The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 24/10/2015

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PUNE, OCTOBER 24, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

Sunita Kalyani

Baba Kalyani

Neelakanth Kalyani

Gaurishankar Kalyani

Rohini Kalyani

Sugandha Hiremath

Viraj Kalyani

Sheetal Kalyani

David Vs Goliath

plays out in the Kalyani family 70 families rendered homeless Deeksha Kalyani

Amit Kalyani

Sheetal Kalyani, 27, has sought her share of the family assets and has filed a case against the entire Kalyani clan, including her own parents as well as her uncle Baba Kalyani, one among the country’s wealthiest businessman said to be worth USD 2.3 Billion See Spotlight, p08 & 09

Those whose belongings were unharmed by blaze, found it stolen

BY GARGI VERMA & EKTA KATTI @TGSWeekly For the slum dwellers of Meenatai Th ackeray Vasar in Gultekdi area, it was a dark Dussehra and Durga Pooja celebrations on Thursday. A huge fi re that broke out around 4 pm destroyed around 70 houses in the slum, sending residents running for their lives, officials said. The cause of the fi re is believed to be a short circuit aggravated by cylinder blast. Residents claim that eight to ten cylinders blew off , although the fi nal number is yet to be confi rmed.

GROUND ZERO Twelve fi re trucks and three tankers took around two hours to contain the blaze that started around 3:30 pm and leapt swiftly from one shanty to another. Senior fi refighter Kailash Shinde, who was stationed on a slab placed atop one of the huts, fell and injured his left knee when the slab caught fi re. He is undergoing treatment at Rao Hospital in Bibwewadi.

As soon as residents heard the initial blasts, they rushed out of their homes dragging along with them their gas cylinders. Some of them left their cylinders and children in the nearby mosque of Sayyed Hamid Shah urf Ganibaba Kadri, as they rushed back to see what else they could save from their huts. Others were found sitting on pavements or running around teary eyed, looking for missing family members.

Narrow lanes in between rows of cramped houses were fi lled with panicking people. They pushed each other in an attempt to assess the damage done to their houses. As fi refighters were battling the fi re, residents helplessly looked on from far. Renu Mane, 23, is devastated as her home is razed completely.

She was in the house along with her mother-in-law and children when the fi re broke out. Renu and her husband had borrowed money from multiple sources to build the house. While the rest of the family is safe, Renu still can’t find her husband. Sakina Saeed, an inhabitant of the slum, was inconsolable as she watched her house turn into a black spot. All her family’s belongings were lost in the fi re. She and her husband, who owns a hand cart, had saved up Rs 10,000 for the marriage of their son who had just finished his B.Ed. What may seem like a measly sum to others was Sakina’s life savings. Pinky’s family was staying on rent in one of the houses in the slum.

They have lost their belongings and savings and now have to compensate their landlord for the damages.

Clad in a black burqa she was unable to hold in her tears and was repeatedly saying, “Everything is lost now.” As soon as the fi re fighters let in people to

their houses, she rushed in, jostling with the crowd to salvage whatever she could.

Madhu, who lost her belongings in the fi re, was seen consoling others. “I know nothing of my house remains. I will feel grief about it soon, till then I can console the children. I am sure, some of their houses are fine, the boys have seen,” she says pointing at the boys that had climbed up with the fi re fighters. Shiv Rao, who managed to find his children, is frantically searching for his wife. Hidayat Sayyed, an old man

was also unable to locate his spouse. He was worried about her as she gets fits of coughs if staying in a sooty place. Salma Sayyed’s house has burnt down and all ornaments that she had saved for her two daughters of marriageable age have been destroyed in the fi re. Her two daughters are of marriageable age and Salma is so struck with grief, she is unable to speak. With tears in her eyes, she just walks around, her daughters tailing her. Finally, one of the elderly Contd on p 06

“Baba Kalyani in collusion and conspiracy with grandmother Sulochana Kalyani, aunt Sunita, cousin Amit and his wife Deeksha purported to take wrongful control of the family assets and business.”

—Suit filed by Sheetal Kalyani “All the documents pertaining to companies, assets, and trusts started by my husband, are in possession of your mother Rohini Kalyani. Send those documents to me immediately. Only after examining them, will I be able to respond to your notice.”

—Sulochana Kalyani to siblings

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

MUMBAI Will not use force ‘recklessly’ in South China Sea: China P 13

“Stop peeping into homes to find out if people eat beef. Let people eat whatever they want. It is ghastly to kill people because they consume beef.”

—Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena Chief

‘Saibaba Trust should not spend on invitation cards’

Due to increased labour cost, very few works of digging wells in fields have been completed

The Bombay High Court has refused to allow an expenditure of Rs 14.94 lakh incurred by Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi towards printing invitation cards and posting them to patrons for the Dussehra function.

The order was passed last week by justices A B Chaudhari and Indira K Jain of the Aurangabad bench of the High Court who heard an application filed by the Saibaba Sansthan Trust through its executive officer.

As the committee, which runs the trust, has been appointed by the HC, the Saibaba Sansthan has to obtain permission for all the major expenses incurred by it.

Sanjay Choukidar, the trust’s counsel, submitted that the invitees are residing in interior parts of the villages and towns and therefore there is a system to send invitation cards by post as they are the patron members of the trust.

Besides, some patrons are residing abroad and they too are required to be invited through invitation cards.

However, the bench noted that the expenditure of printing invitation

A task force on farmers distress set up by Maharashtra government has suggested that farmers be given a grant equivalent to 100 wages from MGNREGA and a price stabilisation fund be instituted to protect them from distress sale of their produce.

P r o m i n e n t farm activist Kishor Tiwari, chief of the Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swawalambi Mission, said due to increased labour cost, very few works of digging wells in fields have been completed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

“Farm labour costs are ever increasing and make a big chunk of input costs for cultivation, and more so with low level of mechanisation in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.

When MGNREGA funds are anyway used to pay for labour in digging of farm wells, why not for other

Price stabilisation fund for farmers

The Saibaba Sansthan has to obtain permission for all the major expenses incurred by it

cards and posting them to patrons was not required in these days of technological advancement, namely SMS, MMS, Internet, publication, television, etc.

“There is no point in spending huge amount as aforesaid (Rs 14.94 lakh) towards item no 5 and

State to dispose of unused land The debt-ridden Maharashtra government is mulling to dispose of its unused land of commercial value of around Rs 5,000 crore, after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave a target of raising Rs 12,000 crore to give a boost to the state exchequer.

Fadnavis recently chaired a meeting to take stock of the state’s financial status and discussed measures to raise additional revenue.

Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Sudhir Kumar Srivastava and other secretaries were present at the meeting.

According to a senior finance department official, the Chief Minister has given a target of increasing revenue

by Rs 12,000 crore for the current financial year.

“The CM has pointed some sectors through which revenue can be generated. He is in favour of bringing

policies that will increase the use of land for residential and non-agriculture purposes,” the official said.

“An additional premium for additional Floor Space Index (FSI) if a developer asks for it, additional premium for additional Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and also additional premium for the change of use land of from agriculture to residential or commercial purposes were the few suggestions made by the Chief Minister,” he said.

An additional revenue of at least Rs 5,000 crore is expected if these measures are implemented, he said.

Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that a change in the class of lease land will also add revenue of around Rs 2,000 crore to the state exchequer. The state is overburdened with more than Rs 14,000 crore due to various provisions for drought, LBT and exemption from toll to vehicles.

PTI

CM has given a target of increase in revenue by Rs 12,000 crore

farm labour as well?” Tiwari asked.

“It would be a big help if 100 days of wages under MGNREGA are deposited in farmers’ bank accounts so that the cost of labour for a season are met,” he said.

The Swawalambi Mission was the task force constituted by the state government a couple of months back to address the issue of farmers’ suicide and agriculture crisis.

The mission made the recommendations during a recent review meeting called by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Tiwari also recommended that banks should consider a five-year term for farm loans after assessing borrowers’ land costs and other securities. This would give farmers more financial freedom. He suggested speedy implementation of price stabilisation funds to protect farmers from distress sale of their produce in the event of a price fluctuation.

PTI

6 (printing of invitation cards and postage expenses) as given in the expenditure list by the Sansthan.

Certainly, the said amount can be saved,” said the Judges in their order last week.

The court further noted, “the counsel of the trust also fairly states

that the trust would adopt other ways of inviting the devotees rather than spending huge amount over these two items.

“We make it clear that in future also if such an application is made, expenditure thereon shall not be claimed on these two items,” the bench further said.

The judges, however, observed that they had perused the details of other expenditure and in their opinion the same should be allowed in view of the function at the Sansthan.

“We, therefore, allow the prayer for making expenditure as per item nos. 1 to 10 except item nos. 5 and 6.

Consequently, the total amount to be spent shall be reduced by Rs 14.96 lakh,” the judges said in the order.

Meanwhile, RTI activist Sanjay Kane has written a letter to Saibaba Sansthan chairman stating the expenses disallowed by the HC should be recovered from the officers of the trust who were responsible for the same.

PTI

Plan to recruit 20K policemen with Home Dept

Abhijeet booked for molesting

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home (Rural) Ram Shinde has said the government has planned to recruit 20,000 police personnel but the proposal is stuck with the Home Department due to procedural issues.

Talking to media representatives at the state BJP office, Shinde also said the government has instituted six fast track courts at six divisional headquarters in the state.

“We have also recruited judges for these courts,” he added.

Expressing satisfaction over the conviction rate, which he said has gone up to 38 per cent this year from nine per cent last year, the minister alleged, “Although the police department is targeted for the low conviction rate, pendency in courts and poor performance of public prosecutors in courts, too, is responsible for it, which is always ignored.”

“Therefore, we have decided to recruit public prosecutors through a panel. If he has to be given an extension, we will consider his performance in the court. His performance in convicting criminals should be at least 25 per cent,” Shinde said. Replying to a query, he said he was not sure when the proposal will get the necessary approvals.

PTI

Indian playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has been booked for allegedly misbehaving with a woman at an event here, police said on Friday.

The alleged incident took place last night during the programme at Lokhandwala in Mumbai’s Andheri suburb where Abhijeet was present as one of the event organisers while the victim was an invitee, they said.

“While the programme was going on, a woman stood up in between (the rows of the audience) that blocked the view of stage for the people sitting behind. People started shouting at her and when she did not listen, Abhijeet himself initiated to make her sit down,” Oshiwara police station’s senior inspector Subhash Khanvilkar said.

“While trying to move away the victim from where she stood up, Abhijeet allegedly touched and caught her inappropriately,” he said quoting a complaint filed by the victim.

On the basis of the victim’s complaint, an offence under IPC sections of 354 (a) (sexual harassment), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of

Task force to address the issue of farmers’ suicides and crisis

The alleged incident took place at a Durga Puja organised by the singer at Lokhandwala in Mumbai’s Andheri suburb; Abhijeet claims he only asked the woman to sit down peace) and 34 was registered against the singer in the wee hours on Friday, he said.

“We have started an investigation into the case,” the police officer said.

Khanvilkar, however, said there is no need to summon to the singer immediately before the police complete the preliminary investigation.

When contacted, Abhijeet in a text message said filing of the complaint against him was “handiwork of anti-Hindu forces” which he was well aware of.

“It’s crowd management. Police and security do their job.

Gate crash and nuisance is the main factor,” he said.

“Everyone is so happy with us because we entertain every one in our Puja. But the main point is we were aware of anti Hindu forces/ terrorist threats and sabotage of this Hindu Durga Puja and that is working well for them,” the singer said.

Abhijeet had courted controversy in May when he said that roads are meant for cars and dogs and not for people to sleep on.

PTI

Mumbai world’s 11th best bed-n-breakfast value destination The TripIndex Breakfast 2015 destination list comprises 37 key cities within the top 37 most searched countries by global TripAdvisor users Mumbai has been ranked 11th among the best value destinations in the world for an overnight stay at a four-star hotel that includes breakfast, according to a report.

As per TripIndex Breakfast 2015, a TripAdvisor cost comparison study, Mumbai ranks 11th among the best value destinations for an overnight stay with breakfast costing Rs 9,343.92.

Accommodation without breakfast will cost Rs 8,932.44 in the city, the report added.

The TripIndex Breakfast 2015 destination list comprises of 37 key cities within the top 37 most searched countries by global TripAdvisor users over the past 12 months.

The report has compared the cost of an overnight stay with breakfast versus an overnight stay with breakfast eaten outside the hotel at a local restaurant.

Research was conducted by Ipsos and prices were collected through telephone and online web search. Prices in each market were taken in local currencies

between September 7, 2015 and October 1, 2015 and currency conversion rates were taken from xe.com on October 1, 2015.

Buenos Aires (Argentina) is the best value destination in the world for Indians for an overnight stay at a four-star hotel including breakfast at Rs 4,612.63, followed by Moscow (Russia) at Rs 5,671.35, it said.

New York City (US) emerged as the most expensive hotel destination in this study with an average of Rs 34,102.66 with breakfast.

When it comes to the cost of a hotel breakfast versus the cost of eating breakfast in a local restaurant, the cheapest hotel breakfast can be found in Istanbul (Turkey) at an average price of Rs 397.12 while the most expensive, at an average price of Rs 1,918.86, is in Zurich (Switzerland).

Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, has the cheapest local restaurant breakfast, at an average of Rs 301.44, while Hong

Kong offers the most expensive local restaurant breakfast at an eye-watering average of Rs 2,382.25, it stated.

For Indians looking to travel closer home, two South East Asian destinations -- Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Manila (Philippines) -- were ranked among the top 10 value destinations at number seven and eight respectively.

“The main aim of the maiden TripIndex for Breakfast study is to help travellers make a wise decision while booking their stay at a hotel,” TripAdvisor India Country Manager Nikhil Ganju said.

“For most Indian travellers, especially those travelling for leisure, free breakfast is very important when deciding where to book and results from this study show that they may do better to forego a hotel breakfast in favour of dining out locally in the morning since this is where the biggest savings can usually be made,” he added.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

Do not neglect the unborn child: Court P12

PUNE

“The condition of municipal schools is bad. The number of students is high but the number of teachers is low. There should be regular inspections by the education board.”

— Matin Mujawar, educational activist

BRTS Commuters suffer as buses rot in Katraj depot

Visually impaired falls in drainage chamber BSNL uncovered drainage chamber near Wadia College poses a hazard to passersby

Ten AC buses earmarked for BRTS lying unused at Katraj depot

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @TGSWeekly

PICS BY RAHUL RAUT

Vishal Gaikwad, a 27-year-old visuallyimpaired third year Bachelor of Arts (BA) student of Nowrosjee Wadia College, got stuck in an uncovered five-foot deep drainage line chamber dug up for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) wiring work, on the road next to the college, and he had to be rescued by a couple of passersby, on Tuesday.

Vishal had appeared for an exam and at 3 pm walked out of the college gate to board a PMPML bus to go home. “I must have walked about 50 metres when my right leg and stick plunged into the drainage ditch.

My foot was stuck inside and I could not pull it out. I kept shouting for help but no one seemed to hear me, though there is an autorickshaw stand nearby. After about 20 minutes a boy and girl came to my rescue and helped me pull my leg out from the ditch.

I am sad that people are too busy to help people like me,” said Vishal.

The helpful youngsters gave Vishal water to drink and made him rest on the roadside where he lost consciousness for a while.

“I called the police control room from my mobile and two policemen arrived after ten minutes. They called my mother and told her about the incident and after half an hour my sister Anita Mane came to the spot, and both of us went to the Mangaldas police chowky.

Then policemen advised Vishal to go to Sassoon Hospital for an X-ray of the injured leg. Fortunately there was no fracture but my

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @TGSWeekly The incomplete BRTS pilot project on the KatrajSwargate-Hadapsar route has been further set back by a shortage of the number of buses plying on the dedicated route. The 10 air-conditioned buses purchased specifically for the BRTS use, when it was launched eight years ago, are all lying unused at Katraj bus depot. This has resulted in a 50 per cent fall in the number of passengers travelling on the dedicated BRTS route, accounting for a corresponding loss in revenue of 50 per cent.

All the 10 AC Volvo buses have been out of order for nearly two months. The passengers are paying the price for the lack of communication between PMPML and Volvo. The buses that were sent to Katraj depot for maintenance are, on the contrary, in even worse shape now, with broken window panes and ripped seat upholstery. The lack of maintenance has resulted in non-functioning air-conditioning systems.

The PMPML had paid Rs 70 lakh for each bus, which added up to Rs seven crore for the 10 buses. While it is said that their maintenance is the PMPML’s responsibility, its officials are laying the blame at Volvo’s door.

The PMPML had also procured ten non-AC buses exclusively for the BRTS route.

But PMPML officials say that some of these buses too are off the roads owing to maintenance and repairs.

PMPML Pravasi Manch president Jugal Rathi said, “The PMPML administration has to plan maintenance properly. The lack of maintenance has resulted in these buses lying unused at the depot.”

PMPML Chief Engineer Anant Waghmare said, “PMPML has to pay for the maintenance as per the agreement. But the agreement has been terminated owing to the issue of timely payment.”

The PMPML has not been able to replace the non-functional buses. PMPML sources said that depot managers are reluctant to spare buses for the BRTS route as this would affect passenger services on other routes. The PMPML has been able to provide just three to

The 50% drop in passengers has resulted in 50% drop in revenue

four ordinary buses, but not on a regular basis.

The BRTS cell has requested the PMPML management to give priority to BRTS. The shortage of buses has resulted in a fall in the number of passengers on the dedicated routes, dropping from the earlier 80,000-85,000 to 50,000 daily. The 16.5 km BRTS KatrajSwargate-Hadapsar route is a high revenue earner, with the passenger load and earning per kilometre factors being the highest for the PMPML. The PMC claims that Pune is the first city in the country to have started a BRTS, but the project has been subjected to severe criticism.

Experts have questioned how the system can be called BRTS as it lacks several basic features such as bus stations, adequate number of buses, levelboarding facilities, continuous dedicated lanes, off-board ticketing system, proper road safety facilities for bus commuters as well as pedestrians, and an intelligent traffic system. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

RAHUL RAUT

The air-conditioned buses, with broken windshields and such, are gathering rust and dust instead of running on the dedicated BRTS route

leg was badly bruised,” Vishal said.

Mangaldas police chowky assistant sub police inspector Raosaheb Kamble told Vishal, “This is minor issue. Tell the ward office about it. They will repair the drainage.”

The drainage ditch was dug up by BSNL for the laying of cables, but the chamber lid was left carelessly half open. Vishal had to suffer for the BSNL workers’ negligence and the ditch still poses a hazard to passersby and vehicles.

