The Golden Sparrow on Saturday 03/01/2015

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

PUNE, JANUARY 03, 2015 | www.thegoldensparrow.com

• T H E P E O P LE ’ S PA P E R •

TGS LIFE

New Year resolutions & how to keep them

PUNE’S PEOPLE WITH A PURPOSE

Service to humanity, is serving God P2

SPORTS

Ankita targets national games P 16

The Golden Sparrow on Saturday wishes its readers, advertisers and well-wishers a very happy & prosperous New Year 2015

The birds have

arrived

Civic body approves `12 crore for PMPML Pardeshi asks for funds to improve the transport utility BY ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ArchanaDahiwal Giving a push to the efforts of Dr Shrikar Pardeshi, who took the additional responsibility as chairman Dr Shrikar Pardeshi and managing director of Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), to improve the service of public sector bus undertaking, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Standing Committee approved Rs 12 crore for PMPML. Dr Pardeshi visited the PCMC head office last week and asked the civic body to assist PMPML financially. Accordingly, the Standing Committee members unanimously approved Rs12 crore for PMPML. Earlier, the PCMC held back the proposal of providing funds to PMPML, citing its poor administration. In a meeting with officials of Pune Municipal Corporation and PCMC, Pardeshi highlighted the need for immediate financial help to improve the services of PMPML. PMPML dues of Rs 72 crore are pending with both the municipal corporations. PMC has payment dues of almost Rs 43 crore, while the PCMC has Rs 26 crore. The PCMC will give Rs 12 crore to PMPML to help the latter cover operational losses and offset the cost of free bus passes that the civic body has given to students. Meanwhile, the PMPML has decided to use Rs 50 crore from the employees’ salary fund for bus repairing after the nod of employee unions. The PMC had given Rs 50 crore to the PMPML to clear the pending salary of employees. However, the PMPML was unable to use it since PCMC was yet to provide its full share (Rs 26 crore). Pardeshi suggested that Rs 50 crore would be used for bus repairs and once PCMC gives its share, the PMPML will clear the employees’ salary.

archana.dahiwal@goldensparrow.com

PCMC shows the biometric way of success

Even as Pune Municipal Corporation has failed to bring discipline after three years of implementing the new attendance system, the salary record of Pimpri-Chinchwad civic staff is covered by BAS, and PMPML follows suit

PCMC employees following biometric attendance system at its head office in Pimpri

BY ASHOK BHAT & ARCHANA DAHIWAL @ashok_bhat & @ArchanaDahiwal To track the attendance and office hours of babus and employees, and the time s/he signs in and signs out, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) installed the biometric attendance system (BAS) in 2012. Even as the civic administration followed the Centre’s example, bowing to the staff union pressure, it did not connect the attendance data with salary records. However, the public transport utility Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) adopted the biometric system within two days of taking the decision after Dr Shrikar Pardeshi took over the office. And the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is also following the new attendance system effectively since 2010. And Pardeshi was the municipal commissioner at that time. Talking to TGS, Deepak Pardeshi, public relations officer, PMPML, said that PMPML started collecting thumb

impressions from December 16, 2014, and collected the data of around 1,200 employees within six days. And the attendance record has been linked to their salary. The equipment were also brought from the vendor who provided it to PMC. The PMC’s effort to ensure staff ’s strict adherence to punctuality in workplace has failed to produce the desired result. Many employees of various departments are found not making entry either in the traditional attendance register or use the modern biometric attendance system. In 2012, the then municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak and additional commissioner Umakant Dangat had called a tender for 300 units of biometric equipment and installed 200 in different departments. The civic body had made it binding for about 3,500 clerical employees to register attendance by using the biometric facility. The duty profile at PMC involves office and outdoor work with around 11,500 staff from engineers to Class IV employees doing field work. Contd on p 10

Bhigwan, the winter gateway for the migratory and the local birds, is full of chirping and airborne birds these days. The migratory birds, including Flamingos and Rudy Shelduck, cover the backwaters of Ujani dam, located on the Pune–Solapur highway. The Golden Sparrow on Saturday’s (TGS) lensman Aniruddha Rajandekar and reporter Gitesh Shelke went bird-watching. The memorable experience opened their eyes to everything out there besides capturing the images of avian beauties.

See Spotlight on p8 & 9


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