulnerable species that hides

under rocks.

The Australian Conservation Foundation said Environment Minister Hunt failed to consider whether the impact of climate pollution, resulting from burning the mine’s coal, would be inconsistent with Australia’s international obligations to protect the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

MONEY MATT ER S

“We have ensured maximum value for every rupee spent, maximum empowerment for our poor, maximum technology reach to the masses, among other things.”

— Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

Signposts

“If we look at a 10-year vision, we want Amazon to be accessible to every Indian. If done right, Udaan could become significant for Amazon as well as India. It will impact our customer acquisition.”

— Amit Agarwal, VP, Amazon India

2015 exports may post negative growth

India Ratings and Research cites fall in global commodity prices and sharp weakening of the euro averaged 17.1 per cent lower YoY for the dismal prediction

Slowdown in economic activity in countries in Asia and Africa, which account for more than half of India’s merchandise exports, may be a challenge to India’s export growth

Modi govt eases FDI norms in 15 sectors Unveiling sweeping liberalisation of foreign investment norms, the government opened up 15 sectors including real estate, defence, civil aviation and news broadcasting in a bid to push up reforms days after BJP’s debacle in Bihar and ahead of the Prime Minister’s UK visit. While restrictions in the construction sector were freed up by allowing overseas investors to exit and repatriate investment even before project completion, foreign direct investment (FDI) up to 49 per cent stake in defence firms and regional airlines has been allowed without government nod.

Merchandise exports in dollar terms are expected to post single-digit negative growth for the rest of 2015-16 due to low commodity prices, a report said.

India Ratings and Research (IndRa) said that aggregate 15.1 per cent YoY fall in Indian merchandise exports in US dollar (USD) terms over the 10 months ended September 2015 was mainly driven by fall in global commodity prices and sharp weakening of the euro averaged 17.1 per cent lower YoY (yearon-year).

The agency said that the prices of most major commodities are close to their bottom. However, merchandise exports in USD are expected to post single-digit negative growth for the rest of FY16, given that commodity

PTI

AIRLINES GROUNDED

Nepal Airlines Airbus 320 and other international airlines are parked inside Tribhuwan International airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. Airlines in Nepal have been forced to cancel many domestic flights because of an ongoing fuel shortage, an official said

Wind power capacity to touch 2,800 MW The country’s wind power capacity will grow by 2,800 MW this fiscal, registering a jump of 20 per cent, mainly on the back of strong policy support that has encouraged independent power producer (IPP) and non-IPP segments, rating agency ICRA has said.

The 20 per cent growth in FY16 will be driven by IPP segment, encouraged by satisfactory feed-in tariff-based PPAs (power purchase agreements) in wind energy rich states and cost competitiveness with conventional

power and the non-IPP players, which derived benefits from the accelerated depreciation (AD) norms, it said.

The agency noted the sector continues to face regulatory challenges arising out of wide variance in RPO norms, weak compliance of the same by obligated entities — mainly state discoms — and absence of enforcement of penalty framework by State Electricity Regulatory Commission for any shortfall in RPO compliance.

PTI

prices will continue to be lower on a YoY basis. A marginal uptick in exports in USD is likely from Q1 of FY17 driven by the base effect. The volume demand for Indian exports may not have suffered significantly during the period.

In fact, export volumes in certain categories, such as automobiles, continued to increase by 7.7 per cent in half year ended September 2015 as compared to 14.9 per cent in 2014-15 and 7.3 per cent in 2012-13, the rating agency said.

Export of crude oil and its products, which constitutes 18.3 per cent of 201415 merchandise exports, declined 45.4 per cent YoY in value over December 2014 to September 2015, in line with the fall in crude prices.

Tourism ministry eyes 1 per cent global share Tourism Ministry has set a target of one per cent share of international tourist arrivals by 2016-17, which at present stands at 0.68 per cent.

Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said this while addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting.

The ‘Swadesh Darshan’ and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) schemes and the working of Zonal Cultural Centres were discussed.

Sharma said India’s rich cultural, historical, religious and natural heritage provides a huge potential for development of tourism and job creation.

There is a need to raise the standards of existing tourist destinations and develop new tourism destinations of global standards with the integrated and well-coordinated efforts of Central and state governments, the minister said.

He said that religious tourism is an important segment of domestic tourism and many religions of the world have their major and minor pilgrimage centres in different parts of the country.

