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A never-ending foodie love affair See p07
With love from Iran
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Sumptous meals on wheels at maiden food truck fest
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TGS LIFE
Dial 1033 ambulances gather rust at BVG office
It’s an issue that has been hanging fire since 2012, even though the residents of the 34 fringe villages will benefit hugely from the merger of the villages in the PMC, from the provision of basic civic amenities, to the curbing of rampant illegal constructions that threaten the very air that people breathe. Is the state government’s delay of the merger fuelled by political and civic polls-tinged considerations? See p06-07
Charity does not begin at home at this clinic
Below poverty line Solapur man with gangrenous infection refused admission by Ruby Hall Clinic, medical social workers stating that poor patients were not admitted after 5 pm BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 Ruby Hall Clinic, a premier charitable hospital of Pune, shows none of the charity while dealing with poor patients. On October 27, the clinic refused to admit a man from Solapur patient who had developed gangrene in his leg. In fact, the Ruby Hall Clinic bouncers evicted him from the hospital at around midnight, and left him to fend for himself on the pavement, freezing in the cold, even as his infected leg caused him excruciating pain. The patient was eventually admitted to the hospital next morning after the charity commissionerate had intervened. The patient’s son has written to the collector and charity commissioner, demanding that they file a case against the hospital trustees as per sections of the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, for denying treatment to a Below Poverty Line (BPL) patient. Nana Bhiva Pandhare, 55, of Gavli vasti, Laxmi Peth, Solapur is a daily wage farm worker and a BPL patient. He had developed an infection in his leg after an injury caused
The ailing Nana Pandhare and his son Dhula make a forlorn sight on the pavement outside Ruby Hall Clinic
by an iron screw while working on a farm. The wound had not healed after primary treatment at Solapur. Pandhare came to Pune along with his wife Sudamati and young son Dhula, and he was admitted to Sassoon Hospital in the last week of October. Dis-satisfied with the treatment at Sassoon Hospital, Pandhare and his family decided to shift to a private hospital. Dhula informed the medical superintendent of Sassoon Hospital about their decision. Since Nana was a BPL patient, the superintendent told them to go to the charity commissioner’s office on Dhole Patil Road for the process to avail of free treatment at a private hospital. The charity officials verified all of Pandhare’s documents and issued a letter to Ruby Hall Clinic, asking them to admit the patient under the Indigent Patient Fund (IPF) quota, which is compulsory for all 57 charitable hospitals in Pune. After completing the formalities, Pandhare and his family went to Ruby Hall Clinic at around 5 pm on October 27. “The hospital’s medical social workers refused to admit my father, saying that IPF patients are not admitted to the hospital after 5 pm, and asked us to leave. Continued on p04
After completion of the MumbaiVadodara national highway pilot project, seven of the 20 ambulances are lying unused for six months See p04
MUMBAI
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
“We have strong objection to the possible re-induction of Khadse into the cabinet, particularly when he is still under investigation for his involvement in the Pune-MIDC land scam. Khadse’s wife purchased the MIDC land illegally.” - Anjali Damania, Convener, Voice of Indian Taxpayers
Schools asks govt to reconsider holding exams in Kashmir P 10
India Inc believes economy faring better P 12
State taps online power for effective admin
Maharashtra goes ‘selfie’ way to keep tabs on school dropouts To keep a check on the rising number of dropouts from staterun schools, the Maharashtra government has decided to adopt the ‘selfie’ route, wherein teachers will have to upload classroom pictures, each comprising a group of 10 students marking their attendance. According to a government resolution (GR) released by the State Education Ministry today the ‘selfies’ along with Aadhar numbers and name of students have to be uploaded to the SARAL system, which handles education database for the state government. This initiative shall be implemented from January next year where every selfie should have 10 students. It is aimed at creating a record of the students who are not regular to schools, the GR said. Teachers are expected to upload the photos of all the students on the first two Mondays after the drive is launched. School teachers should inform the higher authorities in the education department about the students who are irregular. The officials will already have the details of the irregular students, and hence can take some policy
decisions to bring them back to school, the GR said. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2014 the dropout rate in Maharashtra has been around nine per cent, as against 15 per cent nationwide. The State Education department has also identified another two categories, due to which students drop out. These are when families migrate within the state and when families shift base to Maharashtra. In both the cases some students get dropped out, the GR said. The parents, who are shifting base within the state, have been asked to make alternate arrangements for their school-going children so that they do not lose track. The children can stay with their grand-parents or in temporary hostels. It will be the responsibility of the schools to find out such students, upload their information on SARAL and communicate it to education commissioner and principal secretary of the education department. On the other hand, if some students have to move, then ‘Education Guarantee Card’, should be issued to them. It can be sent to the school administration through WhatsApp, where the student is being shifted, the GR stated.
District IOs told to use Twitter handles for better reach
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, President Dream cruises Thatcher Brown and Maharashtra secretary Swadhin Kshatriya at the inauguration of Dream Cruises Genting’s launch ceremony in Mumbai
Maharashtra first to launch cyber police stations in all districts Maharashtra is converting 42 state-of-the-art cyber crime labs into cyber police stations, as part of the BJP-led government’s strategy to take on cyber criminals. “Maharashtra is the first state in the country which will have a cyber police station in each district simultaneously,” a top Home Department official told PTI. Cyber crime in Maharashtra has risen by a whopping 142.1 per cent in the last few years, the official said. These cyber police stations will also be set up
at police commissionerate and Range IG offices. The Devendra Fadnavis-led government, which completed two years recently, will soon issue a notification in this regard, the senior IPS official said. Fadnavis had inaugurated 34 well equipped cyber labs in all districts, on the Independence Day this year. The state government’s cyber crime wing is setting up 51 cyber crime labs in Maharashtra. These include the 34 labs at the district level, seven at Inspector General’s offices, nine at
Government staff to don khadi soon State expects annual revenue of Rs 180 crore
BY SANTOSHEE MISHRA @TGS WEEKLY The Finance and Planning Minister Sudhir Mu n g a nt i w a r plans to appeal to government officials in Mantralaya to wear khadi clothes to promote the Sudhir Mungantiwar hand-spun fabric. The aim is to introduce the dress code for two days. The minister proposes two-day khadi dress for about 18 lakh state government officials. He said that the initiative will not only promote the traditional cloth but also generate revenue. Speaking to TGS, Mungantiwar said, “The initiative is not compulsory but by choice. I was planning to introduce khadi in workplace for long. The staff should be inspired to adopt this attire. It should be our responsibility to popularise this swadeshi fabric and save money. Even if one state government employee starts wearing a khadi clothing, it would result in earning Rs 180 crore
in a year as we have over 18 lakh government employees.” Meanwhile, State Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya said that his office has already implemented the two-day khadi dress code by choice. Ahmednagar district officials have started wearing khadi on Mondays. Riding high on the upsurge in demand for khadi products, KVIC expects to surpass the sales target of Rs 5,000 crore by the end of 201718. “The sale of khadi products has recorded a quantum jump. We are getting good orders from the government. We will achieve the sales target of Rs 5,000 crore by the end of 2017 -18,” Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena told PTI. Sales of khadi goods shot up by about 29 per cent to Rs 1,510 crore in 2015-16. He said that the KVIC is also setting up export cells to promote overseas sales of the products. Overall sales of both khadi and village industries have jumped over 14 per cent to Rs 37,935 crore in 2015-16. The khadi and village industries products are manufactured by about 7 lakh privately-owned household units. These units are funded through schemes such as Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme. With agency inputs tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com
Commissioner of Police offices and one lab at the state police headquarters, the official said. Maharashtra is facing increased cyber crime cases in tier-II cities and also in rural areas, the official said. Many such cases remain pending for investigation and the new initiative will take care of this shortcoming, he said. For the normal local police stations, tackling cyber crimes is a daunting task owing to lack of proper training and technical knowledge. However, the cyber labs come with trained
manpower and modern equipment to deal with the new age crimes in the cyber world, the official said. With this new initiative, any offence related to cyber crime will be registered in these police stations at the district level. Additional cyber police stations will also be set up in some cities, the official said. While 907 cases of cyber crime were registered in 2013, as many as 2,195 such cases were filed in 2015. There was conviction in just five of the 4,981 cases filed in three years, the official added.
Underlining the importance and need of a digital platform for smooth administration, the Maharashtra government is making several efforts to use social media to convey its decisions and messages quickly. The government has asked all District Information Officers (DIOs) to start operating individual Twitter handles, the Director General Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) Brijesh Singh said here. “Even Superintendents of Police (SsP) too have been asked to start their Twitter handles. This is working well for the administration. The DIOs have around 2,500 Twitter followers now including in backward district like Gadchiroli where there are 500 followers,” Singh, an IPS officer of the rank of Special Inspector General (SIG) told reporters here last evening. Singh said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed him to analyse all the information about government’s moves that is published in the media. “Many times the government announces a decision assuming that it would serve society and people. But somewhere the media finds faults or criticises the decisions. The CM has asked me not to ignore such reports but verify them and find solutions if genuine concerns are raised,” Singh said. He also spoke about cyber crimes and measures being taken to tackle the ever growing threat. “The government has asked C-DAC to develop cyber crime labs. Each lab costs around Rs one crore. Softwares for data extraction, image recovery, are being developed for technologyassisted investigation. We are also setting up a big data centre as India is among the first 3 or 4 nations hit by cyber crime the most,” he said.
Cyber crime lawyer gets extortion, threat call Metropolitan Magistrate Court directs police to investigate BY SANTOSHEE MISHRA @TGS WEEKLY The racket of small-time extortion seems to grown bolder. Cyber crime lawyer Pankaj Bafna has approached the court after receiving threat and extortion by allegedly a senior police official of Patiala House Police Station and a lawyer. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court has ordered
the MRA Marg Police Station to investigate the complaint. Bafna said that he received a phone call with the caller posing as a senior police inspector at Patiala House Police station. “He said that there is a non-bailable warrant issued against me and threatened to kill me in encounter in Delhi. He knew that I am a lawyer and asked me whether he should come to my office or home to execute the warrant. I told him to come to Bombay High Court. And this response angered the ‘cop’,” Bafna said. Then another person, claiming to be a lawyer, came on line and demanded Rs 25,000 to settle the
dispute. “When I told him to meet me in Mumbai, the call got disconnected,” he said, adding that he had received such extortion Pankaj Bafna calls in the past. “The caller threatens you with summon and non-bailable warrant. Ignorant and innocent people fall in the trap and end up paying the amount,” Bafna said. Bafna’s complaint states that the second caller demanded Rs 25,000 to avoid warrant and encounter
leading to the lawyer to approach the Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Ballard Pier. The court said that the complainant has disclosed the cellphone numbers from which he received the threat calls. It directed the authorities to trace the caller and sent the matter for investigation and report under Section 156(3) (Police officer’s power to investigate cognisable case and magistrate empowered under Section 190 may order such an investigation) of Criminal Procedure Code and told MRA Marg Police to investigate the case. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com
Maha regained 1st position in major sectors in last 2 yrs: CM BY MURTUZA MERCHANT Picking holes in criteria applied for DIPP ranking that listed Maharashtra at the 10th position in ease of doing business, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said in last two years his government has managed to regain prime status for the state in all major sectors. “We have managed to attract the largest investment by volumes in the country that is even certified by the RBI.
Also, the largest employment creation and rate of conversion of MoUs of 40 per cent has taken place in Maharashtra. Again, the best innovative economy in the country is Maharashtra,” Fadnavis told PTI in an interview. He said the state holds the first position in agri marketing sector, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, where out of the 10 top cleanest districts under the project, five are from Maharashtra. “Our state has the highest number
of gram panchayats that have become open defecation free and out of 118 towns validated by the Centre, 52 are from Maharashtra,” he said. “Also in national programmes, Maharashtra has been number one. Similar is the case with Jan Dhan Yojana and Mudra loans. In all major sectors, Maharashtra has become number one and has thus regained its lost position in the last two years,” Fadnavis said. “Last year, Maharashtra secured 49 per cent and we this year jumped
to 92 per cent and are in leaders category now. The difference between the placement of the first 10 states is merely 4-5 per cent. So, I think this is a huge jump, from a nowhere category to leader category,” he said. PTI
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
“Now that it has been brought to my notice, I will ensure that drivers caught driving under the influence of alcohol are subjected to medical tests. Also, we will take other measures to ensure that we get conviction of every person caught during the drives .” - Rashmi Shukla, Pune Police Commissioner
Torture routinely used in Sri Lanka P11
KCB is not particular about its uniforms
Contract workers wear KCB uniforms and rank badges in violation of the Ministry of Defence regulations
BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2
The Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) routinely hands out uniforms and rank badges to its authorised employees when they are appointed. But in a shocking and clear violation of the Ministry of Defence guidelines, a KCB contractual worker has been wearing the KCB uniform and rank badge insignia illegally. The KCB authorities are aware of this but have not taken any action so far. Shekhar Issaque is in his late fifties. He has been working for Reliance Enterprises on contract basis. Issaque and others like him are used as extra workforce by the KCB anti encroachment officials. “Issaque is working on a contract basis and he is illegally wearing the KCB uniform and rank badges which only Upper Division officers, Sanitary Inspectors or General duty inspectors are authorised to wear,” said a senior officer on condition of anonymity. It’s a clear violation of the law but no action has been taken against Issaque by the KCB officials. Wearing an unauthorised uniform and posing as a KCB employee, Issaque never mentions that he is only a contractual employee. “It’s a serious offence and every KCB official is aware about the violation as Issaque has retired from the KCB as a Sanitary Mukadam four years ago, KCB should at least respect the uniform of the Board and
BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare
Contract worker Issaque, in uniform, leads a KCB anti-encroachment team doing its rounds
such kind of serious offences cannot be neglected. The board officials can even book him for this,” the officer said. The extreme staff shortage and no new recruitments have forced the KCB to hire Class IV labour on contract basis. KCB has a contract with Reliance Enterprises for providing Class IV helpers and workers. “The contractual workers of Reliance Enterprises are used as an
The post of woman counsellor at Sassoon Hospital has not been filled for almost three years and it is proving to be a hitch in the rehabilitation of rape victims
additional workforce for job like plantation, sanitation, fogging, antiencroachment cleanliness drive, antimalaria drive etc. As per the Ministry of Defence rule and the agreement between the Reliance Enterprises and KCB, no worker of the enterprise is authorised to wear uniform or undergo any monetary transaction with any of the citizens, firms or organisation on behalf of KCB. There are currently
counsellors here, and I find it difficult or even impossible to talk about my trauma with a male counsellor. I want to get over this phase of my life, and what I need is to open up to a person I feel comfortable with talking about such intimate matters,” she said.
BY GUNWANTI PARASTE @TGSWeekly
n Sheela Salve (name changed), 18, hails from Khed. She has cleared her standard XII but is unable to pursue higher education owing to difficult financial conditions, and was forced to settle for a job in a private firm. In addition to the adversity of poverty, Sheela has also been taken advantage of by her own uncle, who has raped her a number of times. A close friend helped her file a complaint against the uncle but to no avail. Her impoverished parents are of not much help. Sheela said, “I come in Sassoon Hospital for counseling to get over the rape trauma. But I find it very uncomfortable to open up and reveal intimate details to a male counsellor. That is not to say that the male counsellors are not capable or are not doing their job. It is just that the issue is
Woman told to return alimony to disabled husband Family court also rejects techie wife’s divorce plea
Rape victims find it hard to talk to male counsellors
The post of woman counsellor for rape victims at Sassoon General Hospital has been lying vacant for almost three years. It has been observed that rape victims are generally uncomfortable narrating their ordeal to male counsellors. On an average, two to three rape victims come for counselling to Sassoon General Hospital daily. The rape victims are from all over Pune district, and generally women or girls from villages and rural areas do not feel at ease while dealing with male counsellors. In fact, revealing the details of the sexual assaults to male counsellors poses another ordeal for the already traumatised victims. TGS talked to five rape victims and their kin, who all voiced the necessity for women counsellors at Sassoon General Hospital, with whom they could discuss the trauma rather more freely than with male counsellors.