Wadia College autorickshaw stand Chairman Sundar Raj Travadan aka Yashraj said, “This chamber was completely open before a month. I complained to the BSNL office and they placed a cement lid which is smaller than the diameter of the chamber.

That is the reason a portion of the chamber remains open. Earlier, two students had fallen into and two autorickshaws got stuck in this ditch. But despite repeated complaints, the BSNL has ignored the hazard.”

Nowrosjee Wadia College Principal K S Venkatraghavan said, “What happened to Vishal was unfortunate. The spot is not on our college campus so we can’t do anything. But I will write a letter to the BSNL authorities and ask them to repair it urgently. We have 71 visually impaired students in our college and they are at risk.”

BSNL sub divisional Engineer SV Todewale said, “My staff will inspect the site and if it is under our jurisdiction, we will repair it immediately. We have chamber lids of all sizes at our office.” dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

Citizens offer a helping hand to visually impaired persons to cross the drainage chamber near Wadia College that is not properly covered. (Inset) Vishal showing his injured leg

Pune’s source of drinking water under threat from toxic waste Rapid development in villages is contaminating water in Khadakwasla dam

BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @TGSWeekly Water in the Khadakwasla dam area is generally considered safe for drinking. But the rapid urbanisation, with residential complexes, hotels, restaurants, farmhouses, bars, dhabas and private companies coming up at Kudaje, Gohre, Donje, Khanapur, Malkhed, Vardade, Auasade and Mandavi villages have resulted in large volumes of drainage being released into Mutha river. This has caused pollution of the dam water, and the hue turning black along the riverside. Khadakwasla dam is the main source of drinking water not only for Pune city, but Haveli, Daund, and Indapur tehsil as well.

There is an ever-growing demand for housing in the abovenamed villages and real estate prices are at an all-time high.

Not too long ago these villages that were desolate, but are now increasingly crowded. But they do not fall under Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, so there are no development control rules applicable to them.

Development rights are acquired easily from the panchyats which have no mechanism to deal with drainage.

Locals say that private companies are releasing toxic water into the river.

Gorhe village sarpanch

Laxman Matale said, “With the sparse population earlier, it was easy to dispose of drainage water on our farms. But the population has grown rapidly with rapid new development, and now drainage disposal is a big issue. Our panchyat cannot afford to invest in a waste water treatment plant and

The dam is the source of drinking water for over 50 lakh people

neither do we have land for it. We have asked for financial assistance from Pune Zilla Parishad for the same. Heavy monsoon rains has forced the release of waste water into the river.”

Kudage village resident Amol Mate said, “Private companies are releasing toxic water into the river posing a threat to marine life. The fish that were earlier seen in the river are not seen any longer. The rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have caused a migration of birds away from here.”

Venkateshwara Hatcheries has a biological vaccine division plant at Gorhe and villagers say that it is releasing its untreated toxic water in Mutha river.

The villagers say that they are deprived of a source of potable water and that after their complaints to the district

administration, a sub-divisional officer came to Gorhe, took a water sample to be analysed in a laboratory, but nothing has happened.

Regarding the issue, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s (MPCB) sub regional officer Devidas Koparkar said, “We will send our experts squad on the coming Friday to Venkateshwara’s vaccine plant to verify the facts and will conduct chemical tests of their waste water. If they are found to be violating norms, we will take stringent action against them.

Constructions above 20,000 square feet come under MPCB rules but most constructions along this river/dam area are below that so we cannot take action against them.”

Meanwhile, Venkateshwara biological and vaccine division manager Deepak Kosala said,

“Our company has its own waste water treatment unit at the plant, where we treat waste water supervised by our chemical experts. We strictly adhere to MPCB norms. Water going into the river is fully safe and well treated.”

PMC water department head V J Kulkarni said, “Water pollution in dams is an alarming issue. But it has not crossed safe limits. There is rapid development in these villages so they have to be taken into PMC limits. But as of now they are out of PMC limits. We have been testing Khadakwasla water samples at the National Chemical Laboratory regularly and the pollution levels are normal. We purify water by chlorination. Khadakwasla dam is the main source of drinking water for more than 50 lakh people.” tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

“I have been talking to the municipal commissioner of Pune and other officials to resolve the garbage issue.

Besides, the civic body will get all the help from the state to achieve 100 per cent wastewater treatment.”

— Girish Bapat, Guardian Minister

Govt to come out with enabling ecosystem for start-ups soon P10

Aundh medical facility for poor kids in poor shape DEIC at Aundh hospital faces shortages on all fronts, forcing children to be treated at other hospitals

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @TGSWeekly The state’s first ‘District Early Intervention Centre’ (DEIC) started functioning 10 months ago at the District Civil Hospital in Aundh.

However, it is facing a severe shortage of space, specialist doctors and essential equipment. It is housed currently in a 20 x 30 area in two rooms, though a standard 6000 square feet space was allotted for it. This state of affairs is forcing poor, needy children to avail of treatment at other government or private hospitals, at their own expense.

There are waiting periods of up to three months for surgeries at other hospitals.

The DEIC project has been designed, funded and run by a central government body under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) scheme. The purpose of DEIC is to provide referral support to children detected with health conditions as well as to detect signs of physical and cognitive disabilities, through screening by RBSK teams, primary health centres or district hospitals, primarily for children from birth to 18 years of age. It also aims to relieve financial burden of medical expenses for the poor and marginalised, and build health awareness among people.

The project was officially launched in January 2015. It has been allotted Rs two crore by the central government.

“Many children diagnosed with health defects and need treatment like heart surgery, orthopaedic surgery, ENT are being sent to private or government hospitals. Under the DEIC all the surgeries are supposed to be done here,’’ said a senior Aundh hospital doctor on the condition of anonymity. Except for hernia and appendix surgeries, no other surgery is done here.

RAHUL RAUT

The Aundh Civil Hospital premises wherein the DEIC facility is located

According to operational guidelines, the centre needs 6000 square feet space and 20 compartments for waiting space, play/therapy area, reception space for registration including anthropometry, separate compartments for medical officer, dental examination, vision testing, hearing testing, occupational therapy, psychological testing, laboratory, nursing/ nutrition room cum feeding room, sensory integration room, ECG cum echo room, pantry, toilets (male, female, staff all equipped with facilities for handicapped) and more.

The centre also needs 14 specialist doctors but there are just 4-5

Project ‘Swawlamban’ spreading smiles

specialists. The rest of the doctors, like ophthalmologist, orthopaedics and others are from Aundh civil hospital.

The centre needs special educator, lab technician, two dental technicians, manager, data entry operator and counsellor.

Currently there is one physiotherapist, speech therapist, data entry operator, social worker and co-ordinator.

According to the plan, an ENT specialist doctor would be available twice a week, ophthalmologist twice a week, orthopaedic specialist twice a week, neurologist once a week, psychiatrist twice a week, group of fourth class staff for cleaning needed on all days.

Instead of the required 14, there are just 4-5 specialist doctors

There are 73 RBSK teams in Pune district. A team includes male and female medical officer, pharmacist and nurse. These teams do health check up of Anganwadi and school students in city and rural areas. Teams check up nearly 11 lakh school students (6 to 18 years) from 5,600 schools in Pune district once a year. They also conduct health check ups twice a year of four lakh Anganwadi students (0 to 6 years) from 5,600 Anganwadi centres in the district. “While checking the students we come across health defects like heart ailment, squint, hernia, dental, orthopaedic, cleft lip and palate and more. We refer them to the DEIC centre but the DEIC authorities register their name here and treat only hernia and appendix patients. The others are sent to other hospitals for surgery without taking any follow up,” said a RBSK doctor. “These students can’t afford treatment in private hospitals so government hospitals are burdened with two to three months waiting list.

If DEIC centre was working at full capacity, all the students would be treated here,” he said.

Aundh hospital DEIC manager Dr Armuta Wagh, said, “The centre is under construction. Basic doctors and facilities are available. Four specialist doctors posts are vacant and they will be recruited in the next three months.

We get nearly a thousand patients (students) per month with health related issues and 70 per cent are treated here.”

Aundh civil hospital additional surgeon B N Kakane claimed that the project was working properly and hospital doctors are helping when needed. “We don’t have a heart surgery department so we do it from outside through Rajiv Gandhi Scheme,” he said. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com

P12

Software to ensure prompt bill payment Pune Municipal Corporation electricity department chief develops new software to curb power thefts

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) electricity supply department, in collaboration with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MAHADISCOM), is developing software which will enable them to detect power thefts as well as online payments of bills for street lights. The software will even facilitate savings of Rs 4 lakh on its street light electricity bill to MAHADISCOM. This also means that there will be no more power thefts by Ganesh and Navratri mandals for their pandals.

PMC Electricity Department head Shriniwas Kandul said, “MAHADISCOM offers one per cent energy bill discounts to customers who pay their bills on time. But the municipal corporation is not offered any discounts on its street light bills to MAHADISCOM, as we could never pay our bills on time. The new software will ensure that the bills of all the 25 sub-divisions in Pune will be paid online on the same day that the bills are received,” The manual method of receiving VISHAL KALE

and paying bills is the cause for the delay. “We have eight staffers who receive the bills, verify them and make the payments to MAHADISCOM offices in our sub-divisions. It is timeconsuming and therefore we forfeit the discounts. The new software will speed up the process and thereby enable us to save Rs 4 lakh, which is the discount on bills of Rs 4 crore. The staff dealing with street light bills will be given other productive work.” Kandul said.

The money saved will be used for civic works.

Kandul has been developing the software over the last four months.

“Apart from prompt online bill payments and discounts, the software will record irregularities in readings of the 3000 power meters for street lights in Pune. This will curb power thefts in the city,” Kandul said.

The PMC is not spending its own money. “MAHADISCOM is bearing the expenses and also training our staff on the use of the software.” Kandul said. The software will be installed in a couple of days and it will start functioning from November. priyankka.deshpande@goldensparrow.com

PMC departments owe the civic body Rs 1,270 crore

Bhansali, Ranveer booked for assaulting Pune advocate

Rs 1,270 crore dues pending with municipal corporation departments, while funds are being slashed for proposed development work

The Bhor police have confirmed registering a non-cognisable offence against Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ranveer Singh

RAHUL RAUT

BY AJAY RUPANAVAR @TGSWeekly The cancellation of Local Body Tax (LBT) by the state government has resulted in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) cutting down on funds for developmental work in the city. But, on the other hand, the PMC is also showing a soft corner to its own departments that have held up outstanding dues to the tune of Rs 1270 crore. If the PMC makes determined efforts to recover this amount, there will be no need to cut funding for development works, corporators say.

The state government abolished Local Body Tax (LBT) on August 1, The Pune Municipal Corporation premises 2015. LBT has been a crucial source of income for the municipal corporation, perusing the income-expense statistics yielding nearly Rs 1200 crore yearly. of the PMC, it is seen that there are This amount was put to use for various substantial outstanding amounts to development works. be recovered, totally amounting to a The cancellation of LBT has whopping Rs 1270 crore. The PMC left PMC in a financial crunch. should recover the Rs Pune Municipal 1270 crore tax dues from Commissioner Kunal its own departments, Kumar at a recent rather than cut down on economic review funding for development meeting, said that work. “If this amount is PMC expenditure was recovered, there will exceeding its income, be no need to cut the and that was the funds.” he said. reason why funding for Among the 15 proposed development defaulting departments works in city had to be are import duty cut. department with However, corporator dues of Rs 2.41 crore, and PMC standing - AVINASH BAGAVE recovery department committee member (Rs 98 crore), sky sign Avinash Bagave said that

“Recovery of dues will enable funding for devp work.”

BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @TGSWeekly

department (Rs 162 crore) and the water and electricity meter department being the biggest defaulter with dues of Rs 237 crore.

Bagave said, “In the same way that the administration has concentrated intense efforts to ensure that Pune city was included in the smart city plan, the administration should also take up work of revenue recovery on a war footing. This will ensure that the PMC coffers will not be short of revenue and that the citizens of Pune will not be deprived of the benefits of the developmental works that have been planned. The members of the standing committee must take up the matter with the utmost priority basis and present a report on the action taken within a week tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Ranveer Singh have been booked

by Bhor police near Pune for allegedly assaulting and intimidating a lawyer.

The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when Advocate Wajid Khan had gone to one of the government offices, where Bhansali and Singh were shooting for their upcoming film.

Bhor police confirmed registering a non cognisable offence against Bhansali and Singh under sections 323 (voluntarily causes hurt), 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Advocate Vajid Khan Rahim Khan, a resident of Kharadi in Chandanagar in Pune, said that he had gone to Bhor for some official work when the incident took place. He said that at

Advocate Vajid Khan Rahim Khan

around 3 pm he had me from entering but gone to meet one of his also threw me out,” said clients at Bhor. “While Advocate Khan.

I was going towards After the incident electricity board office Advocate Khan went located inside Rajwada, straight to Bhor police Sanjay Leela Bhansali station and narrated intercepted me at the the entire incident. door. He stood in front “Initially the cops didn’t of me and asked me believe me. They asked why I was there. He one of their constables addressed me as ‘Kala to accompany me to - VAJID KHAN coat wala’ and said that the spot. It is only after whatever my work was, I they had verified that should come back later,” they agreed to file a said Advocate Khan. complaint,” said Advocate Khan.

Advocate Khan alleged that Singh When TGS contacted SS also joined Bhansali and told him to Khot, inspector attached to Bhor leave. “The actor instructed the guards police station, he confirmed that a to throw me out. The guards followed non cognisable complaint has been the orders, assaulted me and threw me registered against director Bhansali out. I was there for my official work, and actor Singh. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com but these people not only prevented

“The guards assaulted me and threw me out.”

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

City police show kind side

Auto driver granted reprieve by police owing to his adverse domestic issues

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke

Pune’s prominent lawyer couple alleges being defrauded by holiday resort company

The market is flooded with multiple options for saving money and investments, so much so that it often becomes difficult to make out the fake from the original. And not even lawyers are immune to fraud in such a situation. Renowned lawyers of the city, Asim and Rama Sarode have lodged a complaint and have sent a legal notice to RCI India and Destination Resort, accusing them of fraud.

According to Asim Sarode, the scheme was suggested to them in 2004 by a woman named Radha Jadhav, who was from Destination Resort’s investment scheme Clifftop Club. “We were told that there was a resort being constructed at Auli in Uttarakhand. If we paid Rs 1,15,000 we would get membership of the resort, entitling us to an eight-day stay once a year for free,” he said.

“My wife was interested as who wouldn’t want a holiday house in the hills?” he said.

However, they were asked for more money than they could afford. “We had just started our careers, and we could not afford

Rama and Asim Sarode have lodged a complaint and have sent a legal notice to RCI India and Destination Resort, accusing them of fraud

such a huge amount,” Sarode said. But then the company suggested EMIs of as low as Rs 500 a month, after a Rs 10,000 down payment. “We used to pay whatever we could afford, Rs 500, Rs 700, Rs 2000,” Sarode said.

“About the vacations, we were told that we could even rent/sell our right to someone else. They said they would take money out of that as well, if we so wished,” he said.

It all looked rosy until after the Sarodes paid up the entire sum of Rs 1,15,850. “We didn’t go for a single vacation in five years, but not once did we get any money

from the rent. We made several phone calls to the office and to the agent,” Sarode said. That is when he smelled a rat and checked the fine print of the agreement.

“There were so many clauses put in confusing and looped sentences that it is almost impossible for a person not from the legal background to understand the meaning. The agreement says that we have to pay an annual maintenance fee on top of the money we have already paid. They never told us this.

Moreover, it deemed the area of jurisdiction to be Nainital, while

P14

P11

Read the fine print before taking the plunge

BY GARGI VERMA @missgverma

‘King of nuts’ from California to conquer India?

More under-5 girls die than boys in India

“The civic administration has been carrying out surveys and officials have filed cases against owners of properties where dengue mosquitoes have been found.”

— ST Pardeshi, Head of Health Department, PMC

their clients are in Pune,” Sarode said. This was when they decided to withdraw from the scheme.

“We were told that they’d let us out if we wanted to quit. We got in touch with the agent only to be told that we couldn’t quit until they get their own replacement,” he said.

“This entire scheme is a big scam. If Rama and I couldn’t see the loopholes, there’s a small chance that others would. They have duped quite a few people in the city, some of whom we know,” he said. His firm had filed a legal notice against the company that they received but are refusing to accept. The Sarodes are planning to take the battle further. “The agent earlier told us that she is trying to help us get our money, but now even she has stopped accepting our calls,” Sarode said.

He has urged the Deccan Police station to file an FIR against the companies.

Deccan Gymkhana police station senior Inspector PA Chougule said that they hasn’t received further complains and have not lodged an FIR. “If we get more cases and if there is something fishy, we will take action,” he said. gargi.verma@goldensparrow.com

An autorickshaw driver who had not returned the valuables left in his vehicle by a woman passenger, was nabbed by the Chatushrungi police, who recovered the goods.

But owing to the culprit’s domestic circumstances, the police decided not to file a case against him.

Meenakshi Anant Somvanshi (46) of MIG Colony in Gokhalenagar had taken an autorickshaw from Shivajinagar station to her home after returning from her native place a month ago, said Sub Inspector Rajaramsingh Chavan of Chatushrungi police station.

She left her bag in the vehicle but the autorickshaw had driven off before she realised it.

Somvanshi lodged a missing property complaint with the Chatushrungi police station, stating that the bag contained documents and 300 gms of gold ornaments. The police scrutinised CCTV footage from spots at Shivajinagar, Model Colony and Senapati Bapat Road. “The auto is seen but the registration number was not visible. But we got the RTO registration number 521 of an autorickshaw,” Chavan said.

The police acquired data of autorickshaws from the RTO Pune pertaining to the number in the CCTV footage. “But the RTO officers told us later that an autorickshaw of the same number had been scrapped,” he said. “We

Police searched autorickshaw driver Narayan Haribhau Tapkir’s (left) house at Dattawadi slums and recovered valuables

then got the details of the owner of the autorickshaw but found that he had sold it,” he said.

Then a policeman spotted the autorickshaw at the Shivajinagar ST stand by chance and accosted the autorickshaw driver. “We searched autorickshaw driver Narayan Haribhau Tapkir’s house at Dattawadi slums and recovered all the valuables and the bag and then undertook legal proceedings,” Chavan said.

Tapkir’s wife is suffering from cancer but he had not tried to sell the gold ornaments, Chavan said.

In fact, Tapkir had been working overtime to earn money for his wife’s treatment. “We decided not to file an offense against him or arrest him. We will return all the documents and ornaments to its rightful owner,” Chavan said.

Only last week, Crime Branch officials had arrested an autorickshaw driver for allegedly attempting to keep for himself

DDHA

ultrasound machines is October 31.