Better services and infrastructure facilities at pilgrimage sites can enrich the spiritual experience of pilgrims, he added. Referring to Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs), he said these centres promote the rich diversity of our country and also encourage folk and tribal arts and aid the preservation of vanishing arts.

PTI

Similarly, agriculture exports declined 19.1 per cent YoY on account of a decline in the prices of agricultural commodities. The decline in these two categories alone accounted for around three-fourths of the overall decline in merchandise exports.

The sharp fall in the prices of other commodities, along with lower crude oil rates, has also depressed the prices of many intermediate and manufactured goods. Consequently, the value of exported items has shrunk, it said.

The slowdown in economic activity in countries in Asia and Africa, which account for more than half of India’s merchandise exports, may be a bigger challenge to India’s export growth than demand from the United States of America (13.7 per cent of merchandise exports) or Europe (18.1 per cent).

Industrial activity and personal consumption in the USA and Europe grew at a low yet steady pace in Q1 of FY16. However, export growth to Asian (49.6 per cent) and African (10.6 per cent) regions is likely to remain subdued as economic activity in these regions has moderated due to falling commodity prices, volatile exchange rates, and moderating domestic demand. Thus, an uptick in overall export volumes is as unlikely as is a sharp downturn.

PTI

BoI chief splashes red ink all over

Bank of India’s newly-appointed chief declares massive net loss of Rs 1,126 cr for the quarter to September State-run Bank of India reported a massive net loss of Rs 1,126 crore for the quarter to September, as against a net profit of Rs 786 crore a year ago, as its bad loans more than doubled to 7.55 per cent which pushed up its provisions more than trebled.

The cityheadquartered lender’s gross non-performing Melvin Rego assets more than doubled to 7.55 per cent of total loans from 3.54 per cent in the same period last fiscal, while net NPAs nearly doubled to 4.31 per cent from 2.32 per cent a year ago.

Similarly, the bank saw more and more assets turning bad during the quarter with fresh slippages more than doubling to Rs 6,251 crore from Rs 2,971 crore a year ago.

These sets of red marks come even as the bank improved its margins and lowered its bulk deposits with net interest margin improving from 2.27 per cent in March 2015 to 2.77 per cent in September 2015. The bank did not share the y-o-y NIM. The rot was more visible as the bank’s asset had a negative growth — 0.88 per cent during the quarter while on an average public sector banks have reported around 10 per cent uptick in

advances.

“The bank made provisions for bad and doubtful debt worth Rs 3,036 crore in Q2 against Rs 792 crore a year ago,” its newly-appointed managing director and chief executive Melvin Rego told reporters.

The bank also made higher provisions for pension liability at Rs 353 crore during the period under review, which was based on revised data provided by LIC in which the life expectancy has gone up to 81 years from 75 years earlier.

Total provisions, excluding taxes, more than trebled to Rs 3,237 crore in the second quarter as against Rs 963 crore in the year-ago period, he said.

Net interest income stood at Rs 3,020 crore, and other income stood at Rs 778 crore during the reporting period. Rego said total income came down to Rs 11,318 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 12,099 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

The low-cost Casa of the bank improved to 31.22 per cent from 28.40 per cent.

“I would like to mention that CRAR, provision coverage ratio, net interest margin and CASA ratios have shown significant improvement,” he said.

Provision coverage ratio has increased from 52 per cent in March 2015 to 55 per cent in September 2015.

PTI

Goyal sees USD 30bn savings from discom revival by FY19

Power Ministry’s recently launched Uday plan involves massive bailout of Rs 4.3 trillion debt of discoms, measures to cut power thefts and align consumer tariff with generation cost Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said the implementation of the revival package of the near bankrupt state-run discoms will result in total savings of nearly USD 30 billion by FY 2018-19.

“If all goes as planned, the Uday scheme (the nomenclature of the revival package involving taking away the Rs 4.3 trillion debt of the discoms’ books), will help save nearly USD 30 billion in total

by FY15,” Goyal told investors.

The banking sector as a whole has a huge expoPiyush Goyal sure to the near bankrupt staterun discoms to the tune of Rs 4.3 trillion in principle alone and over Rs 5 trillion if interest and unpaid dues are counted.

These discoms have accumulated losses of about Rs 3.8 trillion.