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extremely sensitive and I know I would feel far more comfortable talking to a woman counsellor. I have requested the authorities to provide us woman counsellors but to no avail.” n Malati Kamble (name changed) of Ambegaon is just six years old. She was sexually assaulted by her cousin. Her parents say that the incident has left her extremely traumatised, and that she is living in a constant state of fear, so much so that the presence of any male is disturbing to her. “We brought Malati to Sassoon Hospital for counselling that she needs desperately. But the problem is that she is very fearful in the presence of the male counsellor. She is just a child who is very very scared and confused, and the incident has left her with a fear of men. Therefore, what she really needs is a woman counsellor who she can open up to and in whose presence she will not feel threatened,” her parents say. n Chanda Mistry (name changed), 25, of Satara, works for a multinational company in Pune. She was unable to find her own accommodation in Pune, so she moved in with a socalled friend. She was offered a cup of coffee by her friend. After drinking the coffee, Chanda fell into a dazed stupor, and could vaguely register that she was being molested sexually. “After I recovered from the effects of the drug my friend had put into the coffee, I filed a complaint against my friend at the nearby police station. I was sent for a medical check-up at Sassoon Hospital, and was also prescribed counselling sessions at the hospital. Unfortunately, there are no women
n Sonal Kakde (name changed), 22, from Purandar, is a graduate working for a private company. She underwent an ordeal when a person from her locality raped her when she was returning from school. He also threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident. Two days later she told her parents, who file a complaint with the police. “I was mentally traumatised and I did not want to face any one. I was advised counseling at Sassoon Hospital, but the incident had left me incapable of talking about it to any one. An overpowering feeling of hate had possessed me, especially against the person who had destroyed my life. I was unable to open up and talk especially to a male counsellor. I would probably feel less intimidated by and would be able to talk to a woman counselor, but unfortunately, there are no women counsellors here at Sassoon Hospital,” she said. n Smriti Chaudhary (name changed), 16, lives in Shirur, and is a standard XII student. She was sexually assaulted by a relative, which had left her in a state of shock. She had even attempted to commit suicide. She was advised counselling at Sassoon Hospital. What she needed was someone she could confide in fully. But there are no women counselors at Sassoon Hospital, and Smriti is not at all comfortable talking to a male counselor about her issues. Her family has since sent her to a private woman counselor, whose charges they cannot really afford, but they have no options. Sassoon Hospital sources say that the post of woman counsellor has been not filled for the last two-three years, despite writing to the government. The rape victims generally do not feel as comfortable with male counsellors. But the post of woman counsellor is likely to be filled within a month, they say. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com
43 people from Reliance Enterprises working on contract for KCB. The board pays Rs 13,622 per person to the company. The one-year contract is supposed to end by November 2016 end,” said the officials of the KCB Sanitary and Health Department. KCB Chief Executive Officer of Amol Jagtap could not be reached despite several attempts. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com
In a rare order that could have a bearing on cases related to marital dispute, the Pune family court cancelled the divorce plea and ordered a software engineer woman to live with her disabled husband and return the maintenance money. The woman had earlier lied under oath of being a homemaker and secure maintenance from the husband. The woman staying at Sant Tukaram Nagar in Pimpri had received maintenance from her estranged husband. Judge Laxman Magdum directed Meenakshi Sutar to return the maintenance money of Rs 28,000 received between 2002 and 2003 from her husband Prashant Kshirsagar as despite having a good job in the IT sector and had even worked abroad, she had informed the court that she was a homemaker and, therefore, liable to get alimony. The Pimpri court had earlier ordered the husband to pay Rs 2,000 per month as alimony. Prashant and Meenakshi got married in 2000 and after some months the wife went to see her unwell father and never returned. Later, she wife filed a plea in the Pimpri court for getting maintenance from the
husband. Meenakshi in her application stated alleged cruelty and physical assault and said that she was hit and thrown out of her house by Prashant. The court ordered the husband to pay monthly maintenance of Rs 2,000 to Meenakshi. In January 2004, the estranged husband met with an accident that left him disabled. The wife after the accident filed a petition in the Pune family court asking for divorce. The husband filed an application in the family court to stay with the wife and submitted evidence like her salary slip and documents related to her working abroad. The family court concluded that the woman had lied about her employment and ordered cancellation of the interim maintenance order. The court also ordered the wife to stay with her husband and rejected the application of divorce on fake grounds. vicky.pathare@goldensparow.com
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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
“Customers must be careful at the time of refuelling and check meter reading. If at all something fishy is suspected, lodge a complaint. Company officials visit petrol pumps and check status of complaint.” - Vivek Velankar, President, Sajag Nagrik Manch
Cost-effective way to rabies immunisation BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1
The 16th national guidelines on rabies prophylaxis issued under National Control Rabies programme have suggested that all the state nodal officers in the country should ensure the practice of Intra Dermal (ID) regimen route of inoculation for anti-rabies vaccine in all major anti-rabies clinics of the state, and not to follow the conventional intra muscular (IM) route. The use of intra-dermal route leads to considerable savings in total amount of vaccine needed for full post-exposure vaccination, thereby reducing the cost of active immunisation. A single dose (0.5ml or 1ml) of anti-rabies vaccine when given by IM route gets deposited in the muscle. Whereas, while using ID route, a small amount (0.1ml) of antirabies vaccine is deposited in the layers (dermis) of the skin at one or more than one site,which is cost-effective. This means that nearly ten persons can be administered anti-rabies doses
in amount of vaccination conventional one IM route, which the government has wasted amount of vaccination on rabies inoculation by following IM route. Thereafter the antigen is absorbed by the blood vessels and is presented to antigen presenting cells which triggers the immune response. The antigen is carried by antigen presenting cells via the lymphatics to the regional lymph nodes and reticuloendothelial system eliciting a prompt and protective antibody response. Current anti-rabies vaccines are produced as one single intramuscular dose. The guidelines which were issued on National Control for Disease Control (NCDC) on July 27, 2016, stress that all nodal officers of rabies program stress implementing use of ID route of inoculation of cell culture vaccines. ID regimens consist of administration of a fraction of intramuscular dose of rabies vaccines. The vaccines used are the same but route, dose and site of administration differ. Rabies is an acute viral encephalomyelitis caused by RNA Lyssavirus belonging to Family
Dial 1033 ambulances gather rust at BVG office After completion of the Mumbai-Vadodara national highway pilot project, seven of the 20 ambulances are lying unused for six months BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 After completion of the one-year pilot project on highway accidents on the 400 km Mumbai-Vadodara stretch, seven ambulances out of the 20 are lying unused at the ‘Dial 108’ office at Aundh. Officials said that the pilot project has proved to be a success, and that the government will decide whether to continue it or not. The helpline 1033 is to avail of help on the stretch. In association with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and ICICI Lombard, Ziqitza Health Care operates Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances on the MumbaiVadodara stretch. This 400-km stretch of National Highway has been found to be the most dangerous roadway in the country. Dial 1033 was launched one and half years ago by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. The ambulances communicate with each other and the control centre through GPS technology. Service is provided free of cost. The Union Ministry of Road Transport had started a pilot project to avail of speedy treatment to road accident victims within the golden TEJAS GAIKWAD
hour, and to devise means to reduce fatalities on the deadly stretch. Twenty ambulances were deployed on the stretch at 20 km distances. These ambulances would pick up the accident victims and transport them to nearby hospitals for treatment. As per the scheme, the accident victims would get treatment worth Rs 33,000 initially free of cost, under a Japan-based insurance company. Further expense would have to be borne by the patient. “The insurance scheme ensured at least basic treatment and diagnosis like CT scan, MRI, blood and intensive care to the patient. Our Dial 108 service of Bharat Vikas Group (BVG) was handling the calls from us,” said Dr Dnyaneshwar Shelke, chief operating officer of Dial 108 ambulances. “All the ambulances are owned by our group and we have given them to the government on lease,” he said. The pilot project which ended after six months, is an ambitious plan of the Ministry of Road Transport to reduce fatalities on national highways. The project was simultaneously started on the Jaipur-Agra and Ranchi-RargaonMahulia stretches. The government is thinking of implementing the project on other national highways too, if the pilot project was a success. But after the project ended, seven ambulances of the 20 are lying unused at Aundh. Dr Shelke said that these ambulances will be converted to 108 service to provide emergency health care. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com
The seven ambulances that are lying unused at the BVG office
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Central government guidelines endorse the practice of Intra Dermal (ID) regimen route of inoculation for anti-rabies vaccine
Rhabdoviridiae. It causes disease in virtually all the warm-blooded animals including man. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 55,000 human deaths occur globally and 20,000 in India due to this disease every year. Over 90 per cent of the global human rabies deaths occur in Asia and Africa, while there are 17.4 million animal bites annually in India. Rabies continues to be a major public health problem throughout India. The incubation period is usually 30 to 90 days after the bite of an infected animal, but it may be longer. Rabies is almost hundred percent fatal, once symptoms are developed. However by timely Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) rabies can be easily prevented after the bite of an infected dog or other animal. Based on WHO recommendation and results of various safety, efficacy studies and feasibility trial conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR), Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the use of intra-dermal vaccination regimen for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. “One intra dermal dose is cost effective to the government also as it consist of less quantity of the vaccine. The conventional dose (IM) requires five doses while ID requires only four doses which reduce the patient’s visits to the clinics,” said an officer from the health department implementing the program. Dr Sanjay Jathar, health officer of communicable disease of district health office who also holds charge of rabies control, said that the intra dermal vaccination is started 3-4 years ago but now the government has asked us to use it specifically. “We administer only ID vaccination to rabies patients. The government has applied it now after conducting research. The dose is effective compared to IM also,” he said. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com
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PCMC told not to dump e-waste at garbage depot Civic body shows lethargic attitude towards the management and disposal of hazardous e-waste BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2 The massive growth of the city’s IT sector has brought about the hazard of e-waste. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) authorities are yet to come up with a solution for its disposal. E-waste may not be as glamorous a problem as climate change, but it is a prevalent problem and PCMC seems to be turning a blind eye towards e-waste management. PCMC has no mechanism to monitor the tonnes of e-waste generated daily, and has failed to implement any plan to collect and dispose of e-waste. PCMC earlier disposed e-waste at the Moshi garbage depot along with the garbage. But due to instances of fires and emission of toxic gas at Moshi garbage depot, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) ordered the PCMC not to dispose e-waste without treatment at Moshi garbage depot. In the year 2007, the standing committee of PCMC had passed a resolution to start a project for disposal of e-waste in association with the Green Enviro Solutions Pvt Ltd, signing a fiveyear agreement. PCMC had decided to allot five acres of land for the said project at a concessional rate of Rs 200 per acre for a period of 30 years. However, the environment department of the PCMC and Green Enviro failed to start the project. The environment department of PCMC does not yet have an independent mechanism to dispose of e-waste. PCMC spokesperson Shirish Poredi confirmed that there was no separate mechanism to segregate, monitor and dispose e-waste. “The e-waste is collected from societies by scrap vendors, hawkers and NGOs,” he said. How do
the scrap vendors dispose the e-waste? “The mentality of people who sell the e-waste should change. The amount of e-waste generated in PCMC is very little and there is no need at this point of time to set up a separate mechanism to dispose the e-waste. If the amount of e-waste increases, PCMC will set up a separate mechanism for its disposal,” said Poredi. Pune is among the top 10 cities generating e-waste, with 5.6 per cent share in the country. About 2-3 tonnes of e-waste is generated in the twin township. Based on a study conducted in 2006, according to the figures available with the MPCB, of the total 20,270.6 tonnes of e-waste generated in Maharashtra, Pune generated 2,584.21 tonnes, over 25 per cent, while PimpriChinchwad generated 1,032.37 tonnes. Disposing of and recycling e-waste has serious legal and environmental implications. The e-waste contains lead, phosphorus, mercury, beryllium, antimony and other highly toxic chemical elements. Landfills leach toxins into groundwater and incinerators emit toxic air pollutants including dioxins. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com TEJAS GAIKWAD
SENIOR CITIZEN RELAXES WHILE THE YOUNG ONES WORK OUT
Energetic youngsters working out at a fitness centre in Lullanagar (right), make a striking contrast to the senior citizen sitting in a neighbouring apartment (left)
Charity does not begin at home at this clinic Continued from p1 We pleaded with them, since we don’t have any relatives in Pune and did not have any place to go, but they refused to show us any mercy, and insisted that we leave the hospital premises,” said Dhula. The family had all the necessary documents, including the charity commissionerate order, yellow ration card and income certificate, certified by the tehsildar, proving that his annual income was below Rs 25,000. “The hospital administration then called for the bouncers at around 11:30 pm, and they evicted us from the hospital premises, from gate number 2. We spent the whole night on the pavement outside the hospital. My father was in extreme pain caused by the infection in his leg, but no one paid any heed to us,” said Dhula in the letter to the collector.
The Pandhares were advised to seek the help of Daniel Landge, a social worker from Yerwada. Landge came to the spot at around midnight, and contacted assistant charity commissioner Navnath Jagtap at around 1 am. Jagtap assured them of help in the morning. After spending the night on the footpath outside the hospital, the Pandhares went to the charity commissioner’s office in the morning with Daniel. Assistant charity commissioner Jagtap called the hospital authorities and reprimanded them for not admitting Pandhare. Thereafter, the hospital admitted Pandhare on October 28. “There are more complaints against Ruby Hall Clinic from poor patients who were denied treatment than other charitable hospitals. Affluent patients are admitted round the clock but poor patients are refused admissions
after 5 pm. The law is the same for every person, so why does Ruby Hall discriminate?” said Landge. “The charity commissioner should file a criminal offence against Ruby Hall for not following the BPT Act and Supreme Court guidelines,” he said. With Landge’s help, Dhula wrote a letter to collector Saurabh Rao and joint charity commissioner (Pune region) Shivaji Kachare, demanding the filing of a complaint against the hospital. After he was admitted, the Ruby Hall doctors amputated Pandhare’s leg from the knee as it had turned gangrenous. “Nana was in a serious condition after being evicted from the hospital, and he was then operated on by the Ruby Hall doctors,” said a relative of Pandhare. Assistant charity commissioner
Navnath Jagtap said that there was miscommunication between the hospital and patients. “IPF patients can be admitted to the hospital round the clock. But in Pandhare’s case, the doctor under whom the IPF patient had to be admitted was not in the hospital at the time of admission. So the administration told the patient to come back later. The patient was admitted to the hospital the next day and was given treatment,” he said. Ruby Hall Clinic medical director Dr Sanjay Pathare said that he was unaware of the matter and that he would gather information about the incident. “The patient could have been denied admission as he may not have had the required documents. We admit IPF patients at any time. I will enquire into the matter and will ensure him the necessary treatment,” he said. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
“Today, the whole country is under one flag...its credit goes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. British played divide and rule politics, but Sardar Patel made sure that it stays as one nation.” — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
“We can learn from the example set by Lord Rama, whose return from exile is marked by five holy days. That epic story teaches us about building strong families, shunning wrongdoing, and choosing the right path. ” — Theresa May, Prime Minister, UK
The animals in the dock
There was a time when birds, and animals were punished by law for their supposed crimes and humans, their trainers, were merely fined BY AC TULI A few years ago, a crow in a town of Germany got plastered after gorging itself on alcohol soaked food. The befuddled bird then turned wild, attacking passers-by viciously. Matters came to a head when it swooped down upon a woman, giving her a few nasty stabs on the head. The incident sent shock waves across the town, and soon the police was on the bird’s trail. However, the criminal at large was most of the time air-borne and therefore not easy to arrest. It led the cops a merry dance all over the town before it could be captured. Pending further action against it, the police sent it to a local animal home where, it was reported, it spent a whole day sleeping off the hangover. There was a time when birds and animals were severely punished by law for their supposed crimes. In 1963, seventy-five carrier pigeons received death sentence in Tripoli, Libya when it was found that a gang of smugglers had trained them to carry bank notes from Italy, Greece, and Egypt in Libya. The judge who sentenced them to death said, ‘These pigeons are too well-trained and dangerous to be let loose.” Surprisingly, the humans, their trainers, were merely fined. Imagine a dog being prosecuted for killing a cat and serving a prison term. This happened in Philadelphia in 1924. A pet dog named Pep suddenly went wild one hot summer day and killed a cat. The cat belonged to the Governor of Philadelphia. Poor Pep, he had no legal counsel and the evidence against him was damning. The Governor of Philadelphia sentenced Pep to life imprisonment and
sent him to a jail in a neighbouring town. Fortunately, Pep’s fellow inmates there treated him kindly. In 1930, after 6 years in prison, Pep died of old age. Murderers are sentenced to death by hanging in many countries, but in 1916, in Tennessee, USA, this gruesome mode of ending life was inflicted upon a circus sheelephant named Mary. Mary was being ridden to water by an inexperienced trainer. On the way, Mary spotted a watermelon and eagerly headed for this tasty snack. The trainer jabbed Mary on the head with a spear-tipped stick to prevent her from taking the watermelon. It infuriated Mary to such an extent that she first let out a loud trumpet, then reached behind her with her trunk, and yanked the trainer off her back. She dashed him against a tree and then stepped on his head. The trainer died an instant death.