PMC Assistant Medical Health Officer Dr Vaishali Jadhav said, “Leave aside the registration itself, none of the ophthalmologists of the city have even bothered to apply for the registration process,” She said that the B-scan ophthalmic ultrasound used by the ophthalmologists can be misused, thanks to its ability to capture images of a foetus.

“Though the B-scan ophthalmic ultrasound machines are used by ophthalmologists to detect eye abnormalities, they can also be misused for sonography to determine the gender of a foetus. Considering this, we published an advertisement in the newspapers around two months ago,

EKAR

The Poona Ophthalmological Society has filed a writ petition against Pune Municipal Corporation, the state government and the Union of India, after PMC slapped notices on the society as ophthalmologists in the city failed to apply for the registration of their B-scan ultrasound machines. According to PC and PNDT (Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques) Act, 1994, it is mandatory for clinics and hospitals who use A- and B-scan ultrasound machines to register themselves before the given deadline.

According to PMC officials, the deadline for the registration is approaching fast, but the ophthalmologists in the city have not even applied for the same. Taking action against it, the civic administration issued two notices to the society on September 23 and 28. However, outraged by this action, the president of the society filed writ petition against the governmental machinery. The last date for registering

RAJAND

Ophthalmologists file writ petition against PMC for notice over USG machine registration

appealing to all ophthalmologist to register their A- and B-scan ultrasound machines,” Jadhav said.

The civic administration had given them time since the advertisement was published to register their ultrasound machineries. “It seems that the ophthalmologists do not care to follow the procedures of law,” said Jadhav.

“Doctors have to fill up form A and pay Rs 35,000 and Rs 25,000 as fees for hospitals and clinics respectively. Inspection of the hospitals/clinics would be done by concerned medical officers of the PMC and thereafter the registration certificate would be issued which is valid for five years,” Jadhav said.

There are around 800 ultrasound machines in the city. Expect for the ones at N M Wadia Hospital and Kelkar Hospital, none have been registered till date. Meanwhile, petitioner and president of the society, Dr Madhav Bhat refused to comment on the issue.

“The matter is sub judice,” Bhat said. priyankka.deshpande @goldensarrow.com

a bag belonging to NRI Rajiv Prakash Barse (45) of California, USA, on October 13. The bag contained Rs one lakh, $117 USD, ipad, visa, passport and his family’s airline tickets.

Barse had gone to the graveyard at Salisbury Park to his father’s grave and took an autorickshaw back to a hotel in Camp. He left his bag in the autorickshaw and lodged a property missing complaint with the Cantonment Police Station.

The Crime Branch staff spotted the autorickshaw in the CCTV footage and though the RTO registration number was blurred, they located the vehicle through an advertisement on its hood. The autorickshaw driver turned out to be Narayan Krishnaji Renuse (57) of Katraj.

He had left the bag with his relative Sunil Renuse, who was also arrested along with Narayan. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

ANIRU

Eye doctors, PMC at loggerheads

BY PRIYANKKA DESHPANDE @journopriyankka

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support her education. They are also refusing to hand over her educational certificates and documents,” Ranade said. After the harassment, the woman approached the Special Cell.

“We have had two sittings with the family for counseling, but her inlaws refuse to listen. We are planning to initiate legal action against them.

The money will help her get higher education and secure her future,” Ranade said. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

What to eat on the city streets

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It’s not just food for the soul

FEA T

Special Cell for Women and Children, Pashan, is handling the case

E LG

FEA T

A 22-year-old woman whose husband committed suicide at their home eight months ago, has appealed to the Special Cell for Women and Children, Pashan, for justice after her in-laws gave her a mere Rs 10,000 as compensation.

Cell counselor Vijaya Ranade said that the woman who hails from a village near Panshet reservoir, was married to a 25-year-old man, living at Budhwar Peth, in 2013. He was a graduate while she had cleared her HSC exam.

The man treated her alright except on a few occasions when his behavior became extremely erratic. “Initially she thought that it was his nature but she soon, realised that her husband was

suffering from some disorder,” Ranade said.

She was hesitant to act though since theirs was an arranged marriage and her father was a village sarpanch. But eventually she found that her husband was schizophrenic and could not be treated. The woman felt depressed.

And eight months into the marriage, her disturbed husband took the final step, jumping off from the terrace the house to end his life.

“His family members had never told her about their son being schizophrenic, which amounts to cheating,” Ranade said.

The woman wants to pursue higher education for which she needs money.

Her in-laws said that they would give her Rs 10,000 but that she should not expect any more.

“The family is well off and can

I ND

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke

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Woman appeals for fair deal from in-laws

This fashionista loves to stay fit

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

Tangled in traffic at Pashan

““I respect the UP government’s honour and their decision for providing pension of Rs 50,000 per month to each recipient, I am requesting the UP government, with all humility, to redirect the entire amount towards any noble charitable scheme.”

— Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood actor.

P 15

70 families rendered homeless

PICS BY VISHAL KALE

Those whose belongings were unharmed by blaze, found it stolen Contd from p 01

neighbours orders the girls to go and look for the arrangements of dinner in the school, that’s when Salma breaks down and says, “We work as daily wage labourers. I had gotten jewelleries for both my daughters only a few days back. Now if the groom’s side would get to know that we have nothing for our girls, they would break off the marriage. Where do I get the money to remake it for my daughters?”

THIEVES MAKE HAY Many people who left their houses in panic returned to an unharmed but empty house with all belongings stolen. The house of Latifiya Sheikh, 60, mother of three, was only partially damaged. “Only the tin roof caved in due to water’s force during the fire brigade’s rescue. But thieves stole cylinders, utensils and gold ornaments in my locker. God knows where people get the strength to steal at a time like this,” she said. Sahabiya Shaikh is roaming wide-eyed in the streets with her baby boy. Her mother-in-law, who is a widow, will tell everyone she knows that the world will soon come to an end. Even though the fire left their house unscathed, thieves took jewellery, costly dress, gas cylinders, utensils, mattresses and pillows. “The fire didn’t harm us, yet have nothing left.,” Sahabiya said. Shanta Bhagade found Rs 7,000 kept in her cupboard stolen “Even my jewellery worth Rs 20,000 is gone.,” she said. Shaila Meshram cannot believe that someone could steal jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh that she had kept in her house for the marriage of her daughter.

was hosing the fire down from a second floor building. As it wasn’t working, he went to first floor of an under construction building where a slab underneath his feet cracked due to excess heat. He fell 15 feet and injured his leg.

WORST WAS EVADED The slum is developed on a quadrilateral land with huts closely packed around

FIREFIGHTERS “We hardly get a chance to celebrate any festival. Our job is to save lives.

Celebrating festivals is never our priority,” said Timber Market Station fire officer Subhash Jadhav (48), who rushed to the spot. “We could see flames from a long distance. The fire destroyed 60-70 houses but we could douse it in a couple of hours. The situation could have been worse if this had happened at night,” said Mahesh Milwane, (36) another fire officer, who appreciated the alertness of residents., Chief Fire Officer Prashant Ranpise said the real hero are residents. “A home for people of various religions, residents of Meenatai Thackeary Vasar, Gultekdi, believe in only one religion – humanity. Even before we reached the spot, the residents were doing whatever they could to reduce the fire,” he said.

The residents filled the 10-foot-deep ditch that created hindrance for fire trucks and impressed the firefighters.

Kailash Shinde, a fireman who got injured during the fire on Thursday,

in tight lanes around a marshland.

Outside the slum is a local school and next to it is the mosque. There is barely a lane big enough for two people to pass simultaneously. So, the fire spread quickly and it started spreading in spirals. However, many people helped contain fire. “My sister’s house is getting constructed at the end of this lane,” recounts Soma Shinde, whose brother overturned the water kept in

a tanker used for mixing cement in the under construction house as soon as the fire started spreading. “That stopped the fire approaching our lane,” she said.

At dusk people started gathering at the junction of bylanes. The general consensus made with the help of fire men and police was that most of the cleaning and rehabilitation would happen during the day. The young

boys of the locality were put to task to take all the people rendered homeless to the school, which was opened at night by the intervention

of the corporator. Food and water was supplied to all. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Everything is lost Ehsan Quazi, 25

“All documents proving identity of myself and family have turned into ashes.

All earnings saved by my brother and I for our ailing father are gone,” said Ehsan Quazi, a tempo driver whose slum was burned by the Thursday fire.

He and his younger brother stayed in a two floor house in the chal for the past 13 years. “We had just made a separate house on the first floor of this building,” he said pointing to the charred remains of the building.

“Our family comprises my four kids, my brother’s five, our wives and our father who has bought the kholi.

We later extended the house to two floors and built a storeroom. Only the basement was made out of cement, rest all wood and tin sheets,” he said.

The Quazi family has now shifted to the house of his uncle at Bibwewadi.

His brother Munnawar is still in a state of shock. After a long while, he said, “I am glad that nothing has happened to our family.”

Aijaz Quazi, 26 Aijaz, dressed in his prayer clothes

and a white hand-stitched skull cap stands atop a pile of bent metal sheets and broken bamboo poles, is dusting the ashes off whatever he thinks is a remnant of his household. “Sab khatam ho gya,” he keeps muttering. “I used to live in this house for six years.

I got married here, my kids were born here.” As a construction site labourer, the pile of rubble reminds him more of the construction that he had cherished. “I am a tenant and haven’t yet informed the owner, who lives in Kondhwa. The fire destroyed every valuable document,” he said. He had gone to the mosque opposite the basti to pray when he heard the uproar. By the time he rushed to his slum, it was in flames. “I am thankful to God that my wife and our two sons aged 4 and 1 years escaped in time. I have no food, no clothes for my kids. We elders can go hungry, but how do I tell my oneyear-old that nothing is left?” he said.

Yogesh Ramteke, 28 The Ramtekes are in shock. Clutching his 10-month-old son Aryan, Yogesh wouldn’t let go of the baby, even to his wife Naina. Naina and Aryan were the only one in the house when the cylinder kept on the roof caught fire and burst. “I don’t know how she managed it, but she and my son are safe,” said Yogesh. Naina said, “The moment I heard the blast of cylinder

kept on the roof that we thought was empty, I grabbed the baby and jumped out.”

Yogesh, who works as a driver for rented cars in Bibwewadi, bought this house only 2 years ago when he was planning to get married. “I pay Rs 1,500 per month to the owner who was a friend of my father. All my documents are burned.

Touch the walls, it is still hot. I have no close relative in the city, I don’t know where my wife and child will sleep,” he said, only to be rebutted by an elderly neighbour who lives a few lanes down the road where the fire hasn’t spread much damage. She said, “Why? We are still alive, they will sleep where we do.” Naina, in tears now, hands over her baby to few little girls who start playing with him and rushes to the house as if to salvage something. “What are you looking for? Everything is gone,” said Yogesh staring at the empty mess.

Shrikant Kamble, 60 and Shobha, 45 What is now left of the house that Kambles occupied for 13 years is a single wall holding a locked door. “I work as a house maid and my husband

is a scrap dealer. When the fire broke, nobody was in the house as our sons, aged 11 and 8 years, had locked the home and gone to their friends’ place to play. I came to know about the fire because of the sirens of fire brigade,” Shobha said. Shrikant is happy that their children were not in the house when the fire broke. The Kambles don’t know about the damage as their sons have the house keys and the kids have been told to spend the night at the friends’ place. “It’s better they stay there rather than in this chaos,” said Shobha.

Shanta Bhagade, 40 The rice that Shanta Bhagade, was cooking as an offering for Devi on Dusshera was still steaming hot even after four hours because of the fire that engulfed her house. Despite losing everything, Bhagade has the courage to put a smile on her face.

“I have to be strong in front of my children.,” she said. Bhagade was cooking and her kids were watching TV when her neighbour alerted them about the fire. “We did not care about our valuables but my son picked up the cylinders and we ran for our lives,” she said, who built her home 25 years ago. For Tushar, 16, the youngest son of Shanta, her mother is his hero after his father abandoned the family 15 years ago. A student of NMV College, Tushar is now worried about his future. “How will I go to college tomorrow? The fire has destroyed my books and documents,” he said.

13-year-old caught sending vulgar Artist dies after being hit mails to his teachers by speeding biker Cyber crime cell traces him through his IP address and decides to counsel him instead of booking him

BY SUSHANT RANJAN @TGSWeekly

BY GITESH SHELKE @gitesh_shelke Pune Cyber Crime Cell is dealing with an unusual case. These days the sleuths are counselling a 13-year-old student of a reputed school. The student of class eight sent vulgar mails to his teachers. The entire case came to light after one of the teachers came forward and reported the matter to cyber crime cell.

Investigators revealed that three weeks ago, one of the teachers attached to a reputed school in Wanowrie approached them stating that she was receiving lewd mails from an unknown email id. The mails mainly contained nude images. No sooner had the cops started investigating, three more teachers from the same school came forward.

They all stated that a man was sending them vulgar mails.

A week later, cops were able to trace the

Internet Protocol address from where the mails were originating. It turned out to be house of one of the students. The student’s mother is a teacher, while father is a reputed farmer.

Since the person involved was a minor teachers did not press charges. Moreover, the cops too were sympathetic and did not register a formal case. However, they decided to counsel the child. Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Kishor Naik said that a team of policemen are counselling the child.

“We have already conducted four sessions with the child and few more will be done in days to come,” he said.

On being quizzed by the cops, the child revealed that four of his friends from class

dared him to send vulgar mails to the teachers. The child created an email id and looked for nude images on the net. He forwarded the images to his teachers, whose email ids were with him. Cops said that the school has a practice of sharing email ids of teachers with students and parents for regular interactions.

Cops revealed that the 13-year-old spent a lot of time alone at home. Since his parents were away at work through the day, after returning from school, the child would spend hours on the internet. Not stopping at his counselling, the cops have also sent an advisory to the school to counsel the four friends as well. gitesh.shelke@goldensparrow.com

A well known artist from Pune died after being hit by a speeding bike on Tuesday evening. Sachin Nath, 73, a former art instructor at the NDA, Khadakwasla, and now an independent artist, was out for a walk near his house when the incident occurred. The biker has been arrested.

The incident occurred at around 6.30 pm on Tuesday near Canal bridge on the B T Kawade road. The biker was heading towards Ram Nagar at a high speed. He rammed into Nath injuring him. Nath was rushed to Inamdar Hospital in Fatima Nagar, where he succumbed to his injuries around midnight. Family reveals that Nath, who was known to be an extremely soft spoken man, tried consoling his family even while he was on his death bed and told them that he would be out of the hospital soon.

Wanowrie police nabbed the rider identified as Rahul Fuleja Sahi (30), a resident of Ramnagar on B T Kawade road. He has been booked for rash and negligent driving and also for culpable homicide.

Nath was a well known artist and a extremely popular art instructor from Pune. Hailing from Nawakhali, Bengal, he worked with NDA as an art

instructor from 1977 to 2002. After his retirement he started working independently. His works have been exhibited at several prominent locations and are considered to be prized collections. He had several awards to his credit, including National level awards for four consecutive years from Mahakoshal Kala Parishad, Raipur. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

“A body set up to consider Gorkha’s demand for OBC status has recommended the status for them. Home Department has submitted an agenda to Council of Ministers.”

— R Lalzirliana, Home Minister, Mizoram

PUNE

“ They say that those who eat beef should leave the country. How justified is it to paint someone’s face black just because he eats beef? Some solution should come out.”

— Azam Khan, Samajwadi Party Leader

For the women, by a woman Prema Gopalan, one the finalists of Social Entrepreneur of the Year India Award 2015, has dedicated her life to empower women

BY JAMES MATHEW @mathewthejames Even as many men and women sacrifice personal interests to devote their lives for the upliftment of millions of poor, ignorant and downtrodden, it is the responsibility of social organisations to honour them for their dedication.

The Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) India Award 2015 saw an entry of 154 social entrepreneurs working in education, health, rural development, environment, water and enterprise development from across the country. The recognition is constituted by the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. The finalists of SEOY India 2015 Awards are four outstanding women entrepreneurs — Prema Gopalan (Swayam Shikshan Prayog, Pune), Suparna Gupta (Aangan Trust , Mumbai), Ashraf Patel (Pravah and Community Youth Collective, New Delhi) and Poonam Bir Kasturi (Daily Dump, Bengaluru). They work in the fields of youth development, urban waste management, rural livelihoods and child protection.

INSPIRING WOMEN Pune’s Prema Gopalan, 64, the founder of Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), always found women extending help during difficult times. Her 20-year-old organisation trains landless women to provide basic health services at affordable

prices, besides empowering women at grassroots level with leadership and entrepreneurial skills. SSP Arogya Sakhi programme, launched in 2013, works towards early detection and treatment of lifestyle diseases. SSP (www.sspindia. org) has expanded into five enterprises to nurture the entrepreneurial eco-systems and value chains needed for women to succeed in remote areas. These include a network of 5,000 self-help groups (SHGs), a microfinance institution (MFI) that offers financial services to women-led businesses, a rural school of entrepreneurship and a social enterprise that provides branding, marketing and distribution services to grassroots business women.

“Our organisation tries to provide hubs of women consumers, producers, savers, borrowers, entrepreneurs and community leaders across 2,000 villages, besides helping investors, product manufacturers, trainers and attracting government schemes and policies,” she said.

The pre-doctoral study on women in the informal sector after completing her Masters in Social Work led Prema to engage directly with such women.

For the last two decades, she has made efforts to bring the poor women from the margin to the mainstream with the assistance from Government and corporates. SSP selects and trains landless women who have basic education, interest in healthcare and community service besides having an entrepreneurial mindset. Along with technology partners and initial investors, the selected volunteers go door to door in villages providing information and basic health services to girls and women.

SSP works in the segments of clean home energy appliances and bio-fuel, safe drinking water, organic agriculture, community health insurance, social micro-finance, rural entrepreneurship

20-year-old hosts blood donation drive Shardul Bapat has turned his birthday into a blood donation drive day to do his bit for society

BY SALONEE MISTRY @SaloneeMistry When you look at Shardul Bapat you see a typical 2 0 -yea r-old: an engineering student with a bright future.

But the second year mechanical engineering Shardul Bapat student at Padmabhooshan Vasantdada Patil Institute of Technology, Pune, is a blood donation campaigner. To make his 18th birthday memorable, Shardul thought of starting a yearly blood donation drive. All he wanted was to do his bit for society.