Goyal assured that the state-run Power Finance Corporation (PGC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which have an exposure of around USD 20 billion to the discoms, will not be forced to buy the bonds to be

Goyal said PFC and REC will not be forced to buy bonds to be issued by states under Uday at 8.8.5 per cent yield

issued by the respective states under the scheme at 8.8.5 per cent yield.

He also said this is aimed at protecting the balance sheet of PFC, which gets loans at 7.5 to 8 per cent.

“We will not stress PFC and REC’s balance sheets with these bonds which will be priced at 8-8.5 per cent. It could only affect their working capital

requirement,” he said, adding this is the reason why the government will be selling these bonds in the market.

Claiming that there is a huge appetite in the market for such bonds as the renewable and transmission sectors are doing well, the minister said he has already spoken to pension funds, provident funds and insurers.

He said once the scheme is implemented PFC and REC can unlock their USD 20 billion exposure and invest further in projects.

The Uday scheme involves a massive bailout of the Rs 4.3 trillion debt of discoms besides measures to cut power thefts and align consumer tariff with generation cost. Under the plan the states can take over 75 per cent of their debt as of September 30 and pay back lenders by selling bonds. But this will not be added to fiscal deficit of the states. For the remaining 25 per cent, SEBs will issue bonds.

The rescue plan, called Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojna or Uday, provides “a permanent resolution of past as well as potential future issues of the sector” and empowers the utilities to break-even in next two-three years.

PTI

Pune scores poor in third quarter office net absorption Cushman & Wakefield puts Hyderabad on the top with 2.4 msf absorbed, pre-commitments at 3.85 lakh sq ft

Net absorption of commercial office space in top eight cities in JulySeptember quarter declined by over 50 per cent to 5.4 million sq ft (msf) over same period last year, but Hyderabad staged a comeback, as per a report by real estate consultants Cushman & Wakefield.

Pune and National Capital Region (NCR) saw a slowdown in office space activities. In both cities, net absorption was the only source of office transactions with no pre-commitments for the quarter. Delhi-NCR recorded

net absorption of 1.1 msf while Pune witnessed net absorption of 667,000 sf, the report said.

Lack of quality ready space in key micro-markets at a desirable price has led to many corporations holding out on their leasing plans, despite the overall sentiments for business remaining positive, the report said.

The pre-commitments in same period for future supply saw sharp rise of 75 per cent on y-o-y basis and was recorded at 4.7 msf, pushed greatly by pre-commitments in Mumbai.

Pune saw a slowdown in office space activities. Net absorption was the only source of office transactions with no pre-commitments in July-September

Hyderabad made an emphatic comeback with net absorption being recorded the highest at levels of 2.4 msf, while pre commitments were at

3,85,000 sqft (sf). Uncertainty over the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh had pushed many corporates to a wait-andwatch mode in terms of committing to

office space in the city. However, post the division, which saw the creation of Telangana, and with the new government coming up with policies for economic growth and stability, the corporate confidence has seen a growth.

In addition to this, the rental value at which quality office space is available in the city has added to the attractiveness of the location. Hyderabad would be the joint capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a period of ten years, as per AP Reorganisation Act. After that, it would be a part of Telangana.

Mumbai saw a significant increase in pre-commitments in the third quarter which was recorded at close to 2.9 msf, even while net absorption of office

space was relegated to mere 400,000 sf (approx).

Mumbai, which had previously been surviving on demand from sectors like BFSI, media, consulting, etc, saw demand coming in from the IT-ITeS sector, except that there is a paucity of quality office space at right price for the sector in the city, leading to high precommitments from this sector.

Bengaluru witnessed total office leasing activities of 2.7 million sf in Q3 2015. However, net absorption was relegated to only approximately 600,000 sf, as a number of companies moved to captive built to suit spaces, or relocated to recently built spaces.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

“ Many old government offices have been built without keeping in mind the problems faced by a disabled person. All this needs to be changed and hence, we have proposed an access audit.”

— Narendra Poyam, State Commissioner, Disabilities

PUNE

“The process of redistribution of confiscated tur dal will take a while. We should redistribute it as soon as possible. Therefore, it is being sent to Vidarbha and Marathwada as well.”

— Girish Bapat, Pune Guardian Minister

How can we let water go down the drain?

There is a vast scope for improvement

Pune’s potential has been obscured by lack of infrastructure, and the quality of life is deteriorating owing to traffic and pollution

Living with water shortage is a daily reality and we cannot afford any wastage at all

RAHUL RAUT

I came to Pune in 2014 owing to my job. I am glad to say that it has been an amazing experience for me over the year, mostly because I have had so many opportunities to indulge in my obsession with photography.