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owner was held liable for full damages. In Vanvres, France, in 1750, Jacques Ferron was caught in the act of love with a jenny and sentenced to hang, for bestiality was then a capital offence. Normally, his partner would have died as well – but members of the community took an unprecedented step. They signed a petition that they had known the she-ass for four years, and that she had always been well behaved at home and abroad. They further added that she had never caused a scandal of any kind. She was, they concluded, “in all her habits of life a most honest creature.” As a result of this intervention, Jacques Ferron was hanged for sodomy, and the she-ass was acquitted. In the Medieval Ages, belief in witchcraft and sorcery was rampant not only in Europe but in many other countries of the world. In 1494, a hen in Switzerland laid an egg without a yolk. It was then believed that only witches in league with Satan could hatch such eggs and what came out of them were not chicks but deadly, winged snakes. Thus, the accused hen was in a tight spot. When the case was tried in a court, the defence lawyer argued that his client, the hen, had no pact with the devil and that laying an egg without a yolk was an unpremeditated and involuntary act. The Judge, however, was not convinced by this argument. He sentenced the hen and her yolkless egg to be burnt at the stake. Interestingly, 200 years later, when science had made considerable progress, it was first discovered by a Swiss scientist that yolkless eggs were the occasional products of an ailing hen. PTI Feature
Mary was sentenced to die on the gallows for this crime. She was taken to a railroad yard, and a chain was slung round her head. A 100-ton derrick hoisted her five feet in the air. Mary died. Makao, a young monkey, lived with his master in a flat of Paris. One day, he escaped from the flat and wandered into the studio of a photographer. There he destroyed some expensive equipment and stole a box, which was later recovered empty. The victim of Makao’s pranks filed a complaint, stating that the stolen box had contained a valuable ring. The monkey’s owner contended before the Judge that his pet could not possibly have opened such a box. Makao was then ordered to appear in the court, where a number of such boxes were placed before him. To everyone’s surprise, Makao opened all these boxes with alacrity. His defence thus ruined, Makao’s
Former cotton expert pledges wealth to farmers
73-year-old Prakash Kelkar says his decision has been supported by his two daughters, who are well-settled In a nob e ges ure a 73-year-o d re red co on exper has p edged o g ve away h s en re wea h o na on or he we are o armed orces and armers by execu ng a o n w w h h s w e “I and my w e are de gh ed ha we have fina y execu ed he w As per our w he 30 per cen share o he wea h w go o Pr me M n s er s Re e Fund 30 per cen w go P akash Ke ka o Ch e M n s er s Re e Fund 30 per cen w go o armed orces and rema n ng 10 per cen o five NGOs who are do ng good work n soc e y ” Prakash Ke kar who had worked as a co on exper n severa mu -na ona compan es be ore re r ng sa d The sep uagenar an who has been do ng ph an hrop c ac v es pos re remen sa d he has men oned n he w ha h s o a wea h shou d be u sed or we are o so d ers he r am es armers and v c ms o na ura as we as o her ca am es He sa d he hough abou mak ng such a w came o h s m nd n 2013 “Pos re remen I and my w e Deepa dec ded o g ve away o a earn ngs o na on and s ar ed research ng abou he procedure We even n erac ed w h PMO F nance M n s ry and De ence M n s ry and fina y execu ed he w w h he he p o a na ona sed bank ” he sa d Ke kar sa d h s dec s on has been suppor ed by h s wo daugh ers who are we -se ed “I and my w e bo h are a so ar s es and have been work ng or soc e y Las year we had se ec ed 40 w dows o armers who had comm ed su c de across he s a e and he ped hem mone ar y ” he added Bes des do ng soc a work Ke kar has been he p ng he po ce n ma n a n ng raffic n he c y PTI
Opportunity for women to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship WomenWave programme to provide funding and mentorship guidance TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeek y The governmen s S ar up Ind a crusade aunched on anuary 16 2016 has he ped s ar 75 s ar -up bo s er cen res o he p deve op new compan es n Ind a S ar upKa e gu des sprou ng bus ness peop e and urges new bus nesses o v s he s e and make use o ava ab e da a WomenWave s an n a ve by he s ar -up o rea se he po en a o women en repreneurs WomenWave www s ar upka e com/womenwaven a ve-s ar upka e/ s a campa gn o ass s budd ng women en repreneurs S ar upKa e w crea e a eam o men ors who w he p women en repreneurs n nur ur ng he r deas
Vedan Goe
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The s ar -up w prov de a p a orm o new bus ness women o spread he r effor s w h n erv ews and educa ona on ne d ar es bes des arrang ng or ncuba on ac es or deserv ng women cand da es I w a so g ve financ a suppor or he r bus ness akeoff by connec ng women en repreneurs w h nves ors
S ar upKa e under s WomenWave n a ve s conduc ng n erv ews o 50 bus ness women n 50 days across Ind a I w a so be prov d ng ree men orsh p o women en repreneurs S ar upKa e ounder Vedan Goe sa d “We w he p a woman s ar -up by offer ng d rec on and adv ces a ong w h any o her he p ha hey may requ re ” “A s rong woman unders ands ha he ra s such as og c dec s veness and s reng h are us as em n ne as n u on and emo ona connec on She va ues and uses her qua es and she s g ven a chance o r se she w ouch grea he gh s ” sa d N k a Vora he ounder o WomenWave n a ve The ob ec ve o WomenWave s o empower 1 000 bus ness women be ore he end o 2018 S ar upKa e com s a d g a med a p a orm ha share en repreneursh p s or es g eedba k@go den parrow om
CARS, BIKES, TRIPS, GEAR HONEST, FUN REVIEWS
TGS LIFE JULY 9, 2016 PUNE
THRILL OF DRIVING By Tushar Burman
Road-tripping in Thailand
till buzzing from what must have been thousands of curves across just over a hundred kilometres of road, it occurred to us that perhaps we should take a break and refuel our bodies, since the Honda CB500X we were riding showed no signs of using any significant quantity of gasoline. We were at Pai canyon, a small lookout point for tourists along the highway with four food and one coffee stall. My spouse enjoys the occasional coffee, so she requested one. The beans were promptly ground in front of us, mixed with condensed milk, ice and water, and served in a convenient plastic container. All this while, I bit down on a prepackaged Tuna sandwich knowing full well that the nearest fresh tuna was at least 1200km away. Both the sandwich and coffee were fresh and delicious. If this was roughing it on a road trip, it’s exactly my style.
TGS LIFE JULY 16, 2016 PUNE
THRILL OF DRIVING
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here are many legends surrounding the birth of the Ford Mustang, one of America’s most well-known performance cars. I will avoid the word “iconic” because it’s so overused in this context that I challenge you to find a launch or drive report without it. One such legend has its name inspired by the legendary P51 Mustang fighter aircraft used by the USAF, which makes sense seeing its “aviation inspired” interior on this 2015 model we drove. Other stories tell of how the entire allocation of the original run of the Ford Mustang sold out in just a few months. It has been an immensely popular vehicle since its birth in 1964-65, and this is its 52nd year in continuous production, despite the challenges of the ‘70s oil crisis, various downturns and such. Other muscle cars have come, gone and been resurrected, but the Mustang has been a constant. The model Ford has launched in India is the Mustang GT and it wears all-new bodywork compared to the outgoing model. The previous generation started the “retro-futuristic” craze back in 2005 and has served the company well, spawning innumerable special editions and variations on performance and body style. This new model bears the same basic shape, but has a much more stylish, swoopy visage. The front is more aggressive with a wider grille and three slashes in each headlamp, while the rear looks more old-school with the same three-segment design following through. The classic long bonnet and short boot with a fastback roofline remains, covering a 2+2 cabin and a surprisingly roomy boot! It’s all very well executed, betraying no irony or cheesy nostalgia. This truly does look like many decades of progress have been made to get to this handsome shape. The Mustang is only available in the V8 engine option for India, which makes
perfect sense. There’s an intimate connect in most minds between muscle cars and big, brawny engines. That’s not to say that th
TGS LIFE
Perfect roads as far as the eye can see
are present and are best used in sport mode or one of the sharper driving modes. There are four of those, including a “Track” mode that turns off the traction control, unleashing all 515Nm upon the rear wheels. Some of our colleagues were caught unawares as their cars did unintended 180-degree turns. The Mustang isn’t for the hardcore trackjunkie, despite what the driving modes may say. The tendency is to safely understeer as opposed to snap-oversteer. Of course, you can get it to do the latter but it’s a deliberate effort. The upside is that it’s very easy to get used to and just, well, drive. Suspension is pliant and comfortable, ground clearance is generous, which should make it good to use in our road and traffic conditions. The interior is a bit bland — all black and grey surfaces, but with a surfeit of buttons. The steering wheel has no less than four separate clusters of buttons for various controls. Everything is generally where you expect it, save for the bonnet release, which is inexplicably in the passenger footwell. We had to get off the car for motorcycle to open the hood! Comfort is good, however, with supportive leather seats, usable rear seats (but not for adults), cup holders, armrest with storage, two west of Chiang Mai which is considered oneUSB of slots, an SD card reader and an 8” information/navigation screen. the best riding roads in Asia. Among the first All this at Rs 65 lac, ex-showroom Delhi, stopovers on this route is a popular, butshould still tiny which translate to about Rs 77 lac onroad.If Maharashtra town called Pai, which we visited. Chiang buyers will be disappointed however, as the recent revision in RTO taxes Mai were Pune, think of Pai asmeans Wai,thatexcept the imported Mustang GT will 140km away. probably cost north of Rs 80 lac. Still, in this price waterfalls segment, one’s options are cars like the Nestled in a valley replete with Audi TT and the Mercedes CLA 45 AMG. and lush greenery, Pai is a small with all-wheel drive and much Bothtown are smaller, a growing tourist population, sharper pioneered aroundby a track, but also less practical in terms of ground clearance, comfort and backpackers. It’s close enough to the border space. With the Mustang, you have the with Myanmar to have cultural heritage, influences of and enough space in the machismo for a verybut grand tour, as long as you leave the hill tribes in terms of food andboot clothing, Our Honda CB500X proved an able, fun and comfortable ride for our trip that giant spare tyre at home. significant enough to have all the infrastructural tushar@goldensparrow.com
TANKED-UP Datsun Redi-GO launched, starting at Rs 2.38 lac
is that there’s no inner lining flapping about behind the exterior shell. Those can be infuriating to put on and take off. Shima’s solution is to fuse the waterproof liner with the exterior shell. This makes for a slightly stiff feel, but far more comfortable in the long run. Fasteners are good, with a velcro cinch at the wrist and a larger velcro pad to secure the cuff, which is extra roomy to accommodate your sleeve, should you choose to wear the gloves over them. The velcro Hondapads themselves are CB500X not the typical sort, with the + Refinement, base (hooked) part being Fueling, practicality a - much Bland flatter, smoother material that catches less on TGS rating dri-fit material. Protection ;;;;2 is adequate for this sort of glove, with some leather in
VW launches Ameo compact sedan Sub-4m three-box starts at Rs 5.14 lac
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THRILL OF DRIVING
MIDDLE CHILD Hardcore performance is great for track days. Audi has a more everyday option @tburman
Minimal badging on the sides and at either end
W has finally put a price tag on its sub-4m sedan — the Ameo, and it’s very competitive. Evidently, the company has taken steps to address its reputation in making cars that are costlier to own than the competition. In this case, the Ameo ends up being cheaper than their own Polo hatchback, Currently, the Ameo is availabel only with a petrol engine — the same 1.2l MPI three-cylinder motor we’ve seen before in the Skoda Fabia and VW Polo. A diesel is promised soon. Volkswagen is touting several segment-firsts: rain-sensing wipers, static cornering lamps, cruise control and a centre armrest up front, but the kicker for us is that two airbags and ABS are standard on all variants, which is a big step forward at this price point. Visually, the Ameo looks very similar to its Polo and Vento cousins, with a slightly stubby-looking front and
back. The rear boot is expectedly short, but allows a bit more cargo volume than the Polo hatchback. It’s not the Large plenty prettiest integration of a boot thatboot we’vestores seen, but VW and is easy to access have been understated in their styling of the rear. In a front three-quarter view, the boot does not draw attention to itself, which is probably a good thing. Watch for a detailed review of the made-in-India Ameo next week. Prices:
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udi’s S line of cars don’t get the recognition they deserve. Sitting in between the standard models and the totally performance-oriented RS cars, they sit as the middle child, often overlooked. We have, on occasion, driven the RS5, RS7, even the R8 and come away impressed by the raw power they pack into seemingly standard body styles. But let’s face it: a wolf in sheep’s clothing isn’t likely to make you a nice wool coat. It’d rather eat the coat with you in it. Not so much the car on this page: the S5, which is what Audi calls a “sportback”, basically a sedan with a hatchback rear and more rakish roofline. In terms of size, it sits somewhere between an A4 and an A6 but ends up feeling surprisingly compact. Even in terms of performance potential, you could consider the S5 the middle child. There are sportscars in the lineup that make less power. Why then did Audi feel the need to paint the media car in this lurid yellow, we have no idea. It’s a unique shade for sure, akin to pure printer’s ink
R is equipped with Brembo monobloc callipers, Showa big piston forks, Öhlins rear suspension and Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa Tyres. The Thruxton R is priced at Rs 10.90 lac ex-showroom, Delhi. That’s a lot of bike for the money, and should appeal to a wide swath of motorcyclists with it’s “modern classic” vibe. This rounds out the new Bonneville platform with the Speed Twin, Bonneville T120 and Thruxton R coming in at attractive prices and all immediately available. Triumph continues to push aggressively forward in terms of models and marketing. There are more than a few lessons for some other manufacturers to learn.
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MERCEDES-BENZ GLC LAUNCHED AT RS 50.7 LAC JUNE 18, 2016 PUNE
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expanse of nice, flat luggage area and very easy to access thanks to the hatch opening. It’s a bit like THRILL the Skoda Octavias of old -- looking like sedansOF DRIVING with hatches hiding huge boots. On the go, the S5 is a refined experience. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is quick and smooth, and shifts gears with digital efficiency. Press the throttle with aggression and the gearbox quickly shifts down, releasing a nice V6 roar from the quad pipes out back. It’s a chatty car in that it likes to make nice growly noises when provoked, but never overpowers. The sound is enough for feedback and kicks, but does not cause discomfort. High-rev gearshifts release a nice crackle from the exhaust. Paddle shifters are present for those times when you think you know better than the car’s electronics. Driving modes can be chosen Dash is usual Audi fare. Dark two-tone upholstery between comfort, dynamic, efficiency or tailored and carbon trim look sporty to your individual tastes. Ride quality is where the generally luxurious experience breaks, with than anything else and it drew attention wherever the large wheels and relatively low profile tyres it went. Though, we suspect, it would pass under transmitting road imperfections to the passenger. the radar in a more sedate paint job. Few, if any Setting the car in ‘Comfort’ mode didn’t do much external features stand out. You have a typical in this regard. Audi front grille, headlamps and design language On our favourite, winding hill road, the S5 tweaked slightly to accommodate the curvaceous shone with its Quattro permanent all-wheel rear hatch. The red ‘S’ badges are also discreet on drive system. There’s always more grip than you the front and the back. need, and it works well with the performance of Step inside and the treatment is typical Audi. the motor. The specifications will surprise you if “Butat mom! my friends have SUVs with lower and the GL-class). Mercedes provides two If you’ve been in a recent A-type sedan, everything you drive the car before looking theAllbrochure: coefficients!”. IsV6! this a common refrain in engine options: the diesel GLC 220 d outputs is familiar. There’s the MMI screen, central console 329hp and 440Nm from thedrag supercharged your household? Tired of doing the school run 170hp and 400Nm of torque while the petrol and ergonomics as expected, but with a small, We’ve driven much angrier-feeling carsright angles? Mercedes GLC 300 outputs 245hp and 370Nm of torque. in an SUV that has only beendelivers listening tothis you and your burgeoning Officially, Mercedes has launched the fiddly jog dial. The steering wheel also with less power. Thhas e S5 ilk and is readyDespite to address this sticky problem. GLC ‘Edition 1’, which is their traditional was doesn’t have explicitly labelled phone capability with little drama. Verdict One is no longer stuck with the BMW X6 as of saying ‘first batch’. As they’ve done before, controls, which is something that being 4.7 metresthelong, the that S5 slices feelsthrough the air rather the Edition 1 cars come into the country as only SUV + Refinement, bashes itfootprint into submission. CBUs (fully imported). This is Mercedes’ sixth will confuse those coming from compact with than a small performance, The Mercedes-Benz other car brands. Upholstery is in width-wise. Visibility is good andGLC class of vehicles luxury SUV in the country, making their lineup was launched on 2 June, conveniently slotting the most comprehensive among the luxury car unique black and dark brown and there the flat-bottomed feels into thesteering sliver of space left between the GLEpurveyors. It’s just “nice” class and GLS-class (previously, the ML-class Expectedly, equipment levels are high. is much leather on display. There nice to till around good surfaces. are some lacquered carbon fibre The ORVMs could have done a TGS rating trim pieces along the door and other better job showing the sides and rear ;;;`2 surfaces as well, though we’re not sure if of the vehicle, but that could be down it’s the real thing. The seats are comfortable to personal preference. and supportive one-piece units for the front, lending The Audi S5 has plenty ofIn performance a surprise move, Mahindra launched vehicle from 0-80% charge in 1 hour and an all-electric feeling version of its Verito sedan, 45 minutes, is reserved only for the top (D6) a sporty look without being uncompromisingly potential, but keeps everything the eVerito, on 2 June. Mahindra variant. Fast charging needs to be done hardcore like the near-race seats you’d find in a comfortable and luxurious. It isdubbed an odd, middle claims that the sedan can go 110km on a at one of Mahindra’s designated charging sports car. child and we imagine it will have takers than fullless charge. The manufacturer is claiming stations, while a standard full charge takes costsbecause as low as Rs 1.15/km. 8 hours and 45 minutes using a 15-amp Rear legroom is good for a person of my size more overt sportscars or luxuryrunning sedans e eVerito also phones home home plug. Other features include (5’9”) but then, few grown men are actually my of the niche it occupies. That’sThan opportunity with a variety of information regenerative braking and a Claims a size, so we’d suggest a seating capacity of four for for the buyer who wants something diff erent. (Telematics). Fleet sales seem feature called REVIVE, which range of to becomes a likely target, especially is basically an 8km power maximum comfort. At least one passenger we rode Certainly no other car we’ve seen in this considering the aging Verito/ reserve for emergencies. You 110km on a with commented on how his i20 felt more spacious shade. At just north of Rs 69 lac ex-showroom, Logan platform. The eVerito don’t get airbags in any variant. full charge in the back. Again, apart from the “sport” theatre, the price will give you pause. You can buy more in key is available immediately Performance is about New Delhi, adequate for city use, which is there is little else to talk about. Open the hatch spacious luxury cars for less, or cities: more overt sports Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, where Mahindra is pitching the and it’s another world. Literally! Audi claims 480 cars for as much. Stuck in the middle again. Pune, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Jaipur, and eVerito. Top speed is claimed at 86kmph tushar@goldensparrow.com litres of cargo space, and we believe them. It’s a vast Nagpur. and the 110km range is dependent on load.