TURNING 18 As he turned 18 on October 20, 2012, Shardul decided to become a blood donor and encourage his peers to donate blood and make a positive difference in their communities. “I wanted to do something that would not only benefit society but also become an inspiration for others. My mother suggested that to begin with I should donate blood and do it regularly. That is when it struck me that if one bottle of blood could save three lives, holding

a blood donation drive would save many,” he said. With support from parents, Shardul spoke to Jankalyan Raktapedhi Blood Bank at Sarasbaug and started the campaign.

MANAGING THE DRIVE Setting up the drive in his colony itself, Shardul only had to manage a few parts of the process. Jankalyan took care of doctors, nurses, beds and medical equipment. Setting up the tent for the drive and arranging for food and water was Shardul’s responsibility. In the fi rst year itself in 2013, Shardul was successful in collecting 30 bottles of blood. The next year he collected close to 3540 bottles. His target for 2015 is 50 bottles. Shardul credits support from neighbourhood and even unknown people as his motivation factor.

“Organising the drive every year, I want to ensure that there is a facility that people can defi nitely use. Even if people can’t spare time from their schedules to inquire and fi nd other places to donate blood through the rest of the year, this is one drive they can always bank on. I have no big aim, I am taking every year as it comes and will continue doing this project,” Shardul said, adding that this year’s drive will be held on Sunday (October 25). salonee.mistry@goldensparrow.com

Shardul Bapat (above) has been holding blood donation drives for two years

and vocational skills. SSP group of ventures is building a new generation of disaster-resilient women entrepreneurs and grassroots women community leaders. Over two decades, it has equipped more than 70,000 women to partner with global and local businesses and architect sustainable rural social businesses.

“If you empower women at the grassroots, as entrepreneurs, they can lift up their families and contribute to the success of their communities.

Multiply these change makers’ impact by a hundred or a thousand, and perhaps over one million lives can change,” she said.

FOR THE YOUTH Ashraf Patel, 48, the co-founder of Delhi-based Pravah (www. pravah.org), headed the organisation for nine years from its beginning in 1993 till 2002. Her prior stints include Ashraf Patel working with Escorts Finance and SRF Finance. A post graduate in HR from XLRI, she was also associated with the Youth Ministry.

Pravah and Community-The Youth Collective (CYC) works in the fields of education, public service, leadership and governance and are building vibrant ecosystems across India to launch young social entrepreneurs, changemakers and active citizens and propel their models of positive social change.

5th space, their creation, focuses on transforming youth and building their leadership potential. It is a space where young people develop a psycho-social worldview, which answers the question “Who are we?”(We as in humans - a

Emotional attachment to work leads to improved health Workers who feel emotionally attached to and identify with their work have better psychological well-being, according to a new study.

Efforts to increase affective organisational commitment (AOC) may lead to a happier, healthier workforce and possibly contribute to reducing employee turnover, researchers said.

Affective organisational commitment is defined as “the employee’s emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organisation.”

The study by Thomas Clausen of the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, and colleagues, looked at how AOC affected psychological wellbeing and other health-related outcomes in approximately 5,000 Danish eldercare workers, organised into 300 workgroups. The results showed significantly higher well-being for employees in work-groups with higher AOC. Workgroups with high AOC also had lower sickness absence rates and fewer sleep disturbances, as reported by workers.

The relationship between grouplevel AOC and psychological well-being was completely explained by individuallevel AOC. But group AOC contributed to the differences in sick days and sleep problems, independent of individual AOC. Previous studies have suggested that employees’ emotional attachment to and identification with their work is an important motivating factor that affects absenteeism and other key organisational outcomes.

The new study adds evidence that group-level AOC “is an important predictor of employee well-being in contemporary healthcare organisations.”

Within work-groups, high AOC may act like an “emotional contagion” - with “effects on individual-level wellbeing that are relatively independent of the level of AOC of the individual,” researchers said. They suggest that strategies aimed at enhancing AOC might help to address the high rates of burnout and turnover among employees.

The study was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

PTI

social species) as opposed to “Who am I?” This view allows young people to understand and define their connection to the world as it is. It transforms their own selves and put the youth in charge of transforming India. Pravah worked in schools, colleges, communities and other youth hang-out zones to design and deploy a vast repertoire of processes, experiences and tools that enabled young people to build their own 5th Space communities. These included self-awareness workshops, citizenship and social entrepreneurship education, leadership trainings, internships, learning journeys, campaigns, media and cultural engagements, incubation services, mentoring and seed funds. Over 22 years, Pravah and CYC have worked with 6,78,900 youths across rural and urban India. They have launched 57,500 young leaders and incubated 300 young social entrepreneurs across 20 states.

WASTE COLLECTOR Poonam Bir Kasturi’s Daily Dump (www. dailydump. org) is the answer to waste management in Bengaluru.

Established in 2006, Daily Poonam Bir Kasturi Dump’s mission is to manage this waste right where it is generated – within families. Fondly called ‘compostwali’, Poonam has fused design thinking, traditional pottery and science of composting to develop more than 50 aesthetic products and services that enable urban Indians to compost their waste at home. A trained industrial designer, Poonam has experience in teaching and working in both industrial and craft sectors.

Prema Gopalan

The enterprise’s flagship product is terracotta pots known as ‘Khambas’.

They fit into small apartments and come in different versions to match the family size and volumes of kitchen waste generated. With no foul smell emanating and easy maintenance, the pot converts kitchen waste into compost in over two months. Daily Dump’s community waste management product ‘AAGA’ does collective composting for larger apartment blocks and residential colonies. With over 25,000 committed users, including families, businesses and other institutions, Daily Dump’s products have directly impacted more than 2 lakh individuals.

CHILD’S PROTECTOR Aangan Trust (www.aanganindia.org) of Suparna Gupta, set up in 2000, works in the field of child protection in Mumbai.

It is converting India’s hot spots of child violence into communities that are safe and responsive to children. In communities marked by intense poverty and violence, Aangan sets up local, child safety circles that are powered by unusual allies- parents, government officials and young changemakers. The social body trains people to become child protection experts and harness technology, tap

into community intelligence and deploy behaviour change tools to prevent the occurrence and recurrence of harm to children. Aangan trains staff in management systems, technical acumen, communicat ion methods and operational tools. This equip them to execute child protection laws, policies and programs, s p e e d i l y , effectively and empat het ica l ly.

Suparna Gupta Aangan has worked across 39 hot spots of child violence in six states to train 310 barefoot child protection experts and impacted more than 57,000 at-risk children.

AWARD The award is the sixth edition of partnership of Jubilant Bhartia Foundation and Schwab Foundation to conduct the award that recognise promising and successful social entrepreneurs, with excellence in largescale, system change models. The winner will be announced on November 3. james.mathew@goldensparrow.com

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

David Vs Golia plays out in the Kalyani family T

BY YOGESH SADHWANI @yogeshsadhwani

here’s trouble brewing in one of the wealthiest families in Pune.

Sheetal Kalyani, 27, granddaughter of the pioneer of forging industry, Dr Neelkanth Kalyani, has filed a case seeking partition of the family assets. The suit filed in Pune Civil Court, Senior Division is against nine members of Kalyani family and 174 business entities run by the family. The 27-year-old has alleged that her uncle Baba Kalyani has usurped several family assets. The suit filed in November 2014 is up for hearing on November 5, 2015.

Those against whom Sheetal has filed the suit include her father Gaurishankar, mother Rohini, brother Viraj, uncle Baba Kalyani, cousin Amit and his wife Deeksha, aunt Sunita, grandmother Sulochana and aunt Sugandha Hiremath. While seeking 1/9th share in the family properties, she has sought partition of wealth acquired and invested in various companies including Bharat Forge, a USD 2.5 billion conglomerate.

FAMILY WEALTH The suit begins with explaining how her great grandfather Rao Saheb Anappa N Kalyani carried on business as a trader and agriculturist and amassed huge wealth. He and his family formed a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) known as ANK HUF. “The entire property amassed by Late Rao Saheb Anappa N Kalyani was the property of ANK HUF,” states the petition. After his death in 1954, his son Dr Neelkanth Kalyani took over as head or Karta of ANK HUF. “Dr Neelkanth Kalyani further set up and started businesses by using and utilising funds of the joint family which formed the nucleus for further expansion of businesses started by him and flourished by him,” states the petition, adding that Dr Neelkanth Kalyani started NAK HUF, a smaller entity within ANK HUF over a period of time. Sheetal, in her suit, states that after Dr Neelkanth’s death in August 2013, Baba Kalyani “is purporting to hold himself out as the Karta of the NAK HUF”.

SHARE IN THE PIE Sheetal states that family funds held by the HUFs were used to set up businesses, acquire properties, buy jewellery, among others. “There is nucleus and nexus between joint family funds and properties. The plaintiff (Sheetal) as a member of the NAK HUF, joint family, has pre-existing right, title and share in all these joint family properties,” she states.

BUSINESSES The petition details how over the years using funds from the two HUFs several businesses were started including Bharat Forge, and have now prospered. She has sought her share in the businesses. “Over the course of time, using funds of NAK HUF or income derived from businesses formed and commenced out of the funds, companies and other entities were acquired and formed in the names of members of the said HUFs or companies under their control,” the suit states.

Sheetal has listed 174 such businesses entities in the petition.

TRUSTS Sheetal’s petition also lists several trusts that were set up from family wealth and now own several properties. “The late Dr Neelkanth settled various private trusts out of the joint family funds. The said trusts purchased various properties,” states the petition which has listed out names of multiple trusts set up from family funds. Sheetal wants a share of this pie too.

JEWELLERY “Various ornaments and jewellery were purchased out of the joint family funds… The plaintiff (Sheetal) does not have details presently,” states the petition, adding that once she has the details of the jewellery acquired from family funds, she will list them for partition.

Sheetal Kalyani, 27, has sought her share of the family assets and has filed a case against the entire Kalyani clan, including her own parents as well as her uncle Baba Kalyani, one among the country’s wealthiest businessman said to be worth USD 2.3 Billion

FUNDS GIVEN TO AUNT The petition states that family funds were given to Sugandha Hiremath (Dr Neelkanth’s daughter) to start Hikal Limited. “The late Dr Neelkanth and Sulochana (his wife) also gave cash and jewellery belonging to the joint family and various immoveable properties to Sugandha Hiremath out of the joint family funds. Therefore, the said company and all its assets and properties are joint family property in which also the plaintiff (Sheetal) has a share,” states the petition.

STARTED DIGGING AFTER RETURNING TO INDIA Sheetal has stated that from August 2006 to May 2010 she was abroad pursing her studies. She would come to India only for short durations during holidays. After returning to India, sometime in 2011 she came across several litigations involving family members and started digging further. She claims she found out that several assets and investments owned by joint family had been transferred to her uncle Baba Kalyani and his family members. Around the time that the assets and investments were transferred, the petition states, Sheetal and her brother Viraj were minors. “The plaintiff (Sheetal), who was a minor at the time, was not represented at all and the plaintiff’s share in the assets and properties of the HUF has been ignored completely and now the plaintiff has realised that there has been an attempt to exclude the plaintiff from these assets and properties... The plaintiff was and is entitled to a proper, just and equitable distribution of assets and properties of NAK HUF and to be allotted the said assets and/or an amount equivalent to the value thereof according to her share therein,” she states in the petition.

UNCLE WALKED AWAY WITH MAJOR CHUNK Sheetal, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and majored in Economics from Pennsylvania State University, states that she went through several documents and records after returning home. She claims that shares of several companies including Bharat Forge and Kalyani Steels Limited, held by NAK HUF were transferred to her uncle Baba Kalyani. “It appears that various assets belonging to the NAK HUF were transferred to Baba Kalyani and his family members without any legal and valid partition of the NAK HUF. Upon perusal of the records in respect of the two major companies controlled by the family, namely Bharat Forge and Kalyani Steels Limited, it appears that the promoters’ shareholdings were held by the NAK HUF through various holding companies. This promoters’ shareholding of Kalyani Steels Limited appears to have been transferred to Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) and his family members. This transfer does not give any right to any of the transferee as against the joint family. No consideration has been received by the NAK HUF for such alleged transfer. Such alleged transfers are sham and bogus and not binding upon the NAK HUF or the members thereof,” states the petition.

“The plaintiff is also informed and verily believes that a record has been created to reflect that the late Dr Neelkanth Kalyani sold some shares of Bharat Forge Limited, which were owned by the NAK HUF through some holding companies, to some financial institutions whose shareholding was acquired by Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) through Kalyani Steels Limited, using funds of the joint family or entities controlled by the joint family, to show as if now these shares belong to him. This was part of a scheme by Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) to attempt to create records that the shares belonging to the NAK HUF in fact belonged to him. After gaining control of Kalyani Steels Limited, Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) used the funds from Kalyani Steels Limited to increase his shareholding in and get control of Bharat Forge Limited as well. As these are flagship companies of the Kalyani family, Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) took control of a vast majority of the family assets to the detriment of the rights of the plaintiff (Sheetal) attempting to illegally take away the asserts and properties from the NAK HUF. Once again this appears to be a part of the scheme devised by Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) to strip of the NAK HUF assets to the detriment of the plaintiff,” the petition states.

She further states that when shares of two flagship companies Bharat Forge Limited and Kalyani Steels Limited were transferred to Baba Kalyani, his wife Sunita and son Amit, she and her brother Viraj were minors.

in direct conflict with the interests of NAK HUF,” she states in the petition.

PARTITION SOUGHT EARLIER The petition states that in February 2014 Sheetal and her brother Viraj sought partition of the family wealth. They sent letters to all the family members through their advocates seeking partition. A few days later, their grandmother Sulochana Kalyani and aunt Sugandha Hiremath responded. “The letters are vague and evasive,” states the petition.

Sulochana Kalyani responded to Sheetal and Viraj’s notice on February 26, 2014. She stated that all the documents and accounts pertaining to companies, assets, trusts, among others started by her husband Neelkanth Kalyani, are in possession of their mother Rohini Kalyani. “Send all those documents and accounts to me immediately. Only after examining them, will I be able to respond to your notice,” the letter written by Sulochana Kalyani in Marathi stated, adding that most of the points raised by the siblings in the notice are wrong.

Sugandha Hiremath’s lawyers Malvi Ranchoddas & Co. too responded to the notice. “We are taking instructions in the matter and revert further thereafter. In the meanwhile, none of the allegations or contentions of your clients are admitted by our client.”

In July 2014, the siblings sent another letter to the family members. Only their parents Gaurishankar Kalyani and Rohini responded, asking them to go ahead and file a partition suit and that their letter was to be treated as consent.

W

The property own

APPOINT A RECEIVER ascendants or any a The petition seeks appointment of a receiver to take charge of senior most male m the family wealth till the partition is decided. Sheetal states that her family members are not rendering accounts of the possessions. terms he can also “They are earning huge amounts by using and utilising the joint family properties and businesses. It is therefore just and convenient this account a co to appoint a receiver to collect and receive all rents, profits out of lands member can and businesses, so that at the end the suit property will remain under the control of the Court,” the petition states. will be h MATTER YET TO BE DECIDED The case is being heard by Pune Civil Court, Senior Division. It has come up for hearing after being filed in November 2014. Other members of the Kalyani family and business enterprises involved have filed their replies to before the court. The case will come up for hearing next on November 5. yogesh.sadhwani@goldensparrow.com

GRANDMOTHER ALSO INVOLVED Sheetal alleges that her grandmother too had a role in depriving her of her share. “Defendant No 2 (Baba Kalyani) in collusion and conspiracy with Defendant No 1 (Sulochana Kalyani, grandmother) and Defendants No 3 to 5 (aunt Sunita, cousin Amit and his wife Deeksha) purported to take wrongful control of the family assets and business,” states the petition.

DECISIONS FOR FAMILY PROPERTIES TAKEN IN ISOLATION Sheetal, in the petition, has claimed that most decisions pertaining to family wealth are taken in isolation by her uncle. She states that on July 22, 2011, her father Gaurishankar Kalyani received a letter signed by Baba Kalyani and Sugandha Hiremath, informing him about a meeting to be held a day later.

The agenda was to “discuss and finalise various issues of the HUF properties and its management and administration”. However, Sheetal claims that she and her brother were never informed though they are members of the family.

Moreover, she alleges that the meeting was called by her uncle, grandmother and aunt, knowing well that her father would not be able to make it.

BABA KALYANI HAS NO RIGHT TO BE KARTA Sheetal has claimed that her uncle has no right to take place of her grandfather as head of the HUF. “He has usurped HUF properties and his interests are

MARRIED 1975

PRAYERS Sheetal has sought a partition of family wealth and asked for her 1/9th share.

“A partition may kindly be effected by metes and bounds and/or in specie and actual possession of the share of the plaintiff may be kindly given,” the petition states. She adds that if there are agricultural properties, they should be divided by a Collector. Moreover, as for the properties being enjoyed by other family members, Sheetal has sought either her share A Hindu Undiv or the value of the same to be paid to her.

Hindu Law as a She has also expressed fears about other members alienating properties owned by the family. “The conduct of the Defendants lineally descended in transferring the NAK HUF assets and properties between themselves without any partition is malafide and with an wives and unmarrie intention to deprive the plaintiff (Sheetal) of her legal rights. a HUF does not com The Defendants are likely to further transfer or deal with the NAK HUF properties in their possession or control in person in such familie a manner prejudicial to the interest of the plaintiff and the of people who do not NAK HUF,” states the petition. She has sought that her family is restrained from transferring any of the properties with a c till the case is decided.

DISCLOSE PROPERTIES There are many properties belonging to NAK HUF which Sheetal claims to be unaware of. She has stated that other members of the Kalyani family area aware of all such assets. “It is necessary that Defendants are ordered to disclose on oath all the assets of the NAK HUF and give account for the same and bring them to the NAK HUF partition,” Sheetal states in the petition.

Dr Baba N Kalyani

Amit B Kalya BNK’s

Sheetal G Kalyani

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

ath

Sugandha J Hiremath NAK’s Daughter 1952 MARRIED 1972

Sheetal G Kalyani GNK’s Daughter

1988

Deeksha A Kalyani ABK’s Wife 1973

Viraj G Kalyani GNK’s Son 1990

yani (ABK) Son

D 2001 5

Rohini G Kalyani GNK’s Wife 1964

KALYANI

Sunita B Kalyani BNK’s Wife 1951

FAMILY TREE • Born in 1884, Rao Saheb Anappa Kalyani was a wealthy farmer. He was a Karta of ANK HUF comprising of himself, his wife Parvati, another wife Akutai.

He had only one son – Neelkanth Kalyani. He died in 1954.

Baba N Kalyani (BNK) NAK’s Son

WHAT IS HUF?