Pune is a place which offers an endless variety of locations and scenarios from Phan Binh

left, right and centre, and a completely ineffective police force either can or wants to do nothing to ensure discipline and order. How can you live with such chaos, every day, day after day?

Hygiene, cleanliness are completely ignored in some areas, with overflowing garbage bins, and the habit of spitting is really disgusting, but Indians do it all the time, anywhere and everywhere. When will we improve?

It’s Diwali time and pollution is a hazard that is also completely ignored.

All the fi reworks and noise pollution by the crackers makes me wonder why we can’t celebrate without causing a real problem to our lungs, let alone think about the agony that pet animals go through over the week of festivities? We are literally killing ourselves with the noxious fumes from the fi reworks, which seems stupid.

We watched a cricket match last year which was enjoyable but the journey to the stadium was an ordeal owing to the awful roads.

I am fascinated by the mix of old and modern here and all the things to do and places to visit. There is always a new restaurant to go to, or some event, and Pune must be one of the most happening cities in India with its wide spectrum of activities around the year.

Pune has great potential and it is up to us citizens to make sure that it lives up to its promise and that tomorrow is going to be brighter than yesterday.

FROM FOREIGN

a photographer’s perspective.

I have lived in Korea for 20 years just before arriving in Pune, and though it is impossible to expect the city to compare to a foreign country in terms of infrastructure, quality of life, I can’t help but feel disappointed as Pune just does not come up to the required standard. The civic administration is primarily to blame but I also think that the citizens do have a big say and a role in ensuring that efforts are made to improve the quality of life here.

The infrastructure here is woeful and the congested roads and their condition, with potholes and inadequate lighting make commuting a real nightmare, especially if you have experienced the situation in a foreign country. What is most annoying is that in a supposedly civilised city like Pune, the majority of citizens display a downright juvenile, and moronic attitude on the roads, breaking traffic laws

SHORES

I live on Tilak Road, and we have had water problems for a long time. Recently a pipeline had burst at Puram Chowk, and the road was flooded and it took a long time for it to be repaired. In the meanwhile, so much water was wasted as it literally went down the drain in these times of drought. A pipeline burst near Prabhat Talkies flooded the area and disrupted traffic.

Water pipelines should Shakti Sisodiya be given priority by the corporation and regular maintenance and upkeep should be ensured. The

pipelines that need repairs should be tended to in time so that precious water is not wasted.

The Pune Municipal Corporation will take a long time to replace the old pipelines, most of which are past their prime and should have been replaced long ago.

That is the reason for leakages and bursts which put an extra burden in an already difficult time. The PMC must first curb losses through leakages and pipeline bursts.

Even we as citizens must mend our ways and not be careless and negligent. We should not waste any water at home, be it leaving tap running needlessly, or washing our vehicles.

If all of us do our bit and the PMC does its

duty scrupulously, the losses will be minimal and it will amount to a huge saving of a precious commodity. Water cuts are now a reality that we have to live with and the sooner we accept our fate and act accordingly, the better it will be for all of us.

The civic body should conduct campaigns on conserving water and citizens should co-operate and curb wastage of water wherever we can. The situation is not going to change until the next monsoon and all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that it will be a plentiful one. Until then, it is our duty to treat water as a precious commodity and do our best to avoid any waste.

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

I’m on my way to becoming a Puneite

RAHUL RAUT

City’s crowded streets and language barrier are not such a big deal for this Delhi boy Pune is a far cry from my home town of Delhi, which is huge by comparison and poles apart as far as the language, manners, food and the way of life are concerned. Pune is an education hub and the wide spectrum of student population is testimony to this, as there are youngsters from all over the world. To Ashwin me, Pune is far Laxminarayan more serene and peaceful than big, bad Delhi and though the streets are crowded, it is quite different from Mumbai or Delhi.

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

The people here too seem to be less aggressive than those in Delhi, but I know from experience that knowing and being able to communicate in Marathi makes a big difference here.

It has a generally laidback attitude and compared to Delhi, where one has to travel long distances for trifles, everything seems well within reach. Of course, travelling ten kilometres here is like travelling 50 in Delhi.