THRILL OF DRIVING
Marks the sixth luxury SUV that Mercedes sells in India
AMEO=POLO PLUS By Tushar Burman
bottomed steering wheel which feels nice to manipulate. If we were to nitpick, we’d say that the touchack in 2009, when Volkswagen introduced screen infotainment system is a bit smaller than the Polo in India, it was a breath of fresh on the hatch, but it serves the purpose perfectly air. At the time, the go-to car for the well and doesn’t end-up looking aftermarket like segment was the Maruti-Suzuki Swift, and some recent cars we’ve driven. You get steeringwhile the Fabia did exist to represent a European mounted controls, cruise control and a cooled contender, it was deemed too odd and expensive glove box for beverages on hot days. A centre for what it offered. Volkswagen was reeling from armrest is available for the driver which is a slim problems with the Skoda brand’s service and unit much like in the Vento. You don’t get rear cost complaints and didn’t want to repeat the AC vents behind it, however. same mistakes with VW. Fast-forward to 2016 Rear seat accommodations are quite and anecdotally, VW cars are still considered comfortable, and the extra knee room over the expensive to run (they’re not; this author owns a Polo hatch is apparent. Headroom at the rear is petrol Polo). VW has taken specific note of this at a premium, much like the Polo hatch, so those sentiment with the Ameo compact sedan, and with long torsos (or generous behinds) may hit has launched it for a very competitive price, even their heads on the roof. slightly undercutting the Polo hatchback! If you’ve read so far and are wondering where How they’ve achieved this was not the masala begins, well, it doesn’t. The Ameo immediately apparent to us on our long-ish test is striking in its anonymity. Even viewed from drive. The car is fundamentally the same inside the front 3/4 angle, one can barely discern the and out, save for the added boot. We drove the boot sticking slightly out of the rear. It’s a tiny Eighteen-inch alloys areHighline standard. Mercedes sunroof, lighting switchable petrol variant (the diesel motor will ambient extension of the body, to bewith sure, since the idea during Diwali) and fit, finish and quality and is to fit a sedan within fourbehind metres tothe qualify will provide an optionalcome off-road engineering colours levels, cargo bars rear to be on par with the hatch. Plastics for lower taxes. We’ve always liked the practical package that raises the appeared ride height by 20mm seat that liberate another 30 litres of luggage are just as pleasing to the touch, with no hollow, depth of the Polo boot, and this remains useful in and offers three additional ride modes: - find.space what an up EASYplasticky-feeling spots we off could The two-and the Ameo. Mercedes Only now, the calls volume goes from dashdrive and beige interior remain,PACK and make tailgate. 294 litres inDO the hatch to 330 in the sedan. It’s a road, incline and slippery.tone Five modes are WE HAVE YOUR the cabin feel airy. Bonus points for the flatminor bump, but it’s there. @tburman
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standard in the GLC: Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. Hill descent control is standard as well. We also see the use of Verdict Mercedes’ new 9G-TRONIC nine-speed + Safety,auto price transmission. - Marginal enginethe Slotting in below their range-topper, rating GLC understandably gets plentyTGS of comfort ;;;22 and convenience features. There’s a panoramic
ATTENTION YET? Safety is typical Mercedes fare: ABS, ESP, Crosswind-assist, PRE-SAFE, Attention Assist, Active Parking Assist, 7 airbags, LED headlamps and adaptive tail lamps. All this could be yours at Rs 50.7 lac for the diesel GLC 220 d, and Rs 50.9 lac for the GLC 300 petrol, ex-showroom, Pune.
It’s finally here: the Polo with a boot
The exterior of the boot itself is reasonably well integrated, and not as much of a tack-on like you’d find on the Swift Dzire. Not as good as the Ford Figo Aspire, but not bad. The tail lamps are simple and don’t draw attention to themselves. Styling seems to be borrowed from the Skoda design language, with a crease running across the otherwise slab-like boot lid. Everything seems to be designed to be anonymous. VW have had to adjust the front and rear overhangs accordingly, and the car ends up looking a bit stubbier than the hatch. The Ameo at present is only available in a petrol variant, utilising the venerable 1.2l MPI three-cylinder motor that does duty in the hatch. It generates 75PS and 110Nm of torque, which felt inadequate six years ago, and continues to be. It’s a flexible engine, to be sure, with useful low-end grunt that allows you to have a load of passengers and navigate inclines with grace rather than amateurish slipping of the clutch. However, there’s no getting around the rough sound of the three-cylinder and this author continues to field the same questions he’s had to with his own car: “is this a diesel?”. Once at highway speeds, it’s okay, but overtakes take effort. You do get cruise control, however, so that sort of balances things out a bit. The stiff suspension makes the car fun
Engine and interior mimic the Polo hatch
to drive, but is hard on all passengers. We really wish VW would do something about this. Perhaps the most important thing about the VW Ameo is the fact that it comes in at such a competitive price, and that it does so with two airbags and ABS as standard across variants. There are some segment-firsts such as rainsensing wipers, cruise control and auto up/down power windows with anti-pinch all-round, but that’s about it. The Ameo is a competent car at a competitive price about in the middle of the pack. You can get more features for more money with a Hyundai, but you get the secure, Teutonic feel of a well-built car with the VW. The petrol engine is a mixed bag, and we suspect many will wait for the diesel this Diwali. tushar@goldensparrow.com Watch a video overview here:
Mahindra launches all-electric eVerito
Triumph Bonneville Thruxton R launched for Rs 10.90 lac
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while remaining lightweight. Features are basic but thoughtful. There’s a water-resistant pocket within the shell at chest level for your phone, and a felt pocket above the waist for your glasses. Unfortunately, this pocket is unusable when the rain liner is in place. Zippers are of high quality as is the neck fastener, which uses velcro and has a soft pad where your neck meets the textile. The jacket comes with CEapproved armour in the shoulders, elbows, and along the back. Fit appears to be European, which will work well for slimmer riders. There are button fasteners on the sleeves to get a more snug fit, and velcro on the cuffs and waist. The RST mesh jacket will be available in this black/red combo, or the inverse: red/black. RST mesh jacket Price: Rs 9500 Buy at: Bay City Speed Shop (baycityspeedshop@gmail.com)
TGS LIFE
JULY 30, 2016
By Tushar Burman
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RST MESH JACKET
RST is a British manufacturer of motorcycle apparel that has recently become available in India. The distributor pegs them as a mid-tier brand, but we were impressed with the thought behind this jacket and its features. This is a basic textile/mesh jacket with a supplied, removable rain liner. Some background: it’s very hard to stay entirely dry in motorcycle gear unless you use an impermeable rain jacket over your kit or invest in much more expensive stuff. Rain liners are nice to have, but rarely foolproof. Thankfully, this RST jacket comes with a liner that zips into the shell using a long U-shaped zipper. Sleeves are held in place with small elasticated loops holding onto buttons on the liner. It’s a snug fit and doesn’t move around much. This design allows the jacket to be quite resistant to rain in light to medium rain,
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wo months after the release of the Bonneville T120, Triumph has rolled out Thruxton R in the Indian market. The 1200cc Thrurxton R runs on a high power, 8-valve, parallel twin engine generating just over 95hp and 112Nm of torque. This is a higher output version of the mill that powers the T120. The Thruxton R carries feature like ABS, ride-by-wire, traction control, torque assist clutch, LED DRL, LED rear light, an engine immobilizer and a USB charging socket. The bike also has riding modes to choose from: road, rain and sport. The equipment list continues; the Thruxton
B g dea
VISHAL KALE
p an I d rec ed ha a copy o he p an be g ven o a par es concerned apar rom he s a e s ch e arch ec or mprovemen a er he p an was subm ed The d v s on bench o us ce VM Kanade and us ce Swapna osh ssued he d rec on “The cond on o she er and remand homes n Maharash ra s d sma and n mos cases hese are n a d ap da ed cond on I a mode p an s prepared regard ng he amen es
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THRILL OF DRIVING
hen we last drove the TUV300 shortly after its launch, it was a pleasant surprise in its package, refinement and general ability around the city. At the time, we didn’t really take it on an extended highway jaunt and probably just as well; you see, in it’s previous guise, the TUV300 came with a modest 75hp output motor, which was fine in urban environs, but didn’t really have punch anywhere in the rev range. That has now changed with Mahindra calling this iteration the mHawk100 motor -- essentially the same thing but now putting out considerably more power and torque, up to 100hp and 240Nm. If you’ve read our previous assessment of the TUV300, not much has changed, save for our experience with other, more recent SUVs in and around the same segment. The TUV300 crossover/hatchback which was globally unveiled in is surprising in its nice interior accoutrements. A great AC, Out back are the jump seats that make this he SUV,urban technically, a very decent infotainment system with Bluetooth and iPod a 7-seater. It’s doable, but not comfortable for long journeys. Then April, Datsun’s Redi-GO finally makes its way to Indian roads. connectivity that works flawlessly, a nice two-tone Dash that again, have you seen how many passengers tourist cabs can pack The Redi-GO runs on a three-cylinder i-SAT engine mated looks contemporary and a quiet cabin that belies the intrinsic into a Scorpio these days? The jump seats fold 799 up andccrear seats nature of a three-cylinder Diesel engine. It should sound and feel fold down to liberate a lot of extra cargo room, you need it.manual transmission. It produces 53 hp, 72Nm of to ashould five-speed rough, but it doesn’t. Nothing in the SUV does. Call us picky but this author is not a fan of the TUV’s torque and delivers a fuel efficiency of 25.17 kmpl. The top speed Of particular interest to us in this new 100hp guise of the aesthetic. I’d prefer the front of the NuvoSport with a squat stance is 140 Kmph and the ground clearance is 185mm. The vehicle on TUV, was the suspension. You see, the Mahindra NuvoSport, instead of sharp corners and the face of Bane, Batman’s formidable which we also recently tested, uses the same engine, but has a foe. That said, with a top-end model, you do get at a nice display thefinish, press launch looked solid, with most details standing up problem with considerable body roll. Not so much with the TUV, decent looking alloys and wheels that fill their wells properly. to scrutiny. While it may be built to a cost, it looks good in the flesh which is controlled and feels more secure at highway speeds. It There are even some nice extras like a start-stop system (well, not andextends doesn’t also feels a bit firmer, but that’s a trade-off we’re willing to make: really nice in our traffic), an eco mode that rangebetray while it’s budget category. some more jerks to the spine in exchange of careening off a cliff sacrificing power, and static cornering lamps, Safety which are aisboon courtesy “Datsun PRO-SAFE7” which includes on a sharp bend. Engine performance is also on par with the when turning the wide vehicle in darkness. In fact, we’re confused braking NuvoSport, but after using the TUV’s manual transmission, we about why these features don’t make it toshortest the NuvoSport, whichdistance, high strength body shell to absorb impacts, ended up missing the AMT of the NuvoSport, which somehow gets cruise control as consolation. But thegood TUV doesn’t. Strange. visibility and wider view of the road, high bolster support while managed to keep things feeling sprightly. Still, it’s evident from the quality of thecornering, interior that the TUV absorbing steering and a driver airbag. energy With the benefit of hindsight and experience, we can also is meant to be a bit more upmarket. But it costs between 10 and Five personalized kit options are available: Urban, Style, Kool, say that the current TUV300 feels a bit heavy to steer compared 16,000 rupees LESS than the NuvoSport. Confused? So are we. to peers like the Vitara Brezza and NuvoSport, but retains the On our extended time with the TUV300, urban and Easy Kit - Premium. Colour options available Easywe’ve Kit done - Sporty surprisingly, far better than the NuvoSport practical turning radius we enjoyed previously. It’s squared-off commuting, Mumbai-Pune highway runs, multi-passenger are: White, Silver, Interior Grey,is,Ruby and Lime. The Datsun Redi-GO design (tank-like, according to Mahindra) has the benefit of outings and cargo runs, and we were unable to run the comes with warranty of 2 years/unlimited km andandthe car allowing excellent visibility while squeezing into tight tank dry, so anecdotally, the mHawk100 engine ais also with follow-me-home lamps, parking sensor other bellscan and be spaces, which the TUV can do despite its width. The quite efficient. Highway runs were usually whistles one expects in a India modern App’. vehicle. Mahindra is churning Verdict booked via cruising mobile app called ‘Datsun breadth manifests in internal space as well, with the between 100 and 120, which is where the vehicle out vehicles rapidly based on what are fast turning out to be + Refinement, front passenger having plenty of shoulder space. feels most comfortable. We’re sure the 240Nm is proven platforms. Perhaps at some point they will also consolidate performance, The rear seat is wide enough for three passengers capable of more sprightly performance, but the vehicles to be less confusing. As a parting googly: you can still buy price as well, though we did hear the odd complaint TUV300 weights 2.2 tonnes, so there’s only so the old, less powerful engine with the TUV300, but the new one - Heavy steering much it can do. The rest of it is up-to-date. Dual costs just Rs 8,000 more, so why would you? about jerks being transmitted up into the spine from rear passengers. airbags and ABS are present, as are keyless entry tushar@goldensparrow.com TGS rating ;;;`2
the palm area and a reinforced, soft pad on the knuckle. There’s a rubber screen wiper on each thumb, which worked very well on our rainy rides. Waterproofing is good, with light showers being repelled entirely. The D Tour WP do seem to run a bit large, so you might need to order one size smaller than your typical glove. Recommended. Shima D-Tour WP gloves PRICE: Rs 4800 BUY AT: Kombustion Imports & Exports Pvt Ltd (+91 87938 84215)
Legroom is decent at the back. Headroom is a bit tight for taller passengers.
The eVerito will be available in three variants with marginal differences between them. Unusually, fast-charging ability, which Mahindra claims can charge the
Prices start at Rs 9.5 lac ex-showroom, Delhi, for the D2 variant after state and FAME subsidies. The D4 and D6 variants cost Rs 9.75 and 10 lac respectively.