1949

Married 1972 Gaurishankar N Kalyani (GNK) NAK’s Son

vided Family is defined under the a family that consists of all persons d from a common ancestor, including ed daughters. This means membership of me from a contract but from status of the es. A HUF cannot be formed by a group t constitute a family. Lineal descendents common ancestor is a must. ned by this family will be through lineal ancestors. In an HUF, the Karta is the member of the family and in financial o be called manager of the family. In orpus is created where every family n pool their income. The corpus handled by or authorised to handle by Karta.

1954 MARRIED 1987

Sulochana N Kalyani NAK’s Wife

Neelkanth A Kalyani ( NAK)

1933

ANK’s Son

1926 - 2013 Married 1947

Parvati N Kalyani ANK’s Wife 1890 - 1962

Akutai N Kalyani ANK’s Wife

• Dr Neelkanth Kalyani was the pioneer of the forging industry in India. Born in 1926 to a family of renowned agriculturists and traders of Karad in Satara district, he pursued his formal education at Panchgani. He joined his father’s business and was considered to be a progressive agriculturist. He pioneered co-operative farming in Southern Maharashtra. He started Bharat Forge, the flagship company of Kalyani Group in 1961. He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1991. He passed away in August 2013. His wife Sulochana Kalyani lives in Kalyani Nagar, Pune. His sons Dr Baba Kalyani and Gaurishankar Kalyani run separate businesses. His daughter Sugandha is married to Jai Hiremath.

• Baba Kalyani, 66, is on the Forbes list of richest Indians. He ranks 41st in the list of top 100 and is said to be worth USD 2.3 Billion.

He heads the Kalyani Group is chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge Limited.

He is married to Sunita Kalyani. His son Amit Kalyani is an executive director in Bharat Forge and also owns the Bharat FC Pune football team. He is married to Deeksha Kalyani.

1900 - 1991

• Gaurishankar Kalyani, 61, has been a Director in Kalyani Forge Limited since 2003. His wife Rohini Kalyani is the chairman and managing director of Kalyani Forge Limited. Their children Sheetal and Viraj studied abroad and have joined the family business.

Annappa N Kalyani (ANK) 1884 - 1954

• Sugandha Hiremath is married to Jai Hiremath and lives in Mumbai. They run Hikal Limited which is engaged in R&D, manufacturing and marketing of fine chemicals for the Pharmaceutical and Agrochemical industries.

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

TECH/START-UP

PUNE

Spam generates 33bn KWt-hours of energy every year, enough to power 2.4 million homes, producing 17 million tons of CO2 www.http://didyouknow.org/

Pakistan’s plan to import 4,000MW electricity from India stalled P 13

Govt to come out with enabling ecosystem for start-ups soon

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a series of important announcements in December to promote start-ups in the country PTI

To weed out procedural issues, the government is working on an enabling framework for startups which have the potential for job creation, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said recently.

Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make a series of important announcements in December to promote start-ups in the country.

“Government is working on providing a more enabling ecosystem for start-ups. Startups have potential for job creation,” Das said in a tweet.

He has also invited suggestions from the public to improve ecosystem for start-ups.

In his Independence Day speech, the PM had announced a new campaign ‘Startup India; Stand up India’ to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation in the country.

Yesterday, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha had said, “In early to midDecember, the Prime Minister is going to make a series of very important announcements on ‘Startup India’ where we will bring together the work that we are doing and make some important

App for governance-related grievances through cell phone People can now register their governance-related grievances through mobile phones.

A mobile application for Centralised Public Grievances Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal was launched here today by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh.

CPGRAMS is a central government portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform for redressal of their grievances. The complaints received on this platform are redressed by the ministry, department or state concerned.

Singh hoped the common people will make maximum use of the mobile application since the mobile phone has emerged as the easiest way of communication from anywhere across the country.

A Quick Response

(QR) code has been provided on the portal which can be scanned on to the smart phone after which the grievance can be sent from the phone directly on to CPGRAMS, he said.

“This is another step towards translating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘ART of Governance’ as spelt out by him, with A for Accountability, R - Responsibility and TTransparency, forming

CPGRAMS saw 16 lakh grievances lodged since January 1, 2012

Sleep to raise USD 1 mn for wide reach Sleep start-up firm Sunday is set to raise USD 1 million to fund its expansion plans across the country. The company, which began commercial operations in September under name www. sundayrest.com, said it’s aiming at over Rs 2,000 crore turnover in three years.

“We are following a slow and steady approach to fund raising. We closed a USD 2,50,000 round a couple of months back and are in the middle of raising a USD 1 million round as we speak,” Sunday Founder Alphonse Reddy told PTI. “Our main investment is from Anand Morzaria and team, who recently sold their venture to WPP (Ogilvy & Mather). We will seek a bigger round once we are confident of meaningfully deploying those funds.”

Reddy is also the founder of Fabmart.com.

On revenue expectations, he said: “Given that the market is highly fragmented and that the product has an unbeatable value proposition, we want to aim at 10 per cent of the USD 3.5 billion (Over Rs 2,000 crore) market in the next 3 years.”

PTI

the bedrock of the government,” the minister said.

Singh said the goal is that the administration should be citizen centric, transparent and responsive.

“More than six lakh public grievances have been settled since the NDA government assumed office,” he said.

In his address, Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Devendra Chaudhary said the mobile app will not only allow lodging of grievances, but people can also track the grievance status.

DARPG has been making efforts to improve public service delivery and redress grievances of citizens in a meaningful manner by effectively coordinating with different ministries and departments of the government, besides trying to eliminate the causes of grievances.

CPGRAMS was launched by DARPG in 2007. More than 16 lakh grievances have been lodged since January 1, 2012. In last 12 months, nine lakh grievances have been lodged and 6.47 lakh disposed of.

PTI

announcements about how we are going to take forward India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Sinha said the PM’s announcements would ensure that India, as a country with respect to start-ups and entrepreShaktikanta Das neurs, “is going to be the best in the world”.

The government, he added, is working very hard to make it easy for entrepreneurs and start-ups to do business, and also ensure that the financing is easily available.

Another area where the government has put a lot of stress is to foster innovation in research centres and universities through the network of innovation laboratories.

In the Budget, there were a number of important steps to encourage start-ups, including setting up of India Aspiration Fund and Atal Innovation Mission.

PTI

India among top 10 acquirers in US market this year India has been ranked among top 10 acquirers in the US market this year with 16 deals valued at USD 1.7 billion, says Baker & McKenzie.

Majority of these deals were in the pharma sector, with six transactions totalling USD 1.5 billion, as Indian companies seek to increase their scale in the US generics market, said a report by Baker & McKenzie.

“Indian companies (particularly in the pharmaceutical sector) have been on a acquisition spree and I think this trend will continue in the near term given the low valuation and the need for Indian companies to increase their scale to compete in the increasingly competitive generic markets, as well to dip their toes into the innovator side of the business,” said Ashok Lalwani, Global Head of Baker & McKenzie’s India Practice.

Most of these acquisitions are funded internally as Indian companies are generally cash rich, he said.

“On the other hand, There is an uptick in Indian pharmaceutical companies tapping into the debt market for acquisition funding, as money continues to be relatively cheap right now,” Lalwani added.

India is witnessing more cross border M&A deals and beyond 2015, and the country could become a “sweetheart for US dealmakers”, as the Indian government continues to pursue reforms to open the economy to foreign investors, said the report. “There is optimism and people are moving into India for that reason,” Baker & McKenzie Global Head of M&A Michael DeFranco said. There are, however, some risks that could disrupt market activity, such as changes in the macro-economy.

PTI

Centre may introduce two labour codes in next Parliament session

NDA government has initiated a process where the existing 44 central labour laws are to be ‘simplified and rationalised and amalgamated’ into the four labour codes The Labour Ministry may introduce two out of four labour codes in the next Parliament session, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said.

The Minister of State for Labour said out of the four labour Bandaru Dattatreya codes — wages, industrial relations, social security and working conditions to strengthen safety, and social security of workers, the two codes with regard to wages and industrial relations may be introduced in the next session.

“We may introduce two codes - one on industrial relations and the other one on wages - in the coming Parliament session,” Dattatreya told reporters during a press conference.

He said the NDA government has initiated a process where the existing 44

central labour laws are to be “simplified and Parliament during the next session. rationalised and amalgamated” into the four On the Supreme Court’s decision that labour codes. struck down a new law to appoint judges He said some of the trade unions have to the higher judiciary, Dattatreya said the expressed apprehensions on some of the ruling is unfortunate and the government provisions in the codes such as will examine the judgement notice period for undertaking based which further course of strike by the labour bodies. action will depend.

As per the new codes, “It is very unfortunate. trade bodies will have to give a The Government will examine minimum of 14 days notice to the judgement in detail. the management if they plan Our intention is keep the to go on a strike. judiciary independent. We “The provision that we have have no intention to interfere made in the Code is 14 days in the judiciary. At the same notice for strike. They (trade time Judiciary should also be unions) say that it (strike) is transparent,” he said.

- UNION MINISTER their right. We say some time According to him, as many BANDARU DATTATREYA period has to be given because as 23 states had given consent we say the industry should not for establishing the National suffer,” he said.

Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) He also said the six proposed amendments to recommend transfer of High Court judges to the EPF and Miscellaneous Provisions and their elevation to the Supreme Court.

Act, 1952, would also be introduced in the PTI

“23 states had given consent for setting up NJAC”

APP WORLD

Online hits to help crack exams SelfControl

IOS/Android: Free Imagine you are studying, you sit at your desk and start to create a mind map to organise your ideas.

When you’ve just created your first node on your Mind Map, you get a notification on Facebook.

It’s almost impossible to ignore!

So you check it out and waste another few minutes instead of studying! To avoid distractions like this, SelfControl allows you to block certain websites for a set amount of time. This enables you to concentrate fully on your studies and avoid sporadically checking social networks or your email. Best of all is that once you put these blocks in place, it’s impossible for you to access them until the time you’ve previously specified runs out. You can’t just flick a switch and check them. Even if you get desperate and delete the application, you won’t be able to access them before the time you specified.

ExamTime

IOS/Android: Free We saved the most important for last! Throughout this list of apps for students we’ve talked about apps for self-control, translating and learning languages, exercise, and play…but what about studying? ExamTime allows you to create online Mind Maps, Flashcards, Online Notes and Quizzes.

All of these online study tools are designed to help you improve your learning and prepare for exams. Never before has it been easier to create your online study resources and share them with your classmates. Plus all your notes are stored in one place. ExamTime also has a whole bunch of other tools such Study Groups, Private Messaging, Online Calendar and Study Planner. If you’ve not tried it yet, what are you waiting for? ExamTime is a webapp, that means you can access it via the browser on your phone or mobile device. It is optimized for all types of touch devices and easy and quick to you. There is no excuse for not using the best technology available when it comes to you studies!

iStudiez Lite

IOS/Android: Free Have you been watching too much TV instead of studying?

How many times can you watch Breane of Tarr in the Game of Thrones kick The Hound’s backside, anyway? It might be time to map out your semester to organize your course, assignment and exam schedule, and the award-winning iStudiez app can help. The free Lite version allows you to manage one semester of up to five courses, 15 classes/exams per course, 15 assignments, five instructors and two holiday periods, and you can set alarms.

Exam Vocabulary Builder IOS/Android: Free AccelaStudy claims over 6 million users who have used their Exam Vocabulary Builder app to improve English vocabulary, whether for college freshman/ graduate entrance exams, professional advancement or for language proficiency. The app uses “spaced repetition” to help with retention. In addition to search and organize features, there are several modes, including Study, Flashcard, and Quiz. This app is particularly useful to ESL/ TOEFL students.

Coursera

IOS/Android: Free Coursera.org is an online education site that has partnerships with many colleges and universities in the US. These schools offer both curriculum course study materials and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). Sign up, study at your own pace, and supplement your knowledge for that extra advantage. You can use Coursera’s Web site or mobile apps to study courses and supplement whatever you are learning at your college.

ENVIRONMENT “We found a dismal picture of negligence by some municipalities towards solid waste management. Swachh Bharat campaign could not succeed without full participation of local governing bodies.”

— Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY

H EALTH

OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

“If we integrate social and environmental issues into the way we allocate resources and capital, we will make societies in the long term more successful.”

— Michael Green, co-creator of the Social Progess Index

More under-5 girls die than boys in India 80 per cent of over 23K adolescent girls claim lack of dignity: Survey

India accounted for 21 per cent of all under-5 deaths in 2013 and this low sex ratio in under-5 mortality is pulling down the average for Southern Asia and the entire world

this low sex ratio in under-5 mortality is pulling down the average for Southern Asia as a whole and the entire world.

“Higher mortality among girls can be closely related to a general preference for sons in India, which is expressed in special treatment for boys in terms of parental investment in nutrition, vaccinations, access to health treatment and parental care in general,” the report said.

It further said that in China and India, between 1995 and 2013, women’s participation in the labour force declined from 72 to 64 per cent and from 35 to 27 per cent, respectively.

Child marriage is also most common in south Asia and subSaharan Africa, with India accounting for one-third of the global total of child brides.

PTI

Nearly 80 per cent of 23,801 adolescent girls from 13 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, claim that they suffer from lack of privacy and dignity at home as well as relief camps after a disaster, according to a sample survey.

According to ‘State of the Girl Child in India Report 2015 - The state of the girls: what next?’, compiled by NGO ‘Plan India’, 45-58 per cent of 32,311 adolescents — 23,801 girls and 8510 boys — feared of being married off early.

The report highlights that gender bias in terms of access to food was reported by about one-third adolescent girls while 60 per cent of the respondents complained of being unable to attend schools post a disaster. Twenty-five per cent girls also feared being sold or trafficked after a disaster.

They also claimed lack of sanitation facilities with only 17 per cent boys or girls having access to functional toilets.

As far as education and gaining skills were concerned, poverty, household chores, seasonal disturbances, child labour and

Mentally ill prisoners suffer

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

DITCH THE

AUTO,

HAIL A

CAB

GAUTAM SINGHANIA

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

CHINCHWAD BHOSARI

4 THERGAON HINJEWADI VILLAGE

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

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

RITU GOYAL HARISH

CHIKHALI

KIWALENIGDI

~ Suit filed by the siblings

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

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,”

Parents teach them more than exams do P 10

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

~ Suit filed by the siblings

What a mess!

Teacher booked for sexually abusing 22 students acquitted

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

CITY

Truly, a tree lady P4

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.

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.’

PICS ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

mitigation and support, he said the contributions being offered by the developed countries on both these counts are woefully inadequate and has once again been brought out by an independent assessment carried out by a group of civil society groups.

He cited the ‘Civil Society Equity Review of INDCs’ which has shown that while the contributions of developing countries are more or less commensurate or even higher than their fair share, the contributions of developed countries remain far below their fair shares and also below what is demanded by science.

“By doing so, the developed countries are inevitably shifting the burden of their climate action onto the shoulders of developing countries.

The world cannot afford this inaction,” Muddahanumegowda said.

PTI

Get your voice heard on NetaG P6

RAHUL RAUT

India has warned that global efforts to arrive at a climate deal in Paris later this year will not succeed if they are laced with persistent attempts to dislodge the balance of responsibilities between developed and developing countries, stressing that the path to climate ambition must be paved with equity.

Visiting Member of Parliament from India S P Muddahanumegowda said at a Second Committee meeting on sustainable development here yesterday that while India was not part of the problem of climate change it has “every intention” to be a part of the solution.

“We do believe that we have a good momentum going for a successful outcome in Paris later this year.

However, our efforts will not succeed if these are laced with persistent

PTI

attempts to dislodge the balance of responsibilities between developed and developing countries enshrined in the Convention principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities,” he said.

He said India’s submission of its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) is a reflection of its utmost sincerity in contributing with its full might to the global fight against climate change.

He however voiced disappointment that in the ongoing climate talks in Bonn, the “voices and interests of a vast majority of developing countries are being stifled if not ignored.

“This does not augur well. The path to climate ambition must be paved with equity,” he said.

Expressing deep concern over the lack of climate ambition on display by developed countries on both fronts of

NATION

CITY

No damaged goods please P3

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

BY YOSHITA SINGH

TGS LIFE

Run for... yourself

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

‘Path to climate ambition must be paved with equity’

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

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

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

contractual basis.

There are around 57 correctional homes in the state.

Th is included six central correctional homes, 33 subsidary correctional home and 12 district correctional homes.

“Apart from Dum Dum Central Jail, there are five other correctional

homes in the state. We will recruit five other psychiatrist on a contractual basis,” said the official.

According to the senior jail official, whenever a convict or an undertrial lodged in jail needs psychiatric treatment, he is taken to nearby hospitals for treatment and then again brought back to the prison.

“Whenever there is a need of psychiatric treatment we take them to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Although we have three-four clinical psychologist for emergency cases,” the official said. .

When contacted state Correctional Affairs minister Haider Aziz Safwi said, “Yes, we are thinking of setting up a altogether separate correctional home for convicts with mental problems in Purulia very soon. It will be helpful for us to tackle the situation in case of emergency.”

PTI

have a dual impact: one on their own efficiencies and work environment and second on the value for investments made in community development programs,” Kirloskar said.

The other states which were covered during the study were West Bengal, Odisha, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttarakhand.

The report further claimed that if 10 per cent more girls went to school in India, the GDP of the country will increase by three per cent.

Also, if adolescent pregnancy was delayed, India would add USD 767 billion in potential lifetime income, it said. “It (report) focuses on assessing the state of girls in India on issues covered in the previous years: gender discrimination and its impact on girls schooling; girls in changing urban and digital landscape; engaging men and boys towards gender equality; learning for life for girls and adolescents; situation of adolescent girls at times of disasters and pathways to empowering girls,” Plan India’s Chair Emeritus Govind Nihalani said. The report also dwells on the findings of earlier reports for future direction and programmatic consideration.

THANK GOD IT’S S AT U R D AY

There are 404 convicts suffering from mental problems who are in regular need of psychiatric treatment in Bengal jails Lack of psychiatrists in Bengal prisons is taking a toll on the mental health of 400 odd mentally ill prisoners lodged in various prisons across the state, according to jail officials.

According to the recent data, there are 404 convicts, who are suffering from mental problems and are in regular need of psychiatric treatment.

“There are 404 convicts who are having psychiatric problems. Out of these 164 are convicts and the rest are undertrials,” a senior official of state correctional department told PTI. “We presently don’t have any psychiatrist on our payroll and neither we have anyone under contract. We do face problems at times. After much deliberations and persuasion it has been decided that we will recruit someone on contract at least for central jails,” the official told PTI. Presently the Dum Dum Central Jail has recruited one psychiatrist on a

preference to educate a son were found to be the factors which were keeping girls out of school.

More than 95 per cent adolescent girls of the sample size claimed to be engaged in domestic work.