It’s a different kind of place where food is concerned, but actually there is everything available here, right down to the chaat and lassi I am so fond of. There are food places galore all over the city

and I have still lots of new places to discover and explore.

Viman Nagar, where my college is located, is in itself unexplored territory. I have been here for a little over two years, and still there is so much I haven’t seen yet.

The Maharashtrian culture is still quite new to me but I like what I have seen so far by way of the festivals and events.

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of my favourites, it has a different level of energy altogether. The entire city comes together to celebrate and in those ten days, Pune has a different vibrance.

The people of Pune are also very

NON-NATIVE

PAROLE

Naturopathy College running a scam me. Everyone has faced this problem at one time or another. I too have been inconvenienced when auto drivers refuse fares, usually for short distances.

Even if they agree, they refuse to give back loose change. Since it is illegal, taking a step against these errant drivers will hopefully work out well and be beneficial to the public. After having their licenses temporarily suspended, perhaps they will not try to dupe the customers anymore.

— Rohan Sharma

TGS has brought to light the ill treatment of nursing students at the National Institute of Naturopathy.

Massaging patients is not part of their prescribed course, that too for eight hours each day. It is as though there is no respect for the medical knowledge they acquire. Th reatening them with cancellation of stipend and affecting their future careers just goes to show the length they will go to hide their malpractices. Apart from massages, the canteen work given to them is an absolute disgrace to any college. The students have paid for a

kind and are generally ready to help out. Even in college, I have quite a few friends who are localites from around town.

Though it is smaller than the metros, Pune is quite an eventful place and there is always something happening somewhere that I like to go to. Even the shopping is up to the mark, and all the malls and marketplaces are full of stuff that is interesting.

The newer areas of the city like Kalyani Nagar and Baner are quite modern and slick, while the traditional areas in Pune have a quaint and timeless charm.

I am still a long way from being a complete Puneite but I think I am beginning to get there.

fully functional course and they are essentially being robbed. Without any accreditations, it is a scam the college is running. Why send the students on leave if they protest? They really do not have any grounds of justification for their wrongdoings.

— Ashwin Patwardhan

Auto drivers are finally being pulled up The news about licenses of auto drivers being suspended comes as a relief to many residents of the city, including

managed to reach great heights, kudos to her!

— Purva Joshi

Getting the best out of plastic waste

Scaling the peaks The feature on Ishani Sawant is was one of my favourite reads this week.

Leaving a promising academic career to pursue one in an adventure sport is truly commendable. Rock climbing in itself is an unusual sport; Ishani has managed to turn it into her career and taken it to new heights. After reading this article, I hope people will come forward to sponsor her further ventures. Another aspect I found inspiring was her training the NDA cadets. At such a young age, she has

pollution it creates, it is high time some action was taken. Telling people to stop using plastic products will only be effective up to a certain point. Plastic products have become integrated into our daily lives, be it bottles, bags or wrappers. It isn’t feasible at rhis stage to completely ban its usage. Hence the next best thing is to find a way to dispose it without damaging the environment. Incorporating it into building roads is the perfect way. The properties of the resultant mixture are beneficial, the problem of excess plastic waste will also be solved. With the next hearings, I hope the move gets finalised and implemented soon.

— Arjun Shyam

Giving children the freedom to choose

The problem of plastic disposal is not a new one. With the immense amount of

The article about the Orchid School’s career camp encouraging students to choose their careers without any pressure is great news for students like me. Instead of choosing engineering or medicine, I chose to study design.

Initially my parents were against it, but

they kept their faith in me. I did much better in this field than I ever would have in engineering or medicine. I hope more parents let their children choose career paths according to their personalities, instead of forcing mainstream options on them. More than children, it is the parents who are competing. With determination and support from home, students can pursue any career of their choice.

They must be encouraged to take arts, removing the misconception that it is only for students with low marks in their board exams. Career camps such as this should be held more often, with a wider reach.

— Rishabh Yewle

Write to Us

Letters to the Editor may be emailed to editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, yogesh.sadhwani@goldensparrow. com or mail it to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2015

PUNE

SPORTS

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with home teams changing the conditions to favour them and to favour their strengths. I don’t mind that. We’ve got all the firepower to counter that.”