VISHAL KALE
Term ng as “d sma ” he cond on o ch dren s remand and she er homes n Maharash ra he Bombay H gh Cour has asked he s a e governmen o draw up a mode p an w h necessary amen es wh ch can be rep ca ed a over he s a e A d v s on bench headed by us ce VM Kanade was hear ng a pub c n eres ga on by one Kama S ngh over he ssue o poor cond on o remand and she er homes or ch dren n he s a e The cour a he as hear ng had asked he s a e o draw up a mode
wh ch can be prov ded n such homes hen can be mp emen ed a over he s a e ” sa d The cour no ed ha a presen voca ona ra n ng cen res are here on y n he remand homes n Pune and Mumba bu no ra n ng s be ng mpar ed here due o ack o c assroom space or eachers I sugges ed ha he remand home bu d ngs shou d be cons ruc ed n such a manner ha hese shou d have capac y o ca er o grow ng numbers over a eas he nex 50 years “We d rec he ch e eng neer o he s a e governmen o ook a sugges ons g ven by he par es nvo ved n h s ga on and come up w h a mode p an o remand home or ch dren ” he cour sa d I d rec ed he governmen o subm a repor on November 28 when wou d hear he ma er aga n PTI
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The TUV300 urban SUV gets more punch with a 100hp motor
VISHAL KALE
JUNE 11, 2016
By Tushar Burman @tburman
that Himachal Pradesh is likely to make more of a dent in your bank balance. Food, boarding and infrastructure are organised and consistent, typical of a nation that takes tourism seriously, and with pride. You never pass a street stall without a sing-song “Sawatdi-khaaaa” (Thai for namaste, quite literally), friendly smiles and a disarming lack of guile. Thailand also has strong cultural connects to India, having a Hindu and Buddhist history. It occasionally surprises the uninformed when encountering names and iconography from the Ramayan and other Hindu mythology. There is, in fact, a Thai version of the Ramayan on TV, with Ram played
Mustang, but the saving grace was that those were around the lauded Buddh International Circuit, India’s only F1 track. As you’d expect, the Mustang is pretty fast in a straight line. This time round, it isn’t too bad around the corners either, having an independent rear suspension instead of an ancient liveaxle type found in most generations of the car. This is clearly a grand-tourer sort of car. The suspension feels quite plush, there’s perceptible body roll when you’re hustling around the corners and Verdict things are generally smooth at + Comfort, speed. I suppose we should be price, heritage pleased as consumers that we’ve - Middling auto come to a point where we can gearbox actually buy much harder-core performance cars in this price TGS rating bracket. ;;;;2 The V8 sounds nice inside the cabin, but isn’t particularly evocative insideChiang or out. It’s butjump-off muted burble Maia isdeep your point that comes to the ear; no snap crackle and adventures pop drama of European tyre-burners. The India edition only comes with the 6-speed
TGS LIFE
THRILL OF DRIVING
MOTO GEAR
MOTORS IN THAILAND Riding or driving in the country is bound to feel familiar to an Indian tourist. For one thing, they drive on the left side of the road — a colonial vestige similar to ours. They accept International Driving Permits issued in India. Being part of the ASEAN region with a large contract manufacturing industry also means Shima a recently-released Polish brand of that vehicles tend to be similaris to what you’ll see on Indian roads. Toyota Innovas and Corollas,far less known than the typical motorcycle apparel, Suzuki Swifts, Nissans and familiar European gear you’ll see on your mates on a Sunday ride. luxury cars in urban areas. What you’re likely to they aren’t be unprepared for However, is the automotive culture of scrimping on their debut. customisation that If seems the is country. theto pervade catalog anything to go by, the lineup is It’s ridiculous! On my first day in Bangkok, I was thorough and top-notch betraying no cost-cutting. passed by a courier delivery truck with massive tested the D-Tour WP (waterproof) gloves oversize rims and We’ve tyres. Even cabs — whether licensed or Uber —and are seldom without an impressed. To begin with, have seen come away obligatory level of customisation. the price isis right: Rs 4800 for a pair of this kind Automotive enthusiasm even more is a good the dealThai indeed. evident in the two-wheelers ride. There are several things to Unlike in India, where culturally, we’re about Key is the fused liner, which like about the gloves. “bigger is better”, the Thai have a different take Shima calls NextFit/NextDry. What this means on their commuter vehicles. Step-thrus and
SHIMA D-TOUR WP GLOVES
THOROUGHBRED @tburman
MONSOON
Riding your motorcycle in the monsoon is a necessity for many, but it also brings out the adventurers. You’ve almost certainly got that Facebook friend who takes his bike to impossibly wet and dirty locations just because she can. If you’d like to follow suit but prefer to stay a bit drier, we have some kit you might want to consider
MOTORCYCLING THROUGH THAILAND niceties of the rest of Thailand. Think perfect 4G If you’re a motorcycling enthusiast, or have connectivity, AirBNB and the most incredible become one in the recent past, you’ve probably gourmet burger I’ve ever eaten on the street. The known or heard of someone who’s ridden a bike Pai river itself is popular for white water rafting around our ASEAN neighbour. In fact, there at various skill levels, and you can even take a is now a land route from North-East India slow boat to Laos, which takes two days and through Myanmar into Thailand. Heck, you costs just 1750 baht, or about 3500 rupees. In can go all the way to Singapore before you hit fact, our overnight stay and jaunt in the night the inevitable shore. There are many reasons to market ended up costing less than Rs 2000 for this, not least of which is the incredible road the two ofconverter us. Try getting that deal in Panchgani automatic. It’s a traditional torque you won’t be banging and down network. You’re very unlikely toso see a badly anyupnight of thetheyear. gearbox like a dual-clutch unit, but it’s okay. In potholed section of tar. In termsterms of distances, And that, in essence, is a microcosm of the of speed, it’s somewhere in the middle the country is about 1600km longofand 1000km experience you’re likely to have on any a economy automatictype and aofperformancedual-clutch. It can be sluggish, we across, so there’s plenty to explore.tuned Of particular road trip in but Thailand — it’s cheap to the point think it matches the character of the engine. note car” is the Mae Hong a long circuit sure, we’ve driven slower. Paddle shifters What else do you call a vehicle that the term “pony was coined for?Son loop --For
By Tushar Burman
black rubber piece. We think it goes rather well on our “modern classic” Ducati Scrambler. Grip is excellent, whether seated or standing, and it doesn’t rip up your pants or cause discomfort. Also useful is the fact that the adhesive allows you to remove and reposition the pads a number of times before losing efficacy. It also comes off without leaving residue. Grippy tank pads are one of the cheapest mods you can do to you bike to allow you to ride safer and more confidently. It certainly helps in the rains to make sure you stay on the bike. The Techspec pads are available for most popular bikes, or you can buy them in self-adhesive panels and cut them to suit your vehicle. Techspec ‘snakeskin’ tank pads PRICE: Rs 4000 - Rs 7500 depending on application BUY AT: Bay City Speed Shop (baycityspeedshop@gmail.com)
So close yet so far. Perfect reasons to take off for a motorcycle trip
by a Gujarati. He has a huge fan following! Having been (and motorcycled across) the country twice, I almost tend to take it personally when people refer to the country and its sex trade, as if the nation is one giant red light district. It isn’t, and you should definitely avoid visiting it with someone who holds that belief. This author travelled the length of the country with his spouse, feeling perfectly secure despite being a nervous traveller. It truly is a place where you can hit the road without any specific plan and come off the bike feeling like you’ve explored and seen something new.
@tburman
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JUNE 25, 2016
Judges ask the state government to draw up a model plan with necessary amenities which can be replicated all over the state
Regardless of what bike you ride, your knees and thighs are typically going to come into contact with the fuel tank/airbox cover, which is usually made of painted metal or plastic. The problem is that metal and plastic don’t stick very well to textile, nylon or any material that you’d typically wear as pants on a motorcycle ride. Anchoring to your bike with your knees and thighs is critical for safety and confidence. Most sport riders are familiar with grippy stickers that you can put in place on the sides of your tank to alleviate this. Techspec is one such brand, which makes a unique ‘snakeskin’ pattern rubber material that can be applied to your tank with adhesive. Unlike some other brands of grip pads that look like organic globs or some sort of acupressure surface, the Techspec item is a fairly basic,
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Condition of children’s homes dismal: Bombay High Court
TECHSPEC TANK PADS
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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
Living on the
FRINGE It’s an issue that has been hanging fire since 2012, even though the residents of the 34 fringe villages will benefit hugely from the merger of the villages in the PMC, from the provision of basic civic amenities, to the curbing of rampant illegal constructions that threaten the very air that people breathe. Is the state government’s delay of the merger fuelled by political and civic polls-tinged considerations?
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Mangadewadi Village Mangadewadi village lies next to Katraj, in a hilly area. With its current population of more than 17,000, the serious concern here is that people are constructing buildings on hill tops and hill slopes. So there are chances that buildings constructed on hill slopes may collapses and there could be loss of human lives. But nobody cares and the land mafia openly scoops out these hills. Sarpanch Ujwala Kamble said, “All villagers are ready to merge in PMC but the government is delaying
the process. We have put forth our two demands, regarding one km residential zone around the village, and regularising of constructions at the time of the merger process. We have our own limitations as the gram panchayat has little revenue for development work in the village.” Resident Vilas Mangade said, “There
Population 17,000 Registered properties 4,000 plus
is an urgent need to merge our village into PMC, or else villagers will do constructions on all hill slopes and hill tops as well. The lungs of Pune city, if these hills are encroached on by these builders, how can we get fresh air to breathe? It is a serious threat to the bio-diversity of the city as well. Right now the village gets water supply from a well near Katraj lake, but the lake is being polluted and dirty water is being supplied in the village. With a merger, the villages will get planned development and civic amnesties as well.”
Gram panchayat Nine members Annual revenue of panchayat Rs 52 lakh
The uncontrolled c
BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar
he merger within Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits of the 34 fringe villages of Pune has been pending since 2012, for the want of the state government’s consent. Activists from these villages had knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, regarding the state government delay in the merger process. On October 27, the HC rejected the state government proposal, to give more time for the filing of the affidavit regarding the merger of these 34 villages into PMC. The PMC general body had passed the proposal to merge the 34 villages into PMC limits, and sent it to the state government. As a result, there are huge unplanned constructions going on in these villages. These unplanned buildings have rendered an unwanted narrowing of the villages’ roads. People have even constructed houses on hill tops and slopes. The residents of these villages are deprived of basic amenities like regular water supply, drainage facility, there is garbage dumped in the open, there are no street lights, public toilets, medical facilities, nor playgrounds for children, no gardens. They have been denied a school facility by the gram panchayats. The residents are disturbed by the coming up of a concrete jungle that the rampant construction has created. The heavyweight real estate kingpins do as they please in the absence of a regulating authority at the gram panchayat level. Unscrupulous people with their muscle power, and political backing are even constructing buildings on government lands. Encroachment on government lands is common, and they are even prone to encroach on the properties of individuals too weak to resist. People with meagre budgets purchase flats in such housing schemes owing to the low prices compared to constructions under PMC limits. Property tax is very low in these villages as they fall under gram panchayats. Even the corporates register their companies in the gram panchayats, while conducting their business in Pune city, by opening branches in city areas. There is therefore, an urgent need to merge these villages into PMC, the drawing up of a plan for systematic development of these fringe villages, lest the situation deteriorates further, leading to a veritable chaos, from which the common man is likely to suffer the most. It all began in October 2012 when the then Congress-NCP led state government issued a notification, directing the PMC to initiate the process of merging fringe villages with Pune city. Earlier there were only 28 villages in the merger proposal made by PMC. The general body had approved the merger after much debate, in November 2012. But several elected members had demanded that six more villages be included in the plan. So a separate proposal was initiated by the general body in 2013, and a final notification for the 34 villages merger was issued in June 2014. PMC even take invited suggestions and objections from villagers regarding the merger of their villages into PMC. Though a majority of locals were in favour of the merger, the BJPShiv Sena led state government did not take the decision to merge these 34 villages in PMC. Political pandits said that the BJP-Shiv Sena government averted the decision owing to the huge voter support the NCP and Congress enjoy in these 34 villages. With the PMC elections scheduled for February 2017, the BJP-Shiv Sena do not want to forfeit control of the civic body. The villages slated for merger are Mhalunge, Sus, Bavdhan, Kirkitwadi, Pisoli, remaining parts of Lohegaon, Kondhwe-Dhawade, Kopre, Nanded, Khadakwasla, Shivane, remaining parts of Hadapsar, Mundhwa (remaining parts of Keshavnagar), Manjri, Narhe, Ambegaon (Budruk), Undri, Dhayari, Ambegaon (Khurd), Urali Devachi, Mantarwadi, Holkarwadi, Handewadi, Wadachiwadi, Shewalewadi, Phursungi, Yewalewadi remaining part, Nandoshi, Mangdewadi, Bhilarewadi, Gujar Nimbalkarwadi, Katraj gaothan remaining part, Jambhulwadi and Kolewadi. TGS did a ground survey of five villages on the merger list, and discovered the unchecked concretisation of the villages, what with unplanned mushrooming of constructions. Meanwhile the common residents of the villages have no option but to make do without even basic civic amenities. tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com
The brazen manner in which people are putting up buildings on hill tops and slopes, poses the potential danger of building collapses and such
Soil is scooped ou
Narhe Village Narhe is one of fastest developing village among these 34 to be merged in PMC. This village has an industrial area in its jurisdiction as well and is considered to have great revenue generating potential. Narhe has been a priority place for flat and property buyers since the last couple of years. Its proximity to Vadgaon, which is in PMC limits, gives Narhe its attraction. Rampant unplanned constructions are creating lots of civic as well as crime related problems in the village. There are 46 people including gramsevaks employed by the gram panchayat office. Some buildings collapsed a few years ago but illegal constructions continue in Narhe village. The roads are in a sorry state with potholes galore. Resident Rajabhau Wadekar said, “Property tax is the major revenue source of this village. But thousands of properties
have not come into the property tax net because the property owners have not registered their properties in the gram panchayat. The builders lobby is very strong here in Narhe. They use their money power to do constructions anyway they want. Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) only sends notices to illegal constructions in Narhe but does not take any concrete action against such offenders.” Sarpanch Bhushan Ranawade said, “Villagers are eager to merge in PMC but now this merger proposal is pending with the state government. The gram panchayat have five garbage-collecting vans, and 46 employees. But providing civic amnesties like roads, water supply, garbage clearance, drainage, street lights for a huge and growing population is not possible for the gram panchayat.”
The sorry state of this road that people use everyday tells its own story
Population 27,000
Registered propertie 12,388 Gram panchayat 11 members
Annual revenue of p Rs eight crore
Workshops, godowns line this narrow street
Khadakwasla Village It lies on the banks of Khadakwasla dam, the main source of water supply to Pune city. Khadakwasla village has more than 700 acres of land reserved for the National Defence Academy (NDA). Earlier, agriculture was the sole occupation for the villagers. But with the expansion of Pune, the value of land in Khadakwasla skyrocketed, and many villagers sold their agriculture land to builders, so much so that now there is no agriculture land in the village. Village youth work in the city in various fields. The road to Khadakwasla from Pune is always crowded with vehicles and traffic snarls are common. Some people have constructed buildings on the hills as well. As this area is adjacent to DSK Vishwa and Nanded city, there is huge rush of property buyers here, and unplanned construction has been rampant in recent years. Khadakwasla resident Ravi Phule said, “Majority of villagers of Khadakwasla have now become developers. There is not vacant Population land in the village and everywhere there is construction. If this 27,000 village does not merge in PMC and this unplanned construction continues, we will not even have land to set up a crematorium. Registered properties There should be control over constructions, or else the situation 11,500 will get worse and people never will get basic civic amnesties. Villagers are ready to merge into PMC but political people are Gram panchayat stopping the move.” 15 members Deputy Sarpanch Janabai Randheer said, “Majority of our villagers have constructed concrete buildings, but they have not Annual revenue of panchayat registered these properties with the gram panchayat. So the Rs 3.4 crore gram panchayat did not get its benefits in the form of property tax. The gram panchayat is unable to control constructions as we do not have the required mechanism for it, nor the power to demolish these constructions. If these villages are merged into PMC, it will put a stop to all these illegal constructions.” Village resident Sachin Kharade said, “The state government is delaying the issue of our village’s merger in PMC. The court has directed the state government to implement the merger process of these villages as early as possible, but the state government delaying the process by taking undue time to file an affidavit in court. Not a single village out of these 34 has opposed the move to merge these villages into PMC. As government delays the process, complications will increase, and then even after merging of these villages, The broken surface of this road is encroached on both sides with buildings problems will not get solve because of unauthorised work currently going on in the village.”