54 per cent girls in the poorest households and 16 per cent girls in the richest households were found to be child brides, the survey claimed.

Underlining the key findings of the report, Plan India’s executive director Bhagyashri Dengle said even though there has been improvement in the status of girl child, a lot more needs to be done because a majority of girls in India still experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

Arti Kirloskar, Chair, Plan India Governing Board, said that communities and countries should ensure that their girls and women are safe and secure. “The call for commitment is from all stakeholders at various levels who are in a position to encourage gender equality in the spirit as articulated in the SDGs. “Corporates are a very significant player in this context. Gender transformative work cultures and CSR programmes and policies will

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

India is among the countries with the largest surplus of men and a worrying under-five sex ratio with more girls dying before the age of five than boys, according to a UN report.

‘The World’s Women 2015’ report launched said men outnumber women in eastern Asia, southern Asia, Oceania, and western Asia.

The three regions have the highest surplus of men in absolute numbers: 50.5 million in Eastern Asia (mainly due to China), 49.5 million in Southern Asia (mainly due to India), and 12.1 million in Western Asia (mainly due to Saudi Arabia and the UAE).

In absolute terms, countries with the largest surplus of men are China (52 million), in Eastern Asia, and India (43 million), in Southern Asia.

The ratio of men to women and the surplus of men in these two most populous countries largely determine the surplus of men observed at the global level, the report said.

The report said that in India, while sex-selective abortions have been technically illegal since 1996, the law has had “little effect so far on the sex ratio at birth”.

India has the lowest sex ratio in under-5 mortality, with a ratio of 93 (93 boys die before age 5 for 100 girls that die by that age).

“Th is is also the only country with an under-5 mortality sex ratio under 100 (more girls die than boys),” it said.

India alone accounted for 21 per cent of all under-5 deaths in 2013 and

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

BY YOSHITA SINGH

PTI

Men outnumber women in eastern Asia, southern Asia, Oceania, and western Asia, according to a UN report titled ‘The World’s Women 2015’

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

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

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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PUNE

“News of intolerance is a huge concern as India has always thought that whole world is a family. We should not listen to any news of intolerance from the country.”

— Rajnath Singh, Home Minister

NEW DELHI: Any neglect or failure on the part of father of a yet to be born child is domestic violence and he cannot shirk his responsiblity to support the baby, a Delhi court has said.

The court’s direction came on an appeal filed by a working mother against the magistrate court’s order which had denied her the interim maintenance from her husband for the unborn baby on the ground that foetus is not covered within the definition of a child.

“Though the mother is also earning and having a good income, the same does not entitle the husband to shirk his responsibility when he is also liable to support his child and for any failure and neglect by the father qua the child yet to be born, is certainly domestic violence within contemplation of this special enactment and the object it strives to achieve,” Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sudesh Kumar said.

Setting aside the trial court’s order, the judge said he is not in consonance with Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) that domestic violence committed on a pregnant lady will not have any effect on her unborn child. “...the order is hereby set aside and I hereby hold that an unborn child does come within the definition of a child and the complainant seeking maintenance for her unborn child

PTI

Court ruling came on an appeal filed by a working mother against the magistrate court’s order which had denied her the interim maintenance from her husband for the unborn baby

Court said if the father does not partake in the care, he is denying and rejecting his obligation towards his own child

in the form of her upkeep, welfare and an extra care required during the pregnancy was entitled to the same,” it said.

It said that a woman during pregnancy needs extra care and attention and a good diet and she should be free from stress.

“For the proper care of the unborn child, both parents should ensure a stress free environment and all requirements towards the unborn child should be taken care by both of them.

If the father does not partake in the care, he is denying and rejecting

Diamond industry sparkles on culture AHMEDABAD: Cultural governance they are in fact highly organized,” has helped the Indian diamond said the study done by K Indu Rao, industry to succeed in shifting the Officer on Special Duty in Gujarat global landscape of diamond business, Technological University (GTU) and says a study by Indian Institute of Visiting Research Scholar, University Management here. of Twente of Netherlands, for Research Praising India’s diamond industry and Publications Committee of IIMA. for being highly organised, it says “In the Indian diamond industry, the sector has its unique cultural instead of using some documented governance, where the smaller cutting strategies, structure and practices, the and polishing diamonds’ units have been organizing occurs through cultural flourishing like a “closegovernance. In such knit community”. case, members in the Despite little diamond industry align formal education, their values and beliefs professionalism in order to arrive to a exists where verbal common understanding commitments are of the way of doing honoured and met, and a things in their business high order of integrity is and organization,” the exhibited, it said. study said.

The study takes “We found that the example of Surat, India’s informal sector firms Antwerp, as 11 out of are not just local firms every 12 diamonds set but also have global in jewellery worldwide reach. They acquire - K INDU RAO are polished in this city diamond rough from of Gujarat. Surat manufactures 95 per global sources, and supply the finished cent of all the diamonds processed in diamonds to the global diamond the world where rough diamonds are industry,” it said. “These informal procured from the countries like Russia, sector firms, which have made it big Canada, South Africa, Botswana and on the global front, have flourished Australia by the Indian entrepreneurs. like a close-knit community. They have “The firms in the Indian diamond accomplished it through a cultural industry are embedded in the sogovernance where culture governs called unorganised sector. The results business practices,” it said. of a survey interestingly suggest that PTI

11 out of every 12 diamonds in the world are polished in Surat

his obligation towards his own child,” it said.

The court remanded the matter back to the magistrate to determine the extent of maintenance qua the unborn child as per law.

According to appeal filed by the woman, they got married in 2013 and she alleged that within one month of the marriage, her husband started harassing her physically and abused her parents and sister. The husband, however, denied all the allegations against him in the complaint.

PTI

‘Alarming decline in society’s tolerance level’ ALIGARH: Noted scientist Dr Rajeev Varshney has expressed concern over “decline” in tolerance level in the society at an “alarming pace”.

His comments have come against the backdrop of a series of attacks, which were mostly driven by rumours related to beef consumption by another community.

“We should not let political leaders divide the society.

Even eating habits are becoming an issue. Is this the society which our next generation is going to inherit?” he asked while addressing the concluding session of Aligarh Muslim University’s two-day World Alumni Meet.

Varshney, who is winner of the prestigious Dr Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award and presently a Director at the Centre of Excellence in Genomics, Hyderabad, said it was “unfortunate that today tolerance level in the society was declining at an alarming pace.”

Participants at the event pledged support to their alma mater, which is celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of its founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 2017. On the occasion, industrialist Nadeem Akhtar Tarin announced setting up of a new Hall of residence to house 1,000 students, which is being funded entirely by the AMU Alumni Association, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Tarin also pledged to raise more funds to accommodate another 8000 students by the year 2020.

PTI

HYDERABAD: The NDA government will spend Rs 380 core to give a facelift to 100 employment exchanges and transform them as national career counselling centres this year, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said.

“Employment exchanges will no longer be functioning as mere employment exchange centres. There are 980 exchanges in the country, out of which 100 will be modernised in the first phase with Rs 380 crore investment this year,” the Minister of State for Labour and Employment told reporters. Dattatreya, speaking on the sidelines of a programme organised by a bank here, said there are four crore people registered with various employment across all the exchanges.

These modern centres will have the database of employment seekers as well as job providers.

“We have asked all the state governments to give us the proposals.

We are giving three centres each to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,” Dattatreya said. In June this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the NCS portal as part of the Centre’s endeavour to modernise all government-run employment exchanges. The NCS portal, set up under the National Career Service project, will function as hand-holding agencies for job-seekers. With a network of career counsellors, the portal will help job-seekers and provide a variety of other services on the NCS portal such as information on skill development courses.

PTI

Grains, not guns, says Swaminathan

Father of India’s Green Revolution says agriculture and science require more priority in India

BY LALIT K JHA

But actually at the field level WASHINGTON: Asserting that things are not the future belongs to countries with happening the grains and not guns, father of India’s way I would Green Revolution MS Swaminathan like to see,” said India should give more priority to S w a m i n at h a n agriculture sector, the backbone of its said. “In India, economy. concerns have “Agriculture requires much been raised MS Swaminathan more priority. Science requires more about the new priority. Scientific bodies require more g o v e r n m e n t ’s autonomy. People should be able to priorities work on a problem,” Swaminathan not exactly being in alignment with said in response to a question after the policy initiatives that have been his presentation at the Center for described in your presentation,” he said.

Strategic and International Studies a Swaminathan said one should top American think-tank. During his maintain social protection methods and presentation, Swaminathan mentioned strengthen them further. how public policy works in achieving Giving the example of his home zero hunger target.

State of Tamil Nadu, he said the Chief He said future belongs to the Minister (J Jayalalithaa) through her countries with grains, social welfare measures not guns. He lamented is able to meet people’s that agriculture is not need at a zero cost. receiving necessary Noting that food attention in India. storage losses are very He said that the high, he said this is one intentions of Prime main area that needs Minister Narendra Modi to be focused on. In his “are good”, but things presentation, he also are not happening the called for adaption and way they should at the mitigation to combat ground level. climate change and use “His (Prime seeds that are resilient Minister’s) intentions and participatory local - MS SWAMINATHAN are good.

His research. announcements are good.

PTI

Food storage is an area that needs focus as losses are very high

IMPRESSIVE FLIGHT PTI

Do not neglect the unborn child: Court

Centre to modernise employment exchanges

Lawless roadusers are a big bane P 15

A cadet shows his skills during NCC National Games in New Delhi

Staff enjoys garba inside hospital ward AHMEDABAD: In an insensitive act, medical staff and nurses of a government-run civil hospital here played garba with loud music inside a newlyopened Hemodialysis ward for patients suffering from kidney related ailments.

After a video showing the staff playing ‘garba’ in front of patients lying on their beds surfaced today, Gujarat Health Minister Nitin Patel called the incident “improper” and asked the hospital authorities to take action against the people involved in organising the dance. Incidentally, the staff started playing garba, moments after Nitin Patel left the hospital premises in Sola area after inaugurating the Hemodialysis ward for kidney patients. “I have learnt that some of the medical staff of that hospital had organised garba inside the newly inaugurated ward.

I have taken a serious note of it and asked the hospital superintendent to serve show cause notices to those who were involved,” said Patel.

PTI

Transfer of blood between banks Transfer of blood from one blood bank to another has now been allowed, a move that will help take it to places of scarcity to save lives.

Union Health Ministry has also fixed “non-cash” exchange value for surplus plasma available at some blood

banks in the country, aiming to increase the availability of essential life-saving medicines.

The Ministry said that the transfer of blood from one bank to the other was not allowed earlier.

“The first step is permitting the

transfer of blood from one blood bank to another. This was not allowed earlier and will help in transfer of blood to places of scarcity. Guidelines for proper and efficient transport of blood between banks have been prescribed,” it said.

PTI

Project ‘Swawlamban’ spreading smiles Vol-II* lssue No.: 19 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.

Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt. Ltd. 1641, Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411 030, Tel: 020-2432 4332/33.

ROURKELA: Seven-year-old boy Khema Munda from Jadakudar village in Odisha’s Sundargarh district suffered from cleft lip from birth, but thanks to a public-private model medical intervention project, he now sports a smile on his face.

Hailing from a family of petty farmers who work as daily labourers during lean period for sustenance, Khema also used to suffer from several nasal complications and associated issues. Besides congenital cleft palate, he was afflicted with recurrent ear infections and fluid accumulation in

the inner eardrum.

The financially weak family couldn’t even dream of getting expert surgical intervention for him because of the cost factor. And hence, neither Khema nor his parents ever thought their child would be able to lead a normal life with a normal face and a sparkling smile.

With all these complications he was unable to fare well at school and had become an object of “pity and scorn”.

The turning point came in Khema s life when he was identified in a multidisciplinary camp organised as a Corporate Social Responsibility

(CSR) initiative of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP). He was referred to Ispat General Hospital of RSP for further treatment. He was brought to IGH and admitted there on September 4, a release from the RSP said.

The project being implemented

by RSP in association with Health Department of Government of Odisha under ‘Rashtriya Bal Suraksha Karyakram’ is transforming the lives of many poor, underprivileged and needy people through a number of initiatives.

After successful medical and surgical interventions, a happy and

smiling Khema was released on September 10 along with four other children, who also had undergone similar treatment at IGH for free, it said. AK Singh, Director In-charge (M&HS) and Sushil Kar, Chief District Medical Officer of Sundargarh were present. Under the CSR initiative ‘Swawlamban’, not only Khema but many children suffering from various disorders like congenital cataract, hearing impairment, cleft lip and palate disorders and claw foot receive medical attention.

PTI

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

“The Syrian people have been practically alone in putting up resistance and fighting these international terrorists for several years now.”

— Vladimir Putin, Russian President

PTI

Top Chinese general also proposed joint defence drills with ASEAN countries to brace for unplanned and accidental military encounters at sea

BEIJING: China sought to calm down tensions over the South China Sea dispute, saying it will not use force “recklessly” for resolving issues as the US mulls sending a warship to the contested territory to directly challenge Chinese claims.

Scaling down China’s rhetoric on the South China Sea (SCS) dispute, a top Chinese general also proposed joint defence drills with ASEAN countries to brace for unplanned and accidental military encounters at sea.

China always insists on resolving divergence and disputes through friendly negotiations with parties directly concerned and will try utmost to avoid unexpected conflicts, said Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of China’s Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall commanding body of the Chinese military and is headed by President Xi Jinping.

“China has always advocated handling disputes by peaceful manners and will not use force recklessly even if Indian and Chinese troops conducting intense anti-terrorist training manoeuvres it comes to issues related to territory and during the 5th round of Hand in Hand exercise in Kunming, China. China has settled border disputes with 12 of its 14 neighbours except India and Bhutan sovereignty,” state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Fan as saying.

While addressing the sixth Xiangshan Forum - a security forum only improves the marine navigation but escalating over the SCS this year, modelled on Singapore’s Shangri-La provides more public services, he said.

China has invited the defence ministers Dialogue, Fan said China has settled China claims sovereignty on almost all of the Association of South East Asian land and border issues with a majority of the South China Sea which is firmly Nations (ASEAN) in which most of of neighbouring countries through opposed by Vietnam, the Philippines, stakeholders of the SCS dispute are consultation.

Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The members. During a separate meeting China has settled five countries are backed with the ASEAN Defence Ministers border disputes with

by US whose defence yesterday, Xu Qiliang, another vice 12 of its 14 neighbours officials have hinted they chairman of the CMC proposed that the except India and may soon use naval forces stakeholders of the SCS dispute should Bhutan. to test Chinese claims. jointly and properly deal with disputes, He also defended The forum is manage and control risks without the the construction of organised annually by involvement of the outsiders. lighthouses as well as Chinese military to step He said China is willing to hold the other infrastructure in up interaction among Joint Training on Code for Unalerted the disputed islands the defence officials Encounters at Sea (CUES) and the in South China Sea and establishments Maritime Search and Rescue and (SCS) which intensified of different countries.

Disaster Relief Joint Exercise together tensions in the region.

Indian defence officials with ASEAN countries in 2016, in a The infrastructure have also been invited to bid to cope with the common risks and serves mostly civilian take part in it. challenges.

- FAN CHANGLONG purposes, which not With tensions PTI

China has settled border disputes with 12 of its 14 neighbours

Indian-origin man sacked over trifle

He was fired by telesales marketing division of a firm in Bristol for giving ‘encouraging peck’ to wife LONDON: firm in Bristol, south-west England.

A 37-yearSingh said he took up the position old Indianwith the hope of moving up the ranks origin call and supporting his wife as she got into centre worker work for the first time. in the United “It’s a big company and I thought Kingdom has we can move around and move up the been sacked ladder. Working together we were from his job for really happy taking in packed lunches “ inappropriate together, sitting together at lunchtime, Martin Singh behaviour” car sharing. She was really happy,” he after he gave a said. friendly peck on the cheek of his wife, “If I’m kissing my wife, that’s my a co-worker in the company. wife of 17 years, not a stranger. It’s Martin Singh said he was given a someone that I will live and die with, so warning of “inappropriate behaviour” what’s wrong with that?” by the company when he made the The company said that they were friendly gesture towards wife Ruby investigating the allegations made by as she arrived at work and was later Singh. A spokesperson said: “It would dismissed. not be appropriate to make any further “I’m sitting at the desk and she comment at this time.” comes in. I give her a peck on the cheek, The couple found jobs in the same so we’re both touching tele-sales department cheeks,” he said. with RAC in Bristol Singh claims his through a recruitment wife was then told to agency. move away from him.

The RAC defended “I was like, that’s a their decision and said bit heavy. I don’t like my the dismissal followed wife being spoken to like three earlier disciplinary that in front of others. offences. A spokesman Especially when we’re on said: “Mr Singh was the phone and customers an employment agency can hear you,” he told temporary worker who the Bristol Post. was at our Bristol site for The couple had been 10 weeks.

- MARTIN SINGH working in the telesales PTI marketing division of a

“That’s my wife of 17 years, not a stranger, so what’s wrong?”

Indian-origin ex-principal faces unprofessional conduct charge

BY ADITI KHANNA LONDON: An Indian-origin former principal of a school in UK’s West Midlands region is facing action over alleged unprofessional conduct after he reportedly advised a teacher to dump his phone said to be having “extreme pornography” to avoid any trouble.

Hardeep Saini, the former headteacher as school principals are known in the UK of Birmingham’s Golden Hillock school, is alleged to have advised a teacher, at the time under police investigation for having “extreme pornography” on their mobile, “to throw his phone in the canal to make sure there was no problem.”

Saini is further accused of failing to take action in his post when a Muslim teacher is said to have claimed: “We have the true religion.”

The allegations, being heard by a National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) panel, form part of a wide-ranging investigation into extremism within schools in Birmingham as part of the so-called ‘Trojan Horse’ plot.

Five teachers in all face a common allegation that they agreed to the inclusion of “an undue amount of religious influence in the education of the pupils” at Park View and its other sister schools in the region, Birmingham Mail reported.

Park View was at the heart of accusations of the alleged plot by hard-line Muslims to take over several Birmingham schools.

They all deny the allegations.

PTI

BY SAJJAD HUSSAIN ISLAMABAD: Energy-starved Pakistan’s plan to import up to 4,000 megawatts of electricity from India has been stalled amid rising anti-Pakistan and extremist sentiments in India, a media report said.

“How can we push for electricity import (from India) when those at the helm of affairs in India are taking an extremely anti-Pakistan posture,” a senior official from the Ministry of Water and Power told ‘Dawn’ newspaper.

The Narendra Modi administration is not only taking a hawkish stance against Pakistan, but is also refusing to come to the negotiating table and is encouraging extremist groups to attack Pakistani visitors, including singers, writers and sportsmen, he said.

Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif told the Senate last week that Pakistani and Indian officials had discussed plans for importing 500 MW from India in April 2012.

Two years after these discussions, officials from Adani Enterprises Ltd of India visited Pakistan in April 2014 to discuss matters related to the import.

In the written statement, the minister detailed how AEL had submitted a draft to the ministry, proposing the export of 500-800MWs in two-three years as a starting point, recommending an eventual scale-up to 3500-4000MWs. “But no further progress was made in this regard,” Asif said.

Pakistan is facing shortfall in in electricity and planning to also import electricity from Iran and the Central Asia. It is believed that import from India would be cheaper and fast due to short distance and similar infrastructures on both sides of the border.

PTI

India, Russia to bolster strategic ties Rs 6,000 cr deal between Russian firm and Ambanis

PTI

Will not use force ‘recklessly’ in South China Sea: China

Pakistan’s plan to import 4,000MW electricity from India stalled

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, and India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia

BY PRIYANKA TIKOO MOSCOW: Strengthening of “special and privileged strategic partnership” between India and Russia formed the central theme of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s wide-ranging talks with the Russian leadership including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin here.

The talks took place in the backdrop of warming up of ties between Pakistan and Russia which signed a defence agreement this year. Ending its selfimposed embargo on arms sales to India’s archrival, Moscow has agreed to sell four MI35 attack helicopters to Pakistan.

Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin made light of the helicopter deal with Pakistan, telling PTI here: “What is the big deal about our giving four helicopters to Pakistan?

We are giving technology to India to make 200 helicopters. India will be a helicopter superpower.”

He was referring to a Rs 6,000-crore deal between a Russian company and Anil Ambani’s Reliance to manufacture 200 twin-engine Kamov 226T choppers

for the Indian Army in India which is a boost to the ‘Make in India’ programme.

Indian officials did not specifically confirm whether the Russia-Pakistan defence cooperation figured during Swaraj’s talks with Rogozin or her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, however they said, “India has its ways to convey its concerns and Russia was well aware of these concerns.”

The Kamov helicopter deal was one of topics of discussion between Swaraj and Lavrov which also covered key regional and bilateral issues including defence, civil nuclear cooperation and trade ties. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Swaraj talked about “strengthening a special and privileged strategic partnership” with Russia in her meeting with Lavrov.

Swaraj described Russia as India’s “tried and tested” partner and a “real friend”.

“I want to tell you that Russia is India’s tried and tested partner and a real friend. Our foreign policy towards Russia has always been the same,” she said.

PTI

Moscow has agreed to sell four MI-35 helicopters to Pakistan

India ranks last in global pension index The country’s retirement system ranks last in the global pension index, says a study by global consulting major Mercer.

Still, the National Pension System (NPS), which was launched by the government in June as part of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, will help the country improve its index, the study said.

The country’s index value fell from 43.5 in 2014 to 40.3 in 2015, primarily due to a recent review conducted by the economic intelligence unit that showed a material reduction in its household savings rate, Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (MMGPI) report said.

Denmark has been rated as the country with the best retirement system

in the world. Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK have increased their pension age to offset the increase in life expectancies. Now in its seventh year, MMGPI measured 25 retirement income systems against more than 40 indicators, under the sub-indices of adequacy, sustainability and integrity.

PTI

TUSKER’S TREAT PTI

‘Team helped me to become better player’ P 16

BY KJM VARMA

PUNE

Female elephant Mo Mo eats a cake made of fruits, vegetables and sugar canes during a ceremony to mark her 62nd birthday at the Yangon Zoological Gardens in Yangon, Myanmar. The pachyderm originally from Myanmar’s eastern Kayah state was brought to the zoo in 1961 when she was seven-year-old. Mo Mo is one of the most popular animals at the more than 100-year-old zoo and she entertains children by her weekly performances

MONEY MATT ER S

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

“I know some people are worried about the economy.

We’ll continue to invest. China is a superb place to be.

Nothing has changed that.”

— Tim Cook, Chief Executive, Apple

“318 Canadian companies have their footprints in India and with increased globalisation, Canadian companies’ presence in India will multiply in due course of time.”

— Brian Parrott, Official, High Commission of Canada

Towards more transparent taxation

Signposts

There is a need for more optimal use of the monetary policy tools globally as the world is increasingly staring at deflation

Japan offers loan for bullet train project In a bid to surpass competition from China and other countries keen to be part of the first bullet train project, Japan has offered financial support besides technology for India’s ambitious rail project. Japan has offered to finance Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor estimated to cost about Rs 90,000 crore at an interest rate of less than one per cent, sources in Railway Ministry said. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in its report submitted to the Railway Ministry has envisaged a reduction in the travel time on the 505-km long corridor between the two western cities to two hours from the existing period of over seven hours.

Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan has underlined the need to make taxation more transparent so that the Indian economy is able to attract stable inflow of foreign capital for strong growth.

He also called for more coordination between leading central banks, saying there is a need for more optimal use of the monetary policy tools globally as the world is increasingly staring at deflation.

“We need to make our tax regime more investor friendly.

Let’s make taxation more transparent, more predictable. Let’s do all the things necessary to allow our businesses to create what is needed,” he said at a seminar organised here by ‘Gateway House’, a private think-tank on foreign policy.

Over the weekend, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also stressed on the need for friendly tax regime and promised to bring down corporate tax rate to 25 per cent over the next four years, beginning next fiscal, in a gradual manner from 34 per cent at present.

Rajan linked the easy and predictable taxation

“We need to ensure supply side issues are resolved so that demand side is taken care of” - RAGHURAM RAJAN

Insurers welcome IRDA clarification

Indian promoters will have control over appointment of majority of directors Insurers feel that the new clarifications from the regulator Irda on higher FDI will boost foreign capital inflows into the industry.

Clarifying the issue of management control as specified in the new Insurance Act, the insurance regulator on Monday said Indian promoters will have control over appointment of majority of directors and that of key management persons, including CEOs. H o w e v e r , foreign investors can nominate non-CEO level key management persons provided such an appointment is approved by the board where majority of the directors, excluding independent members, are

the nominees of Indian investors.

Stating that “both direct and indirect holding in a domestic insurance company shall not exceed 49 per cent”, the regulator said existing companies need to comply with these guidelines within three months.

Both the insurance subsidiaries of State Bank of India, SBI Life and SBI General are already progressing towards the hike in FDI from currently existing 26 per cent to 49 per cent.

While the foreign partner of SBI General, IAG has appointed Deloitte for valuation exercise, SBI has appointed PwC for the same.

PTI

Foreign investors can nominate key persons

to achieving the goal of ‘Make in India’ plan of the government saying, “Let’s make in India, but for that we need to create the framework, let’s make the business easier.”

He mentioned that the government is “fighting multiple cases in various higher courts and at international arbitration fora fi led by a clutch of global corporations like Vodafone against its retro

Office space absorption rises Office space absorption during the July-September period increased marginally to 10.6 million sq ft compared to the previous quarter, with Gurgaon witnessing the highest leasing activity, says a survey.

According to property consultant Colliers International, office market sentiment remained positive, with over 10.6 million sq ft of absorption recorded in the third quarter of 2015, marginally up from 10.5 million sq ft in the April-June quarter.

During the quarter, Gurgaon marched ahead in terms of office space leasing with 23 per cent share, followed

by Chennai (20 per cent), Bengaluru (18 per cent), Mumbai (15 per cent), Noida (11 per cent), Pune (9 per cent), Delhi (4 per cent) and Kolkata (2 per cent).

The report further said rents remained stable across market during the third quarter, except for few micro markets in cities like Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Pune, where average rents increased by two per cent on quarterly basis.

More than 55 million sq ft of Grade A and Grade B office space was available for lease/fit-out in these eight major cities of India.

PTI

tax laws”. Rajan’s comments, including those on need for greater coordination by central banks, come amid fears of hard-landing of the Chinese economy, the fastest growing until recently.

Besides, the euro-zone is yet to come out of the slump that began in 2008 and after a few years of revival the US economy starting again slowing in recent quarters.

China today reported slowest growth since 2008 with a GDP of 6.9 per cent for the July-September quarter.

Domestically, as prices of certain food items are on fire which led to spike in September’s Consumer Price Index based inflation, Rajan called for more supply side measures to temper demand and prices. Inflation based on Wholesale Price Index has been in the negative zone for 11 months in a row, although items like pulses and onion continued to sting.

“There is a need to ensure that more underlying supply side issues are resolved so that demand side is taken care of and prices are under manageable levels,” he said.

Investments and supplies need to improve: Rajan Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan has said the country cannot have a GDP growth of 9 per cent until it makes “tremendous investments” and improves supply situation that boosts demand, but warned against populist policies.

To a query on whether the country can have much higher levels of growth without inflation, Rajan said, “The answer is no. We have to create underlying supply conditions that would allow us to sort of have a much higher demand.”

To achieve 9 per cent growth, there is a need for large investments which could lead to higher demand, he said.

“In some sense, I see 9 per cent growth as a situation where we are investing tremendous amount and thus creating the supply which will then help the demand. So, what we need to do is not just boost demand but we need to boost supply also, which means a lot of work on a number of fronts which currently the government is engaged in,” Rajan said at an event here today.

He added however that reaching 9 per cent growth rate is a steady process and cannot be attained overnight.

“That (the 9 per cent growth) is certainly an aspiration we should have but we need to eliminate the supply constraints, including our human capital,” Rajan said.

However, he cautioned against populist policies, saying they are driven by a desperate need for growth while the fact is that the real ways of growth are really hard.

He also said that there is a need to improve the quality of human capital in the country.

On the G20 grouping, Rajan said, India does not have many good economists who could represent the country in various international fora and working groups.

“The G20 framework working group is suppose to be co-chaired by Canada and India. Canada has seven strong economists working on this group and trying to further the agenda while India brings fewer people to the table because we don’t have that strength in the number of economists that we can actually contribute,” he said. Rajan said the country does not have many people working in the government who have that kind of training and that kind of capacity.

PTI

India flaunts flagship plans

BY PRIYANKA TIKOO India has asked BRICS partners to invest in its flagship programmes like ‘Make in India’ and ‘Skill India’, asserting that the government has laid down a clear roadmap for lowering corporate taxes which has created immense opportunities for foreign investors.

While addressing a meet of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Ministers of Industries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also made a strong pitch for removal of structural impediments for increasing trade engagement amongst members of the group.

“We have laid down a clear roadmap for lowering corporate taxes.

There is also a renewed thrust on public investment in infrastructure. All these create immense opportunities for companies from BRICS countries to work in India,” Swaraj said.

India also invited the BRICS partners to actively participate in its flagship initiatives including ‘Make in India’ ,’Smart Cities’ and ‘Skill India’.

“India’s medium term growth prospects have significantly improved following several policy initiatives.

Minister Sushma Swaraj during BRICS Ministers of Industry Meeting in Moscow

The FDI limit in railways, defence and insurance sectors have been liberalised.

Coal and mining sectors are witnessing a revival.

We are working on an ambitious deadline for implementing goods and services tax,” she said.

Listing initiatives by the Narendra Modi government to boost growth, Swaraj said financial inclusion was one of the focus areas as part of which more than 170 million bank accounts have been opened and over 100 million debit cards with insurance cover has been issued.

“The manufacturing sector in India is witnessing a new dynamism Under the Make in India. Initiatives

such as Skill India and Digital India are transforming the climate for doing business in India.

“The 100 smart cities programme is altering the paradigm of urbanisation in India and opening up unparallelled investment and business opportunities,” said Swaraj.

The External Affairs Minister said there has been renewed interest in India by the global investors community.

“The FDI inflows into India in 2014-15 have already reached a historic high of USD 44 billion. Forex reserves are at all time high of over USD 350 billion,” she said.

PTI

Minister said walnut sector in J&K, the main producer in India, was facing problems because of the arrival of American kernels

BY ANIL K JOSEPH

Kashmiri and Californian walnuts can co-exist in the booming Indian market with American growers of the healthy dry fruit eyeing it in a big way after exports to the traditionallystrong Chinese market dropped amid a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.

“We’re excited about the Indian market and feel it holds great potential for our industry,” Chief Executive Officer of California Walnut Commission (CWC), Dennis A Balint, said.

“What is most encouraging is

that India has a tradition of walnut consumption,” Balint, also Executive Director of California Walnut Board told PTI here.

“Shipments of California walnuts to India for the 2013-14 crop year, our first year with market access, was about 310,000 in-shell pounds and 42,000 pounds of kernels,” CWC’s Assistant Marketing Director, International, Jennifer Williams said.

Last year, the 2014-15 crop year saw shipment increase quite a bit with 5.2 million pounds of inshell walnuts going to India and 84,500 pounds of kernels.

“We feel the India market will continue to grow as the message of California quality spreads and the health messages continue gain popularity,” she said.

“Inshell exports of walnut to India have been significant,” CWC’s Senior Marketing Director, International, Michelle McNeil said. At the same time, she said exports of shelled walnut

to India was still small but had long term potential.

Asked about concern expressed

by Indian walnut growers on the entry of American walnut in the domestic market, McNeil said: “there is scope for both as the market is huge.”

McNeil said the CWC was confident that the Indian bakery, confectionery and ice cream industries would readily accept Californian walnuts which were produced, processed and packed in state-of-the-art facilities in California.

“We know that the Indian consumer wants walnuts from California,” she said. The California walnut industry is made up of over 4,000 walnut growers and 93 walnut handlers/processors.

In 2013, India allowed import of walnuts from the United States, provided that American shippers provide additional declarations and meets special fumigation conditions.

Walnuts are imported into India without quantitative restrictions under the Open

General License (OGL) programme.

Imports are subject to an effective import duty of 30.9 per cent. Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Minister A R Veeri recently told PTI that the walnut sector in the state, the main producer in India, was facing problems because of the arrival of American kernels in the market.

“There is less import duty on those kernels so they are available in the market abundantly and people buy them as their rates are low. Those kernels are being packaged in such a way that they look of good quality, otherwise they do not taste like Kashmiri walnuts which are the best,” he said.

“We are hopeful of some change at the Central level.

There should be an increase in the import duty of the American kernels. I have taken the matter up with the Chief Minister and he has also raised the issue with the Union Finance Minister.”

PTI

PTI

‘King of nuts’ from California to conquer India?

California walnuts, which are giving competition to Kashmiri walnuts, at a processing plant in Modesto, California

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

“ It is not a question of elevated or underground Metro. It should be elevated on wide roads and underground in congested areas. The Metro project should be started only after addres sing mistakes made in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation report.” — Anil Shirole, MP

“People must use alternative roads for reaching their destinations after Kunjirvasti Chowk road is closed. We are constructing road till Jagtap Dairy, which will reduce hardship a little.” — Rajeev Jadhav, PCMC municipal commissioner

Tangled in traffic at Pashan RAHUL RAUT

Closure of Pashan road has made commuting a daily nightmare and ordeal for every one concerned I live in Pashan and I am really bothered that the road that leading here from Shivajinagar has been closed for over a month. Because of this, my travelling time of Rajashree Patil 20 minutes from Sancheti Hospital has now doubled to 40 minutes as

I have to go be the Baner road which is heavily congested.

Traffic is being diverted to Baner road and this has resulted in overwhelming congestion. During peak rush hours it has become a nightmare and at every junction we are held up 5-6 signal changes. There is a flyover pillar in the middle of the road that not only slows down traffic but poses a real danger and obstruction to every road user.

It is really tiring and frustrating that commuters have to face this ordeal on a daily basis at least twice, both while going out and returning home. The road department should ensure that repairs or any other work on roads is carried out with the least disruption and interference with

traffic movement.

Pashan used to be a really peaceful area when we moved here and the environment was pleasant and free of pollution.

The roads were narrow but traffic was sparse as this was not a crowded place then. But in the intervening years, scores of housing complexes have come up and the population has gone up many fold.

The corresponding rise in the vehicle population has now made this area as congested and polluted as any other are in the city. The benefits of living in Pashan have long disappeared.

I leave home almost an hour earlier because of this situation and

this is really affecting my daily life adversely. The other fallout is that navigating through such chaotic traffic both ways leaves me completely drained and exhausted. No one knows when the work will be complete and Pashan road is opened to traffic again.

Until then we have no alternative but to bear with the dreadful ordeal.

Pune is a big city where an effi cient and reliable public transport is not a luxury but a necessity. But the kind of people in the Pune Municipal Corporation and the public bus service are just the opposite and despite huge public outcry over the haphazard and corrupt working, they are secure in their jobs and will not move a fi nger to improve the situation. The rude and arrogant autorickshaw drivers must be hand in glove with the civic body that allows them to function without any etiquette or regulations. And as more and more people keep coming in to Pune to settle down, the only alternative for any sane person will be to quit this town and move to the mountains or some desert island.

Pune was once a quite, gentle place, a pensioners’ paradise, and now it is no less than a living hell where there is no such thing like quality of life or happiness index.

CITIZEN JOURNALIST

Lawless road-users are a big bane Pune is less than the paradise I was dreaming of when I moved here from Mumbai

I moved here from Mumbai and I must say that for quite some time, I felt like an alien here.

Mumbai is very civilised and progressive and in contrast, Pune is extremely parochial and people have a decidedly small-town mentality. I was generally Pallavi Harish treated like an outsider and I quickly realised the importance of being able to communicate in Marathi. Whether it is the police, vegetable vendor, autorickshaw driver or maid, speaking Marathi breaks down the barrier instantly.

LETTERS TO THE

EDITOR

I had to put in extra efforts to learn how to communicate in Marathi and before that, I often had a hard time.

After the far more orderly citizens of Mumbai, Pune’s unruly and uncouth roadusers are a major shock and impediment. There is not system and the police are quite conspicuous by their absence or inability to implement regulations.

People are left to their own mercy and have to fend for themselves, no matter what the situation. It makes me wonder how an important education and industry hub can function in such a dismal, lawless manner. Obviously the corporation and the police are being paid to just shirk their duties and there is nobody to hold them accountable. And with the growing population and vehicles there is no hope that the situation will improve.

There is no public transport to speak of as

It is not too late to preserve Pune The city is paying the price for rapid, unplanned development, where pollution and hygiene are being ignored

Oleg Alentyev

I came to Pune in 2013, on an invitation to coach the youngsters of HotFut Academy in Pune. Football means the world to me and I couldn’t have wished for anything better.

Over the two years I have spent here, I have managed to settle in quite nicely and Pune feels like a home away from home.

The children I train at the academy are all very talented and their prospects of turning professional are b right.

But some of the parents are not keen on their children taking up sport as a career and consequently don’t extend their whole-hearted support. They need to realise that sport is not just a pastime or entertainment but can instil values in youngsters that will last them a lifetime, besides keeping them in great shape physically.