— AB de Villiers, South African Batsman

Signposts Goveas wins double crown in Telenor Trophy State player Aryan Goveas claimed a double crown in the Telenor Trophy Pune Open All India Ranking Tennis Tournament, organised

by NS Sports Academy at Deccan Gymkhana courts. In the final, the standard XII student of Rizvi College of Commerce, Mumbai, staved off a challenge from Pune player Tejas Chaukulkar, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Aryan received Rs 35,000 and 60 AITA points.

Yashodhara to get support from Giant Yashodhara Sherkar, the winner of recently held MTB National Championships will be sponsored by Giant Starkenn Bicycles for her future events. The cyclists impressed by winning two gold medals in this event. Giant Starkenn bicycles will provide the rider with a mountain bike and also a road Bike- Giant SCR 0. All other cycling equipment will also be provided by Giant. Yashodhara has also won a bronze medal in the National MTB championship 2013 in Kerala.

Four titles for veteran paddler Sunil Babras Veteran paddler Sunil Babras won four titles in the PYC Hindu Gymkhana organised All India Veteran table tennis tournament recently. He won two single titles in the below 40 and over 50 age group categories. Later, in the doubles, he won titles in the over 40 and over 50 age group categories. In the above 40 doubles event, he was paired with city’s Upendra Muley.

“Inspirational, if I have to say one word about Saina Mirza’s performance. She has worked hard over the last three years, not only this year, putting herself in positions to win Grand Slams.”

— Mahesh Bhupathi, Former Indian Tennis Player

City riders rule the road in Cliff hanger

‘India is a growing cycling community,’ says RAAM president

Michael Lehnig and Chaitainya Velhal share podium in Deccan Cliffhanger to qualify for RAAM TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

German cyclist Michael Lehnig, who has been the Pune Wolfpack team coach and racer for the past year, set a new record with a time of 21 hours and 57 minutes 41 seconds (21:57:41) to win the third edition of Deccan Cliff hanger, the 643 km Pune-Goa Ultra Cycle race organised

by Inspire India. With this performance, he has also qualified for Race Across America (RAAM), the world’s toughest cycle race.

Lehnig set a new standard for the racers to attempt at Cliff hanger in future. His student and Pune rider Chaitanya Velhal came a comfortable second with a time of 25:48:24, improving on his time last year by almost an hour. Apurv Verma who suffered digestion issues at the 200 km mark, come in third with a time of 27:44:44 improving his timing of last year by about one and a half hour.

Lehnig set the pace for the race, much faster than the last year, leading the race to arrive fi rst at the very fi rst control at Mahabaleshwar.

Chaitanya, Apurv, Srinivas G were forced to increase their own pace to stay within range of Michael. Gaurav Yadav also kept up with the lead for some time.

The fi rst three racers were followed by Gaurav Yadav (28:00:55) and Amit Samarth (28:47:18). Rahul Kotabage finished in 30:44:52, followed closely by Srinivas Gokulnath in 30:47:52. Ammar Miyaji (31:25:16) and Nitin Takale (31:30:16) were the last to finish within RAAM. To qualify, the racers had to complete the distance within 32 hours.

Dinesh Marathe, Jagdish Italiya, Kishore Kale and Sumit Patil finished within the Inspire India time limit of 38:00 hours to receive finishers medals, while another Pune cyclist, Saniya Patil developed problems with

Michael Lehnig

her knee and had to quit after 440 km.

In all, 18 solo riders and 13 teams participated in the race. The two-member team of of Arham Shiekh and Vedant Halarnekar of Cymour Relay Spirit finished in 23:38:00 and were the fi rst team to reach the finish line. The three-member team ‘Sweat in Practice, Bleed in Battle’ comprising of Baban Dolas, Prashant Tidke and Prakash Dubepatil finished fi rst in their category in 25:55:32. Krishnan Mani, Rakesh Patel and Pranaya Mohanty finished fi rst in their category in 24:44:51 while Aparna Prabhudesai, Kishor Dhankude, Mahesh Narkar and Bhagwan Singh were the leaders of four-member Team OROP. They finished in exactly 31 hours, making Aparna Prabhudesai the only woman to finish the Deccan Cliff hanger in team category this year.

“Seeing the improvement in all the racers’ timings since last year and the new benchmark set by Michael, it is clear that The Deccan Cliff hanger Ultra Race is inspiring people to push their limits and excel in this sport,” said

Pune FC hammer DSK Shivajians in the Maharashtra zone opener TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly Pune FC opened their campaign in the Under-15 Youth League by handing local rivals DSK Shivajians a 7-0 thrashing at the Pune FC Training Pitches in Mamurdi this week.