The road from Pune to Khadakwasla is always congested with vehicular traffic
This dirt road serves as thoroughfare for the population of this area
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
Shivane Village
construction spree has resulted in buildings rising close to each other, leading to narrow thoroughfares in the village
ut from hill tops and slopes indiscriminately and transported in dumpers
Bavdhan (Budruk) Village
es
panchayat
Village Shivane has a population of nearly 28,000. It lies to the south of Pune city. Its gram panchayat has 13 members. There are 43 people working in the panchayat office. Shivane has become one of favourite destination for new flat and property buyers in Pune and real estate prices are sky-high. There has been rampant construction here for the last couple of years. Being close to the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway and near the city from the Malwadi side, Shivane is home to construction workers, vegetable and fruit sellers. It is close to posh Nanded city. Shivane residents have constructed posh concrete homes, but without observing the basic rules like roads, and drainage. As a result, there are narrow lanes between concrete buildings at Shivane. The residents have had enough but they are unable to curb the powerful and unscrupulous builders’ lobby, who continue with their unplanned construction activities, putting up high-rise structures, using money and muscle power. Sarpanch Kusum Dangat said, “The villagers have already given their consent to merge our village in PMC, as they all want One of the busiest roads in Shivane, and it is in a deplorable state urban facilities like education, health, garbage management, drinking water, roads etc, which the gram panchayat has not been able to provide because of the panchayat’s meagre revenue. The gram panchayat relies heavily on funds from the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti for development projects, Population but the truth is that we get 28,000 even less funds from both of them. The gram panchayat Gram panchayat has its own limitations in 13 members terms of a machinery to curb encroachments. Since there Annual revenue of panchayat are no development controls Rs 3.5 crore rules, people are constructing multi-storey buildings as they want. They first complete the construction and then register the property with the gram panchayat. Some have not registered properties at the gram panchayat even after constructing buildings. So the panchayat does not have an exact assessment of Passing through this road means putting on a circus act properties in its jurisdiction.” Shivane resident Ramesh Rawale said, “In Shivane, 90 per cent of constructions are illegal. Land in Shivane was agriculture land but land owners are constructing buildings on it without converting it into non-agriculture land. The situation now is that there is no agriculture land left in Shivane. Most land owners have not registered their properties at gram panchayat office even after constructing buildings on their land. Such unassessed properties have mushroomed in Shivane in the last couple of years. The residents now are faced with the problems of narrow roads, no drainage, garbage dumped in the open near nallahs and on roadsides. Some landlords have constructed buildings on the roads itself leaving residents with cramped and narrow lanes. Shivane gets its water supply from Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran, but it is very limited and the pressure of water is very low. Many people are deprived of proper and adequate water supply. It is time the state government merges this village into PMC and curbs these unplanned construction activities lest our Another busy construction site future generations are left without gardens and playgrounds.” Deputy Sarpanch Sandip Deshmukh said, “Our villagers are ready to merge into PMC, as they believe that they will get at least some basic facilities like education, playgrounds, gardens and hospitals. The gram panchayat does not have enough money to provide citizens with these basic civic amenities. The panchayat relies on funds from ZP and state government for development works. But these funds often reach late so it is not possible for us to implement them properly for development work. Currently garbage is being dump on private land but if the owner of the land stops us from doing so in future, the panchayat will be left without a dumping ground.” Another resident Ashok Jadhav said, “Once village Shivane gets merged in PMC, we will get filtered water supply, garbage lifting facility, health care facility, playgrounds for our children and a garden as well, because the municipal corporation works according to proper development plans. The unplanned constructions will stop we will be able to breathe easy. Otherwise the lands mafia will turn Shivane into a cement Garbage dumped indiscriminately in a nallah concrete jungle.”
AUTHORITY BYTES It is a fact that the collector’s office and state town planning department are flooded with applications seeking building permissions from these 34 villages. But to control illegal constructions in these villages, the district administration has decided to keep a satellite watch on constructions work going on in these villages. In the coming days, action will be taken against illegal constructions.
The menace of unplanned constructions
Bavdhan is to the west of the city, near the Kothrud area, and it has become an educational hub. Huge constructions sites have mushroomed around the village, with 10- and 12-storey building coming up. The village does not have proper water supply. In the monsoons water is supplied in the village by tankers. Bavdhan resident Ramesh Dagade said, “It is necessary to merge this village in PMC because it will benefit villagers in the form of civic facilities like water supply, drainage and garbage clearance. The gram panchayat has mini trucks to collect garbage but this garbage is dumped in the open without processing. Once the village is merged into the municipal corporation, there will be systematic development and illegal constructions in the village will fully stop.”
-Saurabh Rao
Pune District Collector Vehicles parked at roadsides
PMC has already sent a proposal for the merger of these 34 villages, to the state government in 2014. We requested the state government for Rs 2,000 crore at the time of the merger for providing fundamental facilities, of which Rs 302 crore is for water supply, Rs 164 crore for drainage line, and Rs 1500 crore for roads development in these villages. But the Fadnavisled state government has not taken any decision regarding merger of these villages, despite a court directive.
Population 25,000 Registered properties 14,000 Gram panchayat 13 members Annual revenue of panchayat Rs seven crore
-Prashant Jagtap An under construction site
Pune Mayor
The population and illegal construction activities in these villages have grown rapidly. Therefore I filed PIL in Mumbai High Court seeking immediate decision from the state government regarding merger of these 34 villages in PMC. But the state government keeps requesting the court for time for the submission of an affidavit in court. The BJP-led government actually fears losing the upcoming PMC elections if these villages are merged in PMC. Therefore the government delaying the merger process but they have to have to take a decision regarding the merger of these 34 villages.
- Shrirang Chavan
Activist who filed PIL in court regarding immediate merger of villages in PMC
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
TECH/START-UP
PUNE
Centre halts Kerala’s Siruvani dam plan
“In Japan, the Nintendo Wii2 has been nicknamed the “Weenie” (Wii-ni) because the Japanese number for two is ‘ni’.”
P 10
Top tech trends for 2017 Technology watcher, Gartner, has listed the strategic trends that businesses will encounter in the coming year. Some of them will touch the rest of us
When it comes to crystal ball gazing in the technology arena, Gartner, they say is the goods. Corporates swear by them to set their own sails into the uncertain seas of global enterprise. What Gartner, defines as strategic technology is something that is beginning to break out of now and will reach critical mass, five years from today. Inevitably, lay users of the Internet will be impacted by some or many of these tech trends. For students and young professionals, it makes sense to keep tabs on these trends since Gartner predictions are the stuff of interview questions. We have tried to simplify the jargon to help you create your own cheat sheet! The tech ten fall into three categories: The first three are about intelligent systems and Artificial Intelligence. Software will have to adapt and ‘learn on the job’. The next three concern the collision between the physical and digital universe. The last four concentrate on the services which will exploit the digital and intelligent tools that make up the first six. The top 10 strategic technology trends for 2017 are: 1. AI and Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced Machine Learning (ML) will include neural networks—that is electrical networks that mimic the human brain. Today they take the form of rules that drive any process. Tomorrow they will morph into Smart Machines that are seemingly “intelligent.” 2. Intelligent Apps Intelligent apps are already here—as Virtual Private Assistants like the iPhone’s Siri or Microsoft Windows’ Cortana—and perform some of the functions of a human assistant to whom you can talk. In the offing are newer intelligent apps such as Virtual Customer Assistants (VCAs) for more specialized tasks in areas such as sales and customer service. Get set to see a revolution in the workplace
and in stores with such apps. 3. Intelligent Things Intelligent things refer to physical things that exploit applied AI and machine learning to deliver advanced behaviors and interact more naturally with their surroundings and with people. Examples are drones, autonomous (self drive) vehicles and smart appliances.
The Google “Home” voice activated speaker is a smart assistant for the home
4. Virtual and Augmented Reality Immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), transform the way individuals interact with one another and with software systems. As we reported in this space last week, VR is becoming mainstream, thanks to affordable mobile-phone-friendly headsets. AR was first brought to market by Google Glass but it was pricey technology. Tomorrow VR and AR will merge to form a more seamless system of devices delivering a flow of information that comes to the user through personalized apps and services. This will come through things like mobile, wearable technologies and Internet of Things (IoT). Rooms and spaces will become active partners of the people in them.
5. Digital Twin A digital twin is a new and somewhat complex concept to understand: a dynamic software model of a physical thing . Within three to five years, hundreds of millions of things will be represented by digital twins. For example if an equipment you own gets bad, it can be repaired by working on a software version or twin. They are saying digital twins will eventually become proxies for traditional people skills and monitoring devices and controls like pressure gauges, valves etc. 6. Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers Blockchain is something familiar to everyone who has used bitcoins—though they may not know it! It is a type of distributed ledger in which transactions (in bitcoin or other tokens) are sequentially grouped into blocks. Each “block” is “chained” to the previous block and recorded across a network, using secret coding. The current hype of Blockchain is mainly in financial services: Tomorrow, invoices will pay themselves when a shipment arrives or share certificates will automatically send their owners dividends if profits reach a certain level. There are many possible applications including music distribution, identity verification, title registry etc. 7. Conversational Systems The current focus for conversational interfaces is focused on chatbots and microphone-enabled devices (e.g., speakers, smart phones, tablets, PCs, automobiles). Google voice activated speaker, “Home” will soon be available ( it is being launched globally next week for $ 129) and will
Headphones for all tastes BY VISHNU ANAND QHMPL 855: Affordable general purpose headset Delhi-based IT peripherals player Quantum Hitech has just launched an affordable wired headset. QHM855 offers comfortable hearing with a soft headband and well cushioned onear pieces. There is no active noise cancelling (that would cost a lot more) but the cushions serve to dampen the outside noise. While covering the full audio range, there seems to be a boosting of the bass frequencies. Connectivity is provided with a 2-metre cable terminating in gold plated audio 3.5 mm jack. Usefully the cable also has a parallel connector with a USB
Pune-based energy institute is preparing project report for... BY ANAND PARTHASARATHY The Kochi Metro Rail slated to open next year, will be the nation’s first solar-powered mass transit system—and a Pune-based non-profit organization is helping to make it happen. At the Kalyani Nagar headquarters of the the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE), scientists are even now preparing the feasibility study and detailed project report (DPR) for a massive solar energy farm to be located on a 40,000 sq. metre parcel of land at Muttom, Ernakulam district where Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) houses the maintenance yard of the line. WISE won the contract in competition with 8 other agencies and is expected to complete the work this month. The Kochi Metro is already in the process of installing solar panels on the roofs of all 22 stations of the line which runs from Aluva town to Petta (nearThripunithura) via Ernakulam. This will contribute 4 MW of solar power. When the WISE plan is implemented it is expected to more than match the solar power that the stations will contribute --
jack for devices like PCs and tablets. Volume is controlled with a slider on the cord. This is a good value at Rs 960. HyperX Stinger: Made for Gaming The HyperX Stinger, from Kingston (better known for its Flash storage line) is made for the serious gaming enthusiast, though there is really no reason why audio fans can’t enjoy it as well. Weighing just 275 grams, it is easy on the ears. The foam cups sit snuggly, once you have adjusted the steel extender for comfort. The microphone
serve as a speaking smart controller for multiple devices in the home. Amazon came out first with a similar product— Echo—which is not launched in India. In future a ‘digital mesh’ will embrace people, social communities, governments and businesses. The device mesh will move beyond the traditional desktop computer and mobile devices to encompass the full range of endpoints with which humans might interact. 8. Mesh App and Service Architecture In the mesh app and service architecture (MASA), mobile apps, web apps, desktop apps and IoT apps link to a broad mesh of back-end services to create what to users will simply look like an “application.” 9. Digital Technology Platforms Digital technology platforms will provide the future basic building blocks for a digital business. Gartner has identified the five major focal points—information systems, customer experience, analytics and intelligence, the IoT, and business ecosystems. Every organization will have some mix of these five digital technology platforms. They will be the basic building blocks for a digital business tomorrow. 10. Adaptive Security Architecture The digital mesh and other digital technology platforms will only make for an ever-more-complex world for security. IoT is a new frontier and may end up creating new vulnerability areas and often requiring new remediation tools and processes. The full Gartner report “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017”, can be downloaded for free at this link: http:// www.gartner.com/technology/research/top10-technology-trends/ IndiaTechOnline
has a built-in mute function. Swivel it up and it mutes. Swing it down to your face and it is ready for you to talk. The volume control is a slider on the right hand cup. The output is reasonable at 500 mW over the full audible range18 Hz - 23 KHz. Connectivity is through a standard 3.5 mm audio plug which will go directly with all standard games consoles like PS4, Wii and XBox. To connect to a PC you can use the extender provided with the standard green and red tips. The HyperX Stinger headset retails for Rs 4599, but is currently enjoying a festival rate of Rs 3999 at Amazon— which is closer to its international price of $ 50. IndiaTechOnline
India’s first ‘green’ Metro railway making the Kochi Metro completely self sufficient in electricity. Since 2004, WISE has promoted sustainable energy and development, with emphasis on renewable energy, energy security, energy efficiency, and climate change. It has been influencing public policy through research, advocacy, development of action plans and road maps, capacity building, training and outreach activities. Founder-Director G. M. Pillai, a member of the IAS since 1976, has earlier
Trial Run of Kochi Metro Railway
been Principal Secretary to Government of Maharashtra , senior adviser to UNDP and Director General of the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA). In the decade and more since it was started, WISE has completed around 100 projects similar to the Kochi Metro task, including organizing over 40 training programmes and major conferences, spanning across 14 major industrial and non-industrial states in India. In fact it has contributed earlier to mapping Kerala’s non conventional
resources with a 2013 study , jointly with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) entitled: “The Energy Report: Kerala 100% renewable energy by 2050”. WISE is currently engaged with a feasibility study for car parking shed with power generation through solar panels for Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd., in the Middle East; a project report for roof top solar panels at various production units of the National Mineral Development Corporation in Chattisgarh , Telangana, and Karnataka and is doing a feasibility analysis of a 5 MW solar power project for MEDA in Sangli district. Pune is also a hub for a WISE project with the European Union, for smoothing India’s transition towards low carbon development by supporting implementation of national policies and programmes, through the development of offshore wind power, for the first time ever in this country. To quote this year’s Nobel literature laureate Bob Dylan, a new green message is “blowin’ in the wind”—and it’s blowing from Pune. IndiaTechOnline
FILE SWAPPING APPS Share Karo!
Here are some apps to enable secure file transfers without Internet or data charges
BY V. SUDHAKSHINA When we are out with our gang or attending an office party or family function, we end up clicking hundreds of pictures from our phone. The real trouble starts when you have to share these pictures with all your friends, colleagues and family members. Mailing or transferring from an USB stick has become old school. Nowadays we rely a lot on messenger tools. While these platforms don’t charge you anything for file transfers, the data charges can be really high if you are sharing too many pictures and videos. But there are other convenient and cheap ways for swapping files. Here are a few apps that enable file transfer without incurring any data charges: Xender: Mobile-to-mobile transfers are easy but the most inconvenient thing is to transfer files from your mobile to PC. Using the USB cables to connect your mobile and computer and going through all that process of searching for your files stored in different folders is too much work. Xender is a file sharing app that allows you to transfer between phones, tablets, PC and Mac devices and supports connections between Android, iOS and Windows operating systems. Claimed to be one of the fastest file transfer app, Xender allows group sharing to up to four devices. It comes with a smartphone replication feature that allows you to copy contacts, SMSs, games, and other files from your old device to a new one. The app is now available for free download at Google Play and Apple iTunes store. SHAREit: Developed by Lenovo, this is also a cross platform app that allows wireless file sharing between multiple devices. The app automatically connects with nearby devices and enables 200 times faster transfers than Bluetooth... up to 10 MBPS. You can share documents, images, videos, etc; without any size restrictions. SHAREit doesn’t involve any third party cloud providers and saves all the files directly to your devices, which might interest those who are concerned with security and privacy. The free app supports Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Send Anywhere: If you are someone who is paranoid about sensitive contents of your files being leaked, you can rest your fears with the Send Anywhere app. This doesn’t not involve any web servers and also gives its users a six digit password to securely transfer files without any third party intervention of any sorts. It uses the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption method and transfers data immediately using WiFiDirect instead of storing it on servers. Hence, the app comes with a limited file transferring time. Send Anywhere enables sharing across various devices without any file size restriction. The app is now available for free download for Android, iOS, and Windows devices.
IT is like that...