Pune is quite a football-loving city and it has had its clubs etc, for a long time. Now, with the premier league, and foreign players, football has gone to a higher level. But the city needs better sports infrastructure.

Coming to the city itself, all the development and growing population has taken its toll and it is no longer the green and peaceful place it used to be. The roads are congested and the traffic is chaotic, and the road-users are completely lawless and indisciplined.

The police and the civic authorities are just bystanders and are shirking their duties brazenly. Th is does not bode well for Pune and it is only going to get worse from now on.

The climate has changed for the worse and air-conditioning has become necessary. The air is extremely polluted and diseases are on the rise, while hygiene is quite an ignored aspect. The cultural side of things is great with lots of events and entertainment. There are restaurants and pubs galore and there is never a shortage of things to do and places to go.

FROM FOREIGN

SHORES

ANIRUDDHA RAJANDEKAR

far as the bus services are concerned. And the autorickshaw drivers are like Lord Faulklands who are a law unto themselves. I have no option but to use my own vehicle to get about.

The weather used to be the best feature of the city but I can’t say that it is all that pleasant. The summers are scorching, there is no winter to speak of and the monsoons mean potholes and puddles on every road which means my life is at risk every time I go out.

The shopping and restaurants offer a nice diversion and Pune’s outskirts offer a variety of getaways that are scenic and picturesque.

But the problem again is overcrowding and congestion on the roads.

When I look over this litany of woes, I really question my judgment of deciding to move here because Mumbai is so big and overcrowded. But the way Pune is going, and with its blatant disregard of laws and regulations, this is no paradise.

NON-NATIVE

PAROLE

Men also face the unfair gender bias of the animals and the zoo itself, it is the dog in the manger attitude of the PMC that it keeping the scheme from being the success it deserves it to be.

After adopting the scheme from the Mysore zoo where it is such a success, the PMC seems to be all it can to keep it from being a success. What they need is to put people in charge of the zoo and the scheme who are genuine animal lovers and therefore, will do the right things to ensure the welfare of the animals and the promising animal adoption scheme.

— Shami Singh

There are millions of men dragged into courts, where cases linger for years, at the cost of money, time, health and even their careers. The techie working as a barrister is a great inspiration for so many of these people. The main problem that most of these people face is the misuse of the law by their estranged spouses. The courts are often more sympathetic towards women and in their verdicts award them huge compensations. NCRB data shows ten per cent of complaints are false and were closed during the FIR stage itself. The conviction rate in 498(a) is as low as 14 per cent. Th is shows that in a whopping 86 per cent of cases, the man and his family were jailed, humiliated, and after all that suffering they have no relief. A woman has innumerable laws to support her. Every state, district and

PUNE

mandal has government organisations and NGOs to fight for women. In comparison the number of support groups for men are almost negligible.

Th is is the sad reality in our country.

— Prasad Donthu

Dog in a manger

The feature about the animal adoption scheme at Katraj zoo and the PMC attitude was quite bewildering.

Why should the civic body launch such a scheme and then go about discouraging the animal lovers from having any contact with the animals they adopt is absurd to the extreme. It is another indication at how haphazard and uncaring the attitude of the civic body is. When there are so many animal lovers who are more than willing to do their bit for the welfare

The joy of living

B F Khilnani and his life’s work are inspiring and his zest for life in spite of his age and physical ailments are extraordinary. It is the reason why his students are so devotee to him and have

planned a celebration of his birthday.

That he has taken to the pursuit of his interests after retirement and that he has managed to do so much with his writing, music etc, is a reminder to all of us, that age is only in the mind and that one can and should retain an interest in life and be involved with the things we like. The moment we think we are too old for something is like giving up on the true joys of life. Th is is exactly what Khilnani sir should be lauded for, and emulate his ways and keep making the world a happier place for oneself and others.

— Alka Shipri

way to the world. India has truly fallen on bad times that are the forebodings of imminent doom.

— Shashank Sudhee

Rising above their station

By hook or by crook

The electricity thefts by big industries and the novel methods they employ shows that we live in an age today when there are no values or morals and that money is the all-important factor and anything is fair when it comes to making a profit and cutting costs. That reputed fi rms will stop to becoming thieves is amazing if it were not so disturbing. Along with our new-found affluence, we have forfeited all values of kindness, justice, fair play and humanity, and instead we have adopted a lifestyle which is rather brutal and cold and heartless. With the adoption of new methods, it has become necessary for the electricity department to be on its toes and apply new scrutinising methods to detect power thefts. Why do human beings believe in adopting

ways to evade paying for what we use?

The upbringing by our parents at home and our teachers in school is obviously ignoring the fundamentals that an intelligent civilisation should be based on, and that is justice and fair play, honesty, goodness and kindness. But today all we are teaching our children is to succeed at all and any cost, by using any means and the more crooked they are the better, if they will ensure us lots of money and tons of fame. And to think that we live in a land where once sages and wise men lit the light of wisdom and religion and showed the

The feature about youngsters from the Dias Plot slum shows that the community has been wrongly stereotyped. The youngsters must be lauded for displaying such talent in the midst of so much adversity.

Their dedication and perseverance is what has taken them so far. They have battled adversity and pursued their passion, and in doing so they have fared exceptionally well. If they were privileged and had the access to better facilities and amenities, they could achieve far more. These are the deserving kind of people who should be given what they need by society so they can grow up and contribute much for the betterment of society.

— Medha Desai

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.

SPORTS

THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2015

PUNE

“In terms of Dhoni’s captaincy, I don’t think he’s doing anything too different to what he has done in the past. It’s just that they’re up against a side that’s playing really good cricket.”

— Dale Steyn, South African Bowler

Signposts Double crown for Nitten Top seed Nittin Kirrtane lived up to expectations and claimed the singles title at the expense of third seed Chinmay Pradhan in the Le Meridien Cup All India Ranking Men’s 50K Tennis Tournament at the Deccan Gymkhana courts. In winning the title Nitten, a Western Railway employee, ended up with a hat-trick of double crowns after having won the men’s doubles title.

Incidentally, this was also Nitten’s third double crown title in 2015 after Bangalore (April) and Coimbatore (August).

Bela, Aditya lift titles Pune’s Bela Tamhankar and Aditya Balsekar of Mumbai emerged winners in the MSLTA Yonex-Sunrise BIPL All India Ranking Under-14 championship series Tennis Tournament in Balewadi. Top seeded Bela thrashed Avaykta Thorat 6-0, 6-0 in the final. Bela, a standard VIII student of Vikhe Patil Memorial School, practices at Bounce Tennis Academy with coach Kedar Shah.

Bela has recently won a Champion Series title in Solapur. Meanwhile, Aditya scored a 6-3, 6-1 win over Yashraj Dalvi in boys’ final.

FCPC face Chennaian FC Pune City (FCPC) will take on Chennaian FC in their first away match of the season at FC Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai in Indian Super League. FCPC, who were leading the table with their 1-0 win over defending champions Athletico De Kolkata (ATK) are currently placed second behind FC Goa with nine points. FC Pune City coach David Platt is is likely to make optimum use of Jackichand Singh.

Anup Sridhar starts from scratch

Thomas Cup team captain feels he may not belong among the cream of Indian badminton stars in men’s singles; plans to switch over to mixed doubles

BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish

THE INJURY Sridhar won his last title at the Canara Bank all-India senior ranking badminton tournament in Bangalore last February. He suffered a minor crack in his knee cap during the tournament,, but continued playing for another month, before taking the doctors’ advise to stay away from action.

“I had a stress fracture in my right patella (kneecap) bone. The worst part with such an injury is that you can’t do anything but wait for it to heal.

They told me that it would take nine months to heal, which later extended to 13 months, it took 10 weeks after that to get back into action. That period proved to be a tough mental ordeal,” he said.

“I haven’t set any short-term goals and I am being realistic”

Feels Pune FC Academy’s Debopriya Das, who received best goalkeeper award in Subroto Cup international football tournament in Delhi

Peninsula Pune FC Academy’s goalkeeper Debopriya Das was adjudged as the best goalkeeper of the tournament in the recently concluded 56th Subroto Cup International Football Tournament in New Delhi.

Interestingly, Das was out of action for four months, after he got injured during preseason practice matches. He even missed the Administrator’s Challenge Cup in Chandigarh just a week before the Subroto Cup, in which

just a few months ago, and these four qualifying matches will enable me to get back some rhythm before taking on the strong opponents in the main draw. Of course, it’s a different level of physiological pressure. Nobody’s going to praise you if you win, and losing in the qualifiers is a bitter pill to swallow,” he said.

A year ago, Anup Sridhar was sitting pretty with an all-India title in his kitty and he was also runner-up in the second tournament. He was India’s Thomas Cup team captain and a lucrative sports career beckoned. However, a knee injury in February last year shattered this dream. Now, after an extended 16-month hiatus, the Karnataka shuttler is starting from scratch.

Sridhar’s presence at the ongoing VV Natu Memorial All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament at the PDMBA complex in Shivajinar was a pleasant surprise for everyone.

The Indian team captain was trying to book a spot in the main draw NEW VENTURE through the qualifiers. For Sridhar it Sridhar’s famous win over former wasn’t such a big deal.

World number 1 Taufik Hidayat - ANUP SRIDHAR “Of course all this is new for at the World Championships, was me. I had never played a qualifier for rated among the top 10 Indian domestic tournaments for the last sporting performances of 2007. In 14-15 years. It’s a whole new learning process for 2008, he reached his personal best highest world me. In the last decade, the standard of qualifying ranking of 24. has gone up well. I don’t think expect it to be easy However, the 32-year-old is aware that he may for me,” said Sridhar. never scale the same heights again. That is why he “Some said that with my career ranking is considering switching over to the mixed doubles history, I should have asked for a wild card. I guess format. Currently, he is playing with his academy I could have got that. But I prefer to be playing the partner Arathi Sara Sunil, who was also part of qualifiers. I picked up my badminton racquet again India’s Uber Cup squad last year.

‘Team helped me to become better player’

TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly

“T20 tournaments are destroying Test cricket by luring players away from the longest form with large amounts of cash. I think it certainly destroyed West Indies cricket.”

— Garfield Sobers, West Indies Legend

Pune FC emerged triumphant. Pune District Football Association’s Super Division League was the last tournament he played before injury in May. Sharing the experience, he said, “It is difficult when you are out of competitive action for a long time. I suffered two injuries during the preseason and so I was not at my best coming back. However, my coach Rakesh Walhekar, and my teammates gave me the confidence and backed me. I might not realise it then, but as I look back now, it is the team that helps you become a better player.”

The Kolkata-born youngster received his fi rst ever award at this level and winning it in India’s oldest youth level competition added a flavor to it.

“I was excited when I came to know about the award. It was a great experience just playing in my fi rst Subroto Cup. I had only won a few awards at the local level but an award at this level with foreign teams is always special,” said Das The Kolkata-born player entered football arena, when he was just eight. Normally, it’s the strikers who enjoy the most of the fame and every youngster fascinates the world class players like Wayne Rooney or Leonel Messi.

However, Das always kept his guard under the bar, being an ardent fan of Spanish custodian David De Gea. He hopes that one day he can emulate his idol and ex-Pune FC stopper Subrata Paul’s achievements for the nation.

In fact, he decided to be a custodian after watching his maternal uncle, an amateur footballer, pull-off acrobatic saves under the bar, something that excited him. The youngster also credits his fi rst coaches Sapan Majumder and Dilip Pal of Bidhannagar Sports Academy for their early contributions before moving to IFA Academy in Kolkata.

It was during his stint with the IFA Academy that he was spotted by the Pune FC coaches at the Administrator’s Challenge Cup last year. Even though his team was knocked out in the group stage, Das stood out and soon joined Pune FC. His impact was immediate as he helped Pune FC Under-17s to their fi rst local triumph winning the Kunal Pillay Memorial 9-a-side tourney. The youngster then shined again helping the team to an amazing 14-match unbeaten run as they finished fourth in the PDFA Super Division League. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

Pune cadet girls win state title TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly Pune’s cadet girls’ team won maiden title in the 46th Inter-District and 77th Maharashtra State Championships Table Tennis Tournament at Shiv Chhatrapati sports complex in Balewadi.

In the fi nal, Pune defeated Th ane 3-0, Pritha Vartikar thanks to impressive performances from Pritha Vartikar and Aneeha D’souza. The upcoming Pune sensation Pritha defeated Bhavika Moolranjani 3-1 while Aneeha defeated Kheya Shah. Later in the doubles’ event, Pritha and Aneeha prevailed over Kheya and Meghna to seal the title. However, Pune cadet boys’ didn’t impress in the fi nal as they went down to Mumbai Suburb 0-3.

In the sub-junior girls’ event, Pune’s challenge ended in semifi nals after their 0-3 loss to title winners Mumbai Suburb. Junior girls faced similar feat and they also went down to same opponent in the semis. Even the sub-junior boys’ failed to impress against Mumbai Suburb in the fi nal and went down with the similar 0-3 verdict.

In the junior boys’ event, Pune even failed to reach the last four, and Air India team eventually won the title beating Th ane 3-1 in the fi nal. Pune was nowhere in the youth girls event too and it was Air India who emerged winner with 3-2 win over Mumbai City.

In youth boys’ segment, Pune went down to Th ane 1-3. After Anurag Gote lost to Arbaz Shaikh, it was Manthan Shah who put Pune back on track with his hard-fought win over Jash Dalvi. However, Pune boys couldn’t carry the momentum, and went down tamely.

In the men’s semifi nals, Chinmay Datar gave Pune a good start with 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 win over Siddhesh Pande of Th ane, but Anurag Gote and Atul Bapat lost their respective matches, eventually losing 1-3.

It was Pune women’s who fought bravely and registered a thumping 3-1 win over Th ane in the semifi nals. After Devika Bhide edged out Shruti Amrute 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 13-11, Pooja Koparkar thrashed Manasi Deshpande. Though, Pune’s Saloni Shah lost to Th ane’s Jagruti Murbadkar, but Pooja helped Pune to secure a place in the fi nal. However, in the fi nal they lost to Mumbai Suburb. It was former Pune player Divya Deshpande, who played a key role for Mumbai by beating Devika Bhide 3-1 and Pooja 3-2. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

“I had always thought of playing mixed doubles, and now the injury has driven me consciously towards it. I have played doubles earlier and found it not too different from the singles I played. I know that physically I am not in a fit enough shape for the men’s doubles, which are highenergy and extremely demanding.

But I am faring well in the mixed doubles. It will take me a few months to decide on the right choice of event for me,” said Sridhar, who was part of India’s mixed team that won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, Melbourne in 2006.

NEW GOALS Sridhar is giving it his best shot on the courts, but the shuttler feels he is way behind in terms of physical fitness.

“I am playing this tournament and one in Kochi next month. I haven’t set any short-term goals and I am being realistic.

Though the cream of Indian badminton is not participating in this tourney, there is quite a bunch of quality players. My target it to get a hundred per cent fit by January, and I have some big tournaments lined up then,” said the Arjuna awardee. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com

City sportspersons dominate state awards

Twelve women players amongst Shiv Chhatrapati awardee; Pune bags total 27 awards for their performance in last two years TGS NEWS NETWORK @TGSWeekly Pune city bagged maximum state government’s prestigious Shiv Chhatrapati sports awards for the year 2012-13 and 201314. Interestingly, it was women sportspersons who impressed with the performance and won 12 awards from overall 27, declared this week.

Rucha Diwekar Soumya Swaminathan Roma Joglekar and Nishtha Shah received the award for gymnastics along with Snehal Shinde (kabaddi), Sneha Bhat (taekwondo) billiards champion (2015) was part of Indian and Deepali Shildankar (cycling), for the year team that won gold medal in the IBSF World 2012-13. Gymnasts again proved better in women’s snooker championship in 2013. the second year 2013-14, as Rucha Diwekar Pooja Ghatkar is one of India’s best shooters and Madhura Tambe were amongst award in the 10m Air Rifl e event. She won both the winners, while Axranta Sanchis (billiards), selection trials and was selected as the top Soumya Swaminathan (chess), rifl e shooter for the 2013 World Pooja Ghatkar (shooting), KanCup squad. At the 2014 Asian chan Musmade (skating) and Championships in Kuwait, Bhagyashree Shirke (athletics) Pooja beat Olympic champion were other women sportsperYi Siling to win the gold medal. sons bagged the award.

In chess, WGM Soumya Though, among the sports Swaminathan is 2012 fraternities, gymnasts stood Commonwealth championship out by winning six medals for women’s gold winner and had these two years, they feel the won bronze medal in the 2013 number can be much higher if World Women Team chess they get world-class facilities championship. to train.

The award winners: Ra“We are happy that mesh Vipat (swimming coach) - RUCHA DIWEKAR gymnastics is getting – Lifetime achievement award, acknowledged, but it could have Umesh Zirpe (adventure sport), been much more. The number Amol Boriwale (archery) of gymnasts stood out, but that’s because it Eklavya award, Ramkrushna Lokhande has been combined with artistic and rhythmic (gymnastic) - best coach award, Rajaram events, which are totally different from each Raut (handball) - best coach award, Dinesh other,” said Rucha Diwekar.

Gund (wrestling) - best coach award, RangThe 20-year-old feels that the sport in city nath Dagwale - sports organiser (2012-13), is growing but if given international level faPrakash Katole - sports organiser (2013-14). cilities, their performance can be much better.

Players (2012-13) Roma Joglekar, “Currently we are training on apparatus, Nishtha Shah, Abhijeet Shinde, Ajinkya which is quite old and wearing out. Even in Keskar (all gymnastic), Viraj Dhokale Balewadi, the facilities are not world class. (swimming), Snehal Shinde (kabaddi), If government provides us better equipment, Sneha Bhat (taekwondo), Deepali Shildankar then I am sure we can bring laurels to the (cycling), Ranjeet Nalawade (wrestling). country,” said Rucha, who was out of action 2013-14: Rucha Diwekar, Madhura due to knee injury for few months.

Tambe (both gymnastic), Axranta Sanchis “I underwent a knee operative and now (billiards), Soumya Swaminathan (chess), I am all set for the new challenges. My Pooja Ghatkar, Vikrant Ghaisas (both immediate goal is to perform well in the shooting), Kanchan Musmade (skating), upcoming state championship in Aurangabad Mahendra Pagade (body building), Sandeep next month. Then I have national tournaments Gosavi (taekwondo), Bhagyashree Shirke lined up,” she added. (athletics).

Axranta Sanchis who is current national tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com

“We would be happier if we get better facilities to train.”