The big win was powered by a hat-trick from striker Ishan Dey (36th, 43rd and 63rd minutes) along with goals from Cladeo Nongpluh (11th), Gulam Ansari (12th), Mozaff ar Ali (48th) and Firoz Shah (51st).

With this win in the fi rst round, Pune FC topped the Maharashtra Zone, with a three-points lead over Mumbai FC on goal difference.

Pune FC began the match in dominating style and after missed chances in the opening exchanges, took the lead in the 11th minute.

Striker Cladeo capitalised on a poor clearance and smashed home a powerful left-footer from just outside the box past the helpless Shivajians custodian.

Pune FC doubled their lead a minute later when winger Shreepad Dogre sent Gulam clear in the rival box. The lanky attacker kept his cool to put it past an advancing keeper to make it 2-0.

Striker Ishan Dey then got on the scoresheet, striking twice in the fi nal quarter.

The youngster tapped home from close range in the 36th minute after Gulam’s shot was saved by the keeper, before producing a beauty smashing home a volley from 25 yards out in the 43rd minute. Meanwhile, rivals Shivajians failed to trouble the Pune FC defence as the home side took their 4-0 lead

The Gadre Cup All-India Ranking National Series Under-16 tennis tournament will be held at Deccan Gymkhana from November 16.

Th is is one of the biggest junior ranking tennis events on the national circuit. The importance of Gadre Cup tournament can be gauged from the fact that there are very few national series events for U-16 boys and girls and Pune will host one of them. The winner of

Michael Lehnig hails from Munich, Germany. He started his sporting career with football, then turned to running, followed by the triathlon and settled for cycling. He participated in several races in Germany and Europe. He is married to a Pune girl, and in 2014, he shifted base to Pune. He currently works as a sports coach for the Pune Wolfpack cycling team. race organiser Divya Tate of Inspire India.

“Last time, I qualified for RAAA, but wanted to improve my timing. I had set a target of 24 hours, but it didn’t work out, so I switched to Plan B, which was finishing in 26 hours, which I managed comfortably. Now, I am aim to participate in RAAM as a solo rider in 2017,” said Chaitanya Velhal. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Wrestler Reshma eyes Rio Olympics berth

The Asian bronze medalist feels lack of infrastructure is major hurdle

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish

Pune FC players (red) in action during their opening match against DSK Shivajians at Mamurdi ground

into the breather.

It took just three minutes for Pune FC to increase their lead after the restart. Shreepad Dogre curled in a great cross which wasn’t cleared and fell for Mozaff ar inside the box.

The medio controlled the ball and smashed home the half volley for Pune FC’s fi fth.

Minutes later, substitute Firoz, on for Gulam Ansari, made it 6-0 scoring with his fi rst touch thanks to some clever work by Ishan.

Pune FC continued to dominate proceedings and increased their lead further

to 7-0 when Ishan completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute. Right back Aryan Th ite cut in from the fl ank and sent a brilliant through ball to Ishan who made no mistake in controlling and slotting it home from inside the box.

The home side continued to dominate proceedings and had numerous chances to increase their lead further in the fi nal quarter only for some poor fi nishing in the fi nal third as the game ended 7-0. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

National ranking tennis from Sunday TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly

About Michael Lehnig

To participate in Race Across America (RAAM), cyclists are required to meet the qualification timing, held in different races in 32 countries.

India is relatively new to this form for cycling, but within a short time, Indian cyclists will be seen in good numbers in RAAM, the world’s toughest race, feels RAAM president Fred Boethling.

The president was in Fred Boethling Pune for the third edition of Deccan Cliff hanger, which is an Indian qualifier for RAAM. “Before five years, there was not a single rider from India in RAAM. In the last five years, we have had two solo riders and two-men teams from Nashik who won the category. I also know that the number of participants in qualifiers in increasing every year. If this continues, Indian enthusiasts won’t have to wait long to see an Indian solo finisher in RAAM,” said Boethling.

He also stressed the need to promote cycling as a sport. “India is a growing cycling community. Several youths and salaried persons are taking up cycling as a hobby. But, what they need are good and safe courses, interesting and challenging tracks and well-versed race operators. Social media plays a vital role in this.

It has been happening all over the world and it will be the same in India too,” he said.