ENVIRONMENT “People should take care of their health considering the change in weather. People suffering from prolonged fever must get themselves checked at the hospitals without any delay.” - Anil Roy, Medical Officer of Health, PCMC
H EALTH
Paediatrics body has warned parents to stay away from teething tablets that contain belladonna and gels with benzocaine, citing FDA warnings
BY DR KS PARTHASARATHY
the child experiences seizures, shows difficulty in breathing, shows lethargy and becomes excessively sleepy. The child may suffer from muscle weakness, skin flushing, constipation, difficulty urinating, or agitation after using homeopathic teething tablets or gels. “Teething can be managed without prescription or over-the-counter remedies,” the bulletin quoted Dr Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The American Academy of Paediatrics’ (AAP ) has warned parents to stay away from teething tablets that contain belladonna and gels with benzocaine, citing the FDA warnings and the potential side effects (CNN October 5, 2016). AAP suggested giving the baby “a wet washcloth chilled in the freezer for
300 mn children breathing toxic air Two-hundred and twenty million children in South Asia region including India, among nearly 300 million globally, currently live in areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds international guidelines by at least six times, according to a new report released by UNICEF. The study, Clear the Air for Children, based on satellite imagery, in the first analysis of its kind, has categorised the affected areas based on the quantum of particulate matter, ranging from 10 to 60 g/m3 (the amount of micrograms of ultrafine particulate matter per cubic metre of air that constitutes a long term hazard). “Around 300 million children currently live in areas where the air is toxic exceeding international limits by at least six times. In total, around 2 billion
children live in areas that exceed the World Health Organisation annual limit of 10 g/m3,” the report says. Of the 300 million global figure for PM 2.5 annual mean exceeding 60 g/m3, 220 million children belong to South Asia region, which includes India and neighbouring countries. 450 million children breathing toxic air in East Asia and the Pacific region, 200 million in Eastern and Southern Africa and 240 million in West and Central Africa for the 10 g/m3 category, it added. “The sheer numbers of children affected are staggering. Globally, air pollution affects children in low-income and middleincome countries more. PTI
15 to 30 minutes, a frozen banana or berries if you’ve introduced solids, solid (not liquid-fi lled) teething rings chilled in the fridge or freezer”, “something that’s cool to touch but tough to chew on”, (https://www.healthychildren.org/ English/ages-stages/ baby/teething-toothcare/Pages/How-to-HelpTeethingSymptoms-without-Medications.aspx). The FDA is analysing adverse events reported to the agency regarding homoeopathic teething tablets and gels, including seizures in infants and children who consumed these products, since issuing a 2010 safety alert about homeopathic teething tablets. The agency is currently investigating this issue, including testing product samples and will continue to communicate with the public, as more information is available. The FDA stated that it has not evaluated the homoeopathic teething
‘India should speed up nuke electricity plan’
100-megawatt pilot project likely to be installed in ocean off Gujarat in three years
India will get electricity generated by windpropelled plants installed in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in about five years as part of the country’s green Mathias Steck energy development programmes, an energy expert has said. “We are preparing India for offshore wind (and) providing MNRE a road map for offshore wind for Gujarat and Tamil Nadu,” said Mathias Steck, Executive Vice President and Regional Manager at DNV GL, an international renewable energy group. “It would take three to five years that we see commercial offshore winds projects in India,” said Steck who is an expert in renewable energy at DNV GL, which has a 30-consultant team in India and made its entry into the Indian market in 1989.
A 100-megawatt pilot project will likely be installed in ocean off Gujarat in about three years, he said on the sidelines of the Singapore International Energy Week held last week. It is to kick-start a new power generating sector under the Facilitating Offshore Wind in Industry (FOWIND) programme funded by the European Union. A FOWIND consortium has done a series of report on wind conditions for wind-generated electricity and its integration into a grid along the
tablets and gels for safety or efficacy or approved them. According to the agency, it is also not aware of any proven health benefit of the products, which are labeled to relieve teething symptoms in children. As is its common practice, the FDA encourages health care professionals and consumers to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of homoeopathic teething tablets or gels to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme. Apparently, FDA is yet to prepare a full dossier on the adverse incidents. An earlier FDA press release on the topic issued on October 23, 2010 and updated on April 19, 2013 is almost identical. It also named Hyland’s teething tablets in that release. Diehard supporter of homoeopathy raised six “red flags”, against the FDA’s advisory to assert, “Why I’m Not Th rowing out My Homoeopathic Teething Tablets” in her blog (http://w w w. l iv i n g w h o l e. o r g / im - n o t - t h r o w i n g - homeopathic-teethingtablets). In effect, she supported the arguments of Hyland’s, colourfully, persuasively and in an emotionally telling language! A diehard naturopath, she is critical of every action of FDA. US/FDA has reasons to act. Parents must think twice before purchasing these potentially harmful products from medical stores or on line. PTI Feature
PUNE
coastlines of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. FOWIND is supported by Euro 4 million grant from the IndoEuropean Cooperation on Renewable Energy programme and Euro 500,000 contribution through the Gujarat Power Corp Ltd (GPCL). The consortium, Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), comprises GPCL, DNV GL, the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), and the World Institute of Sustainable Energy (WISE). The project is being implemented in close cooperation with Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and National Institute of Wind Energy. “Over the time DNV GL has been in India, we have looked over 50-gigawatt of onshore wind projects,” he said, adding “this is a market leading position” as DNV GL works for a large number of clients in renewable energy projects. DNV GL is also looking at prospects in solar and tidal wave energies in India, Steck added. PTI
2030: Cancer to kill 5.5mn women a year Cancer will kill 5.5 million women about the population of Denmark - per year by 2030, a near 60-per cent increase in less than two decades, a report said today. As the global population grows and ages, the highest toll will be among women in poor and middle-income countries, it said, and much of it from cancers which are largely preventable. “Most of the deaths occur in youngand middle-aged adults,”, placing a heavy burden on families and national economies, said Sally Cowal, senior vice president of global health at the American Cancer Society, which compiled the report with pharmaceutical company Merck. The review “highlights the large geographic inequality in availability of resources and preventive measures and treatment to combat the growing burden of cancer,” she told AFP. Cancer is already killing one in seven women around the world, said the report - the second highest cause of death after cardiovascular disease. All four of the deadliest cancers - breast, colorectal, lung and cervical cancer - are
mostly preventable or can be detected early, when treatment is more successful. In poorer countries, a much smaller proportion of cancer cases are diagnosed and treated than in rich ones, while a much bigger group dies. The relative burden is growing for developing countries as people live longer due to better basic healthcare. Women in these countries are also increasingly exposed to known cancer risk factors “associated with rapid economic transition,” said Cowal, “such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, obesity, and reproductive factors” such as postponing motherhood. “Due to these changes, cancers that were once common only in high-income countries are becoming more prevalent,” said the report entitled “The Global Burden of Cancer in Women.” It was presented at the World Cancer Congress in Paris. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the biggest concentration is in eastern Asia, with 1.7 million cases and a million deaths in 2012, mainly in China. PTI
! T S E NE B
PUBLISHING
U P S KNOW
India should scale up and pace up construction of nuclear plants to meet its insatiable power demand, renewable programme and climate change targets, the head of an international atomic body has said. “Currently, India has five reactors under construction with 3,300MWe capacity. But this is too little for a country with so many people,” said Agneta Rising, director general of the World Nuclear Association. India’s first nuclear electricity plant became operational in 1969. Comparatively, China has 20 reactors under construction with 22,596-MWe capacity, having had the first nuclear electricity in 1994. India has the technology, expertise and skill to build its own nuclear plants, Rising said, adding there were no restriction on India importing uranium. PTI
‘Electricity from offshore wind energy a reality in 5 yrs’ BY GURDIP SINGH
NOVEMBER 5-11,, 2016
“PMC must be the first line collector of waste and should take stringent action against offenders. Segregation remains the problem and then open dumping and burning of garbage takes place.” - Satish Khot, President, National Society for Clean Cities
Risk to infants from teething tablets and gels On September 30, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers that homoeopathic teething tablets and gels may pose a risk to infants and children. According to webmd.com a “baby is teething when his or her fi rst set of teeth, called primary teeth, break through the gums.” It may start when the infant is about six months old and may continue for about three years when he or she has all the twenty primary teeth. While describing the tell-tale symptoms, the report at webmd.com noted, “some babies are fussier than usual when they are teething. Th is may be because of soreness and swelling in the gums before a tooth comes through. These symptoms usually begin about 3 to 5 days before the tooth shows, and they disappear as soon as the tooth breaks the skin.” During the teething period, “Babies may bite on their fingers or toys to help relieve the pressure in their gums. They may also refuse to eat and drink because their mouths hurt.” How to calm down the baby during the teething period? Internet resources offer many remedies. However, parents must be careful in choosing them. The recent US FDA bulletin warns that we should be cautious in making a choice. The FDA warned that parents must seek medical care immediately if
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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
“A probe is a must into the killing of the SIMI activists as several questions have been raised. There are many unanswered questions regarding the gun battle and some videos have also surfaced that question the encounter. The state government should explain it.” - Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Bihar
Schools asks govt to reconsider holding exams in Kashmir
Centre favours drones to check illegal mining
Kashmir Private Schools Association says students would suffer in exams which would mar their careers and the syllabus is far from complete because of unrest in the Valley
Sports coaching course in J&K
Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education Zahoor Ahmad Chatt addressing a press conference in Srinagar regarding the reduction of 50% syllabus in annual examinations of 10th and 12th classes which is scheduled from November 14
SRINAGAR: Kashmir Private Schools Association (KPSA) has appealed to the government to reconsider its decision to hold annual board examinations as per schedule in the unrest-hit Valley, saying students were not ready for exams and extreme stress could give rise to suicidal tendencies among them. “Students did not learn anything, so they will perform poorly. That will also result in students being unable to qualify competitive exams like NEET, JEE, CET,” KPSA president GN Var said. Var said students would suffer in exams which would mar their careers and added that this year there were very less number of working days and the syllabus was far from complete. Var also condemned the burning of schools over the last few weeks, saying no sane person, particularly a Muslim, can burn schools as it is against the teachings of Islam. Over 25 educational institutions
have been burnt by miscreants in the Kashmir Valley since July 9, a day after Burhan was killed in an encounter in South Kashmir. “In the present situation, where we have seen dozens of school children getting killed, students are in no way ready for exams. The extreme stress will give birth to suicidal tendencies among them and in the longer run it will create behavioural problems among children,” he said. He said everybody, including the government, should forego their hard stance, particularly on holding the exams in November. “Examinations are not important, they are just a formality. Studies and classrooms are important as it is here the student learns something. Exams are there to check what a student has learnt in classes. When a student didn’t learn anything what’s the point of having exams?” he asked. The association appealed to people from all schools of thought to work for
a middle path that will benefit students in the best possible way. “Nobody, including the Hurriyat leaders, are against education but unfortunately confrontation is still taking place on the issue,” he said. Var advocated for conducting the exams in February next year as it would give enough time for students to prepare. “In 2014 floods too, we lost seven months and still managed to save the session. So time is not the problem as we can cope with it. Government needs to think about the larger benefit of students,” he said. As many as 85 people, including two cops, have been killed and several thousand others injured in the ongoing unrest in the Valley. Around 5,000 security forces personnel have also been injured in the clashes. PTI PTI
SMOG CAPITAL
A special Certificate Course in Coaching for sportspersons from Jammu and Kashmir was launched by the Sports Minister Vijay Goel at National Institute of Sports (NIS). Goel said a meeting of sports ministers of all the states will soon be held to deliberate upon promotion of all type of sports throughout the country. It was first batch of the three-batch programme under Prime Minister’s Special Package for J&K. The minister said that a package of Rs 200 crore has been prepared for promotion of sports in Jammu and Kashmir.
Delhi reels under the seasons worst air quality early morning. The smog covered the city with respirable pollutants reaching perilious levels. According to a recent WHO report, Delhi was ranked among the top 20 cities worst-affected by pollution globally
NEW DELHI: The mines ministry is promoting use of drones in a bid to curb illegal mining in the country and has asked states and public sector undertakings (PSUs) to consider using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The ministry’s thinking is that drones can be leveraged for conducting aerial surveys at regular intervals to study difference in patterns that can be utilised for analysing mining activities, a senior government official said. “Besides, these can act as a tremendous tool in checking illegal mining. We can use UAVs for tracking movement of illegal trucks. Also, drones fitted with thermal imaging sensors and cameras can also be deployed at night to check if any illegal mining activity or transportation is being carried out,” he added. The ministry has approached the state governments concerned as well as PSUs such as iron ore miner NMDC, Nalco, SAIL and manganese producer MOIL. Last month, in a path-breaking move, the government launched the mining surveillance system (MSS), a pan-India surveillance network using latest satellite technology, to check illegal mining. MSS is a satellite-based monitoring system that aims to check illegal mining activity through automatic remotesensing detection technology. The Indian Bureau of Mines, on behalf of the mines ministry, has developed MSS, in co-ordination with the Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY). PTI
Centre notifies rules for Real Estate Act P 12
Centre halts Kerala’s Siruvani dam plan Police stop farmers during bandh against the Supreme Court order to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in Mandya district
CHENNAI: The Centre has decided to “keep in abeyance” the recommendations of an expert committee of Environment Ministry allowing Kerala to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for its proposed dam on Siruvani river, the Tamil Nadu government said. The Centre has informed Tamil Nadu, which has been opposing Kerala’s project, about its decision in a letter, the government said. Quoting from the Centre’s communication to Tamil Nadu, an official release said, “The matter has been examined in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and it has been decided to keep the recommendations by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), in abeyance, till the references filed in Honourable Supreme Court against the Order of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal are settled or get a positive consent for the ensuing project from government of Tamil Nadu.” The move comes after the state
Punish corrupt govt servants: Court NEW DELHI: Deterrent punishment should be given to corrupt public servants as graft has become a deeprooted problem in society, a city court has said while awarding three-year jail term to a former government official in a disproportionate assets case. Special CBI Judge Bhupesh Kumar handed down the jail term to Diwakar Sharma, an ex-Under Secretary with the Science and Technology Ministry, for amassing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 32.42 lakh between 1995 and 2005, noting that he had acquired these through “ill gotten means”. “As contended by CBI, nowadays corruption is deep rooted problem in society which affect the interest of common people and development of nation. So no undue leniency should be given to the corrupt public servant and they should be awarded punishment to have deterrent effect on other public servants,” the judge observed while granting the sentence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs five lakh on Sharma, which he has paid, and forfeited his amassed assets. “The prosecution has proved that convict Diwakar Sharma was in possession of disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 32,42,360 to his known source(s) of income. In view of the above findings, it is apparent that convict acquired these assets from ill-gotten means. “In these circumstances, it is directed that assets involved in this
matter of convict Diwakar Sharma be forfeited to the State,” the court said while holding him guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. The court, however, granted interim bail to Sharma till December 2, 2016 after he moved an application seeking suspension of sentence to file an appeal in higher court. According to the CBI, Sharma was found possessing assets worth Rs 41 lakh between the check period of 1995 and 2005, his income was valued at Rs 34.41 lakh and his expenses were found to be Rs 25.83 lakh. It was also alleged that income of his wife, who was working as a teacher in an NDMC school in South Delhi, was Rs 10,000 at the beginning of the check period but at the end of the period it was valued at Rs 31.41 lakh. PTI
assembly adopted a unanimous resolution in September last, urging the Centre not to accept the recommendations of the committee allowing Kerala to conduct the EIA study for the Attappady Valley irrigation project. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had been opposing the project since 2012 and had taken up the matter with the Centre since then, had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue, referring to the state government resolution and seeking his intervention on the matter. The release recalled that in its 92nd meeting in March 2016, the EAC had asked Kerala to receive Tamil Nadu’s consent for issuing of Standard Terms of Reference (STR) for the EIA and that its proposal will be considered only after getting the state government’s nod. It also said that in its 96th meeting in August this year, the committee had recommended to the Union Environment Ministry to allow Kerala the STR for the EIA. PTI
‘88% staff willing to stay longer if appreciated at work’ NEW DELHI: Being appreciated for one’s work is an excellent motivator that can stem attrition and improve employee morale as 88 per cent employees are willing to stay longer if appreciated at work, says a study. According to a TimesJobs study, a majority of employees feel underappreciated by their bosses and feel that with a little more acknowledgments, they would happily work harder and stay on longer in their current jobs. “A happy employee is the best brand ambassador for a company. Companies should ensure this by appreciating, recognising and rewarding employees. It is a highly effective and proven strategy for improving employee engagement and business output,” Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions, said. The study noted that only 41 per cent employees feel they are appreciated at their current place of work. An industrywise analysis shows that 87 per cent IT, telecom, ITeS and Internet employees do not get much appreciation from their bosses while the figure is nearly 75 per cent in the auto sector and 70 per cent in the BFSI vertical. Things are better in manufacturing and retail, with 52 per cent of the staff claiming there is enough appreciation from their higher-ups. “Open, transparent and responsive communication both on formal and informal channels is key to success..,” Roy added. PTI
RR paid 10 mn pounds to Indian agent Vol-III* lssue No.: 21 Editor: Tushar Burman (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: 020-41220010.