About the condition of roads and traffic congestion in India, he said, “I think Indian roads are similar to other countries. Everywhere they have some good and bad roads. Even in the USA, we include a few dirt tracks to make it more interesting. So I don’t think it’s unfair to Indian riders to face these challenges,” he said.

the singles will receive 70 AITA points, while the runner-up will receive 50 points.

In the All India Tennis Association’s junior structure, a National Series event is one of the second biggest in stature after the Nationals.

National Series events are followed by Super Series, Championship Series, and Talent Series in hierarchy.

Gadre Cup” was earlier known as Walchand Cup, and this year Gadre Premium Sea Foods Pvt. Ltd. has come forward to sponsor the event.

Th is is the 8th held as one of the biggest junior ranking tennis event on the National circuit, the tournament, held under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA), Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) carries the stature of being a National Series event.

Over 200 players have confi rmed participation and signed in for the qualifying draw. The final of the event is slated to take place on November 21. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Kolhapur-based Reshma Mane is a medal prospect for India in the Rio Olympic 2016.

The youngster has won a Asian bronze medal and has the experience, after participating in the World Championship and Youth Olympics. Given her wealth of experience at the national level, Reshma is expected to sparkle in Brazil.

But Reshma knows it is easier said than done. The fi rst hurdle for Reshma is to get the better of Geeta Phogat, who features in the same weight category (60kg). Geeta holds the edge thanks to her international feats. She is India’s fi rst gold medallist in women’s at the Commonwealth Games 2010 and also the fi rst Indian woman to have qualified for the London Olympics.

“She is my senior and has fared remarkably well at the international level. So it’s a huge challenge to impress the selectors and also to qualify for the Olympics. I have to put in my best efforts,” says Reshma.

The student of Kolhapur’s New College, started her sports career at the age of eight. Her father Anil is a hardcore wrestling enthusiast but fi nancial constraints kept him from taking up the sport. But he is backing his daughter all the way and is her prime motivator.

“I faced a lot of criticism when my daughter entered this male-dominated field. At that time, there were just a handful of women wrestlers and it was difficult to get a female opponent for Reshma. Even my family members were reluctant to send her for training. But things changed in 2008 when she won a national medal at Gurudaspur,” said Mane.

But Reshma is still struggling to fi nd a sparring partner for training.

“With so few opponents, I can’t really hope to improve. So I have started training with boys, who are stronger, quicker and far more aggressive than girls. Practicing with them has helped me a lot during tournaments,” she said.

The lack of infrastructure and access to advanced techniques are also hurdles.

“Haryana is the hub of wrestling in India. They have several international players and the state government has appointed foreign coaches. They always get the fi rst hand information about rules and advanced techniques. Then it is passed on to other states. Maharashtra has a glorious history

Reshma Mane

Lalita Babar

in wrestling, but now we are way behind Haryana,” Reshma said.

Wrestling is a physical sport, but Reshma considers the mental aspect equally important.

“You can’t just focus on your opponent’s physique. You need to be calm and patient and also understand your opponent’s mentality.

Mat wrestling is a time-bound event and so you need to chalk out a new strategy every time which requires mental training,” said Reshma, who is now preparing for the senior nationals to be held in Delhi in December.

Lakshya announces support to Lalita, Reshma Sports NGO Lakshya announced support for the 2016 RIO Olympics qualifier athlete Lalita Shivaji Babar and Youth Olympian and upcoming women wrestler Reshma Mane. Th ree of Pune’s top institutes Ravetkar Group, Kantilal Lunkad Foundation and Indira Group of Institute have also joined hands with Lakshya.

Babar who hails from Satara, won bronze medal in Asian Games in Incheon in 3000m steeplechase in 2014. She added gold at the 2015 Asian Championships in China. She broke her own national record clocking 9:27:86 at 2015 World Championships in Beijing and ensured herself a quota for the Rio Olympics.

She will be supported by Amol Ravetkar of Ravetkar Group.

Reshma Mane will be supported by Amit Lunkad of Kantilal Lunkad Foundation.

Apart from Lalita and Reshma, the NGO has also added few other athletes who are on verge of qualifications for the Rio Olympics.

That includes tennis star Prarthana Thombare, who hails from small village in Maharashtra and boxer Pooja Rani. Asian games double bronze medalist Prarthana recently won two titles in-a-row in ITF events, partnering Prerna Bhambri and Sharmada Balu. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com