British defence major made payment to win contract for Hawk aircrafts engines used by IAF LONDON/NEW DELHI: British defence major Rolls-Royce (RR) made ‘secret payments’ of around 10 million pounds to an Indian defence agent that may have helped the company to win a big contract for engines on Hawk aircrafts used by the Indian Air Force, a media report said. The person who is alleged to have received the secret payment of over 10 million pounds was arms dealer Sudhir Choudhrie, BBC reported.
The arms dealer, who is on the Indian government’s blacklist of people suspected of “corrupt or irregular practice” is now settled in London. The blacklist warns government officials and ministers to be extra cautious while dealing with people and companies on the list. The report also quoted Choudhrie’s lawyer as saying that his client has never paid bribes to Indian
government officials or acted as an illegal middleman in defence deals. Choudhrie also serves as an adviser on India to the Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and his family. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce said it was “fully co-operating with the authorities” and “cannot comment on ongoing investigations”. Hawk aircrafts are used by the Indian Air Force for training purposes. PTI
Sudhir Choudhrie
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
City boy defies injury to claim glory P 14
“I saw Hillary as my Secretary of State. I saw her in the Situation Room making arguments to go after (Osama) bin Laden even though it was risky, tirelessly circling the globe as Secretary of State, respected around the world.” - Barack Obama, President, US
Early voting gaining popularity in US
As per some estimate in some of the key states before November 8, between one third to half of the voters would have already cast their votes
BY LALIT K JHA
ORLANDO: Early voting, a unique feature of the American democracy, is gaining popularity in this presidential election as nearly 28 million voters have already cast their ballots in the polls scheduled for November 8. This was evident at an election rally addressed by former US President Bill Clinton in St Petersburg in Florida, where most of the attendees raised their hands in unison when asked by the state’s governor Charlie Crist: Who have already voted? Stephens Richard is among the 28 million Americans who have cast their vote in the 2016 presidential elections, which is scheduled to be held on November 8. “It makes sense. Why should I wait for the election day, when I already know, who I will be voting for. I can choose the time and day of my convenience to exercise my right to vote,” Richard told PTI after waiting for a few hours to listen to his favourite leader Hillary Clinton at Sanford in Florida. In Florida, one of the key battleground states, some four million people have already exercised their right to vote. As per some estimate in some of the key states before November 8, between one third to half of the voters would have already cast their votes. Early Voting, is a unique feature of the US democracy wherein a voter has the option to exercise their right to vote
sometime even a month before the actual day of election. Over the past few election cycle, early voting has gained pace. The 28-million figure for early voting this year is quite impressive given that in 2012 presidential election an estimated 126 million people had exercised their right to franchise. In both 2008 and 2012 more than 30 per cent of the people cast their ballot through early voting. “Early voting is convenient,” Clinton told her supporters at Sanford. Clinton is a strong advocate of early voting. Exit polls suggests that she is leading in early voting. The Democratic presidential nominee has a huge team of staffers and volunteers across the country who are pushing people to go out and vote early. “You can go to early vote in this county, in every county, and you can do it between
now and the end of business next Sunday. I hope on the way over here or on the way somewhere tomorrow you’ll go to the nearest early voting site. Not far from here is the North Branch Library, one block away, on North Palmetto Avenue,” she said. But for her Republican rival Donald Trump people going out to vote early is not good. Since he trailed badly till last week, Trump’s supporters believe early voters are Clinton backers. The Republican establishment’s nervousness was visible when Trump raised the issue during an election meeting in Wisconsin. “This is a message for any Democratic voter who has already cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton and who are having a bad case of buyer’s remorse, in other
China lambasts ‘slitty eyes’ comment
BEIJING: China expressed disdain over European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger’s use of the term “slitty eyes” to describe Chinese people in a leaked recording of a speech to business leaders. In the comments, secretly filmed at a Hamburg event earlier this month, Oettinger - the commissioner for digital economy who was last week named to the more powerful post of budget commissioner - mocked a delegation of Chinese ministers for having “their hair combed from left to right with shoe polish”.
Anonymous YouTube user “Sebas Travelling”, who uploaded the clip, said Oettinger had used the words “slitty eyes” and “chiselers” to refer to Chinese people. “The relevant remarks reveal a baffling sense of superiority entrenched in some Western politicians,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press conference. “We hope that they can learn how to view themselves and others objectively and respect and treat others as equals.” The comment was “a somewhat sloppy expression that was not meant in any way disrespectfully towards China,” Oettinger told Die Welt newspaper. The comments come at an embarrassing time as they emerged just after European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker announced he had tapped Oettinger to take over the budget portfolio from Bulgaria’s Kristalina Georgieva. AFP
words you want to change your vote: Wisconsin is one of several states where you can change your early ballot if you think you’ve made a mistake,” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Eau Claire. Referring to the recent decision of the FBI to reopen its investigations into the alleged email scandal, Trump said a lot of stuff has come out since they voted. At least three states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Minnesota give people an option to change their early voting. “Early voting has also fundamentally changed campaigns in other ways. Campaigns now run voter mobilisation efforts during the entire early voting period. This gives them a chance to ask more voters to support their candidate, and these contacts have been wellestablished to increase turnout,” said Michael McDonald, a political science professor at the University of Florida. A well-known expert on early voting, McDonald attributes the rise in early voting to two phenomenon. “More states are offering early voting options, and once a state adopts early voting more people vote early a part of their election regimen,” he said. Agreed Sambhu Banik, an eminent Indian-American from Maryland. “This is the first time in our over 40 years of voting we witnessed such a huge line to cast vote,” said Banik after casting his vote at the Potomac Community Centre, in Potomac, Maryland last week. PTI
Torture routinely used in Sri Lanka
Veteran Sri Lankan government soldiers sit on a street during a protest in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dozens of former Sri Lankan war veterans who served in army, air force and police protested urging the government to fulfill a promise of providing a pension
COLOMBO: In a candid admission, Sri Lanka’s human rights commission has informed a UN panel that detainees were being “routinely” subjected to torture in the country irrespective of the offences for which they were arrested. Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has reported to the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) that the practice of inflicting severe pain on a person as a punishment is being routinely used across the country irrespective of the offence for which that person is arrested. Torture is used not only during interrogation but also during the process of arrest, according to the periodic review report of October. The complaints received by the commission illustrate that torture is routinely used in all parts of Sri Lanka regardless of the nature of the suspected offence for which the person is arrested. For instance, those arrested on suspicion of robbery, possession of drugs, assault, treasure hunting, dispute with family/spouse, have been subjected to torture. “The prevailing culture of
BY ADITI KHANNA LONDON: The family of one of UK’s prominent Indian-origin peers, who was known as the “Curry King”, have announced the creation of a new 2 million pounds charity in his memory. Lord Gulam Noon’s 200-millionpound Noon Products business is credited with Britain developing a taste for “chicken tikka masala”. The Mumbai-born entrepreneur lost his battle with liver cancer last year aged 79 and his daughters marked his first death anniversary last week with the launch of Noon Memorial Legacy Trust. “I am proud to launch this new initiative and continue my father’s
philanthropic work through ‘The Noon Memorial Legacy Trust’. As my father very often said: ‘Hands that help are holier than the lips that pray’, this ethos has taught me to carry this torch and continue where he left off,” said his daughter Zeenat Noon Harnal. The aim of the Trust will be to
impunity where those accused of torture is concerned is also a contributing factor to the routine use of torture as a means of interrogation and investigation,” the commission said. According to HRCSL, usually, complainants are from low-income groups. The commission has received complaints of persons sometimes being arrested with family members, sometimes arrests being made due to mistaken identity, and torture used to elicit information or to punish. According to the report, in 2010 the Commission received 566 complaints against torture, while this number increased to 579 in 2011. In 2012, there were 542 complaints followed by 600 complaints in 2013. In 2014, a total of 489 complaints were lodged in relation to torture, while in 2015 there were 420 complaints. As of August 31, 2016, a total of 208 complaints have been received in relation to torture, with a majority of the complaints being recorded at the Commissions head office in Colombo. PTI
AP/PTI
ANNUAL AVIAN FLIGHT
Supermarket apologises for beef ad during Diwali BY GURDIP SINGH
Migrating cranes fly during sunset near Straussfurt, central Germany. The cranes rest in central Germany on their way from breeding places in the north to their wintering grounds in the south
Charity set up in memory of Britain’s ‘Curry King’ Trust will raise over 2mn pounds to extend Noon Hospital built by Lord Noon in Rajasthan
PUNE
raise over 2 million pounds to extend the Noon Hospital created by Lord Noon in his hometown of Bhawani Mandi in Rajasthan. In the UK, funds from the Trust will go towards the Noon Centre for Equality and Diversity in Business, which he set up in his capacity as
Lord Gulam Noon’s 200-million-pound Noon Products business is credited with Britain developing a taste for “chicken tikka masala”
Chancellor of University of East London to offer mentoring and employment to create workplace diversity. “Noon Hospital in particular, which helps the poor and needy in Rajasthan, was one very close to his heart. The Noon Centre for Equality and Diversity in Business at UEL was another one of his brainchild and way ahead of its time, supporting students with opportunities and experiences that perhaps they would not have had otherwise,” added Zeenat, who is joined by sister Zarmin Noon Sekhon as a trustee. Other trustees of the charity include Lord Kamlesh Patel a Labour member of the House of Lords, Akbar Shirazi, David Robinson and Michael Jepson. “I have seen first-hand the difference these projects have made to the lives of many thousands of people, and the opportunities they have provided for them to improve their
lives,” Lord Patel said. The Trust has already raised a considerable amount of its 2-millionpound target with Kerry Foods, the company which acquired Noon Products, announcing a 250,000-pound donation as part of a partnership with the new charity. “The hospital (Lord Noon) opened in Bhawani Mandi heals by the enormous skills of doctors, surgeons and nurses who are encouraged to give of their time and skills to cure those who would be without hope and so the role model is renewed in others,” said Robinson, a friend of the late peer. Lord Noon arrived in London in 1966 after a stint in the US. He set up the iconic Noon Products giving the UK a taste for mildly spiced Indian food. Over his 46 years in Britain, Noon was awarded an MBE in 1996 and made a Knight Bachelor in 2002. In January 2011, he became a life peer and was introduced in the House of Lords. PTI
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s oldest supermarket chain Cold Storage, which used a price promotion on beef at one of its outlets during Diwali, apologised for the advertisement which was “insensitive” to Hindus. A photo of the promotion, which advertised a 38 per cent discount for certain beef products, was uploaded by a Twitter user @AdamFlinter. “Cold Storage’s #deepavali promotion was on beef!!! Cultural understanding eh?” he wrote, adding that the photo was from a friend. Deepavali or Diwali was celebrated in Singapore on Saturday, October 29, with a public holiday. Hindus in Singapore celebrate Diwali in a grand style with banners and buntings displayed across Little India - a precinct of Indian businesses, eateries, motels and hotels. In a statement to The Straits Times, Cold Storage explained that the promotion was put up at one store by a junior team member who had “overlooked the cultural sensitivity”. It added: “We have since explained and coached him on the cultural sensitivity and he assured us that he had no intention to disrespect the Hindus. We also took this opportunity immediately to coach all our team members to be mindful of cultural sensitivities in Singapore.” “We sincerely apologise to all Hindus who are celebrating Deepavali on this matter,” said Cold Storage, which has more than 100 years of history in Singapore with stores in Malaysia and Indonesia. PTI
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
MONEY MATT ER S
“With the launch of Zen Cinemax 2+, we are completely confident about the success of our newly launched smartphone. Our objective is to expand our reach for Zen Mobile and cater to many customers.” — Sanjay Kalirona, CEO, Zen Mobiles
Signpost Food law covers entire India from Nov Implementation of National Food Security law, entailing an annual subsidy of over Rs 1.4 lakh crore, has covered the entire nation from this month with Kerala and Tamil Nadu coming on board, the government said. As many as 80 crore people are covered under this law across 36 states and Union Territories. “When we came to power, food law was being implemented in only 11 states. I am happy to share that National Food Security law is being implemented in all states and union territories,” Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said at a press conference. Only Kerala and Tamil Nadu were left, and they too have implemented it from November, he said.
Centre tells rating agencies to ‘introspect’, and ‘upgrade’
S&P maintains stable outlook for India in its latest update, FM calls for upgrade in tune with global investor sentiment The government slammed global rating agencies for not upgrading India’s sovereign rating despite a slew of reforms, saying they need to do some “introspection” as investors globally feel the country is “under-rated”. Talking to reporters after Standard and Poor (S&P) Global Ratings ruled out an upgrade for India for next 2 years, while retaining rating at lowest investment grade ‘BBB-’, Economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das said the government will continue to adhere to the path of economic reforms and policies. “If the rating has not been improved, it’s a matter which doesn’t bother us so much. It’s a question which calls for an introspection among those who do the rating,” Das said. He said global investors feel India is highly “under- rated”. “There is a disconnect, therefore, between what the investors are thinking of, what they have in their mind, and (what) the rating agencies are concluding. I think somewhere there is a disconnect,” he said. Das cited various steps taken by the government in the last two years, including controlling inflation and structural reforms like Goods and Services Tax (GST) and bankruptcy. “If you compare the various factors which the report itself talk about, is there any other economy that equals this? So
India Inc believes economy faring better
Nearly 75 per cent people who took part in the study said they foresee a better performance at the economy level in the near term
Report says good monsoons and award of seventh pay commission will provide a further fillip to demand India Inc is optimistic about its business prospects with a majority of firms saying current economic conditions are ‘moderately to substantially better’ compared to the last six months, even as cost and availability of credit remain a concern, according to a report. The Overall Business Confidence Index (OBCI) rose to a six quarter high in the Business Confidence Survey conducted by Ficci, indicating that demand is gaining traction. The index value stood at 67.3 in the current round as against 62.8 in the previous poll. About 63 per cent of the respondents in the survey reported current economic conditions as ‘moderately to substantially better’ compared to last six months, showing improvement at all the three levels economy, industry and firm level. Good monsoons and award of the seventh pay commission will provide a further fillip to demand. Results pertaining to operational parameters indicated mixed signs. In the present round, participating companies seemed upbeat about near term sales prospects and profits when compared to the previous survey results. However, outlook on other parameters such as investments, employment and exports was by and large unchanged.
“This week marks the 25th anniversary of Apple’s first notebook, through the years each generation has introduced new innovations and capabilities, and MacBook Pro is the biggest leap forward yet.” — Philip Schiller, Senior Vice President, Apple
With regard to hiring prospects, 31 per cent of respondents in the latest round reported that they would consider hiring more people in the coming six months, the corresponding number in the last round was 29 per cent. Nonetheless, still a majority 56 per cent of the participants did not foresee any fresh hiring over the near term. Nearly 75 per cent said they foresee a better performance at the economy level in near term, while 63 per cent anticipate improvement at the industry level and 70 per cent were hopeful of a better showing at the firm level. “India is on the recovery course and there are indications of an improved economic activity. The government’s focus on reforms has been laudable and it is hoped that the momentum on implementation will continue. “The recent consensus on the passage of GST Bill is commendable and industry is looking forward to it being rolled out in April next year. This will be a game changer for Indian industry and economy,” the survey pointed out. In the present round, 54 per cent participants reported cost of credit to be a bothering factor. The figure in the previous round was 46 per cent. Moreover, 29 per cent said availability of credit was an issue, vis-a-vis 24 per cent in the previous round. High interest cost has been one of the major areas of worry for the industry. It remains critical that the cost of capital is made competitive to propel investments. RBI has cut the repo rate by 150 bps since January last year. PTI
High interest cost has been a major worry for the industry
A stockbroker trades as his family watches during a ‘muhurat’ trading session for Diwali at BSE in Mumbai. Stock markets opened for a special one-hour Diwali holiday session
with all this, if there is no improvement, I think it’s a matter for the rating agency itself to put a question to itself and perhaps undertake a kind of introspection,” Das said. The government will continue to adhere to the path of economic reforms as well as policy initiatives and it’s for the rating agencies to take their own view, he added. “I am not questioning anybody’s methodology now. It’s a detailed report we have to go through. They are independent rating agencies. And we value their comments...and attach a lot of importance to the comments and observations of all the rating agencies,” he said. “If you compare the various factors
which the report itself talk about, is there any other economy that equals this? So with all this if there no improvement I think it’s a matter for the rating agency itself to put a question to itself and perhaps undertake a kind of introspection,” he said. The government will continue to adhere to the path of economic reforms, the various policy initiatives, he said, adding that the reforms will continue and it’s for the rating agencies to take their own view. S&P said the upward pressure on credit ratings could emerge if the government reforms markedly improve India’s fiscal performance and pushes down the level of net general government
Markets regulator Sebi came out with stricter disclosure requirements for credit rating agencies to ensure more transparency in their policies amid instances of drastic downgrades impacting investors. With the tightened norms, the credit rating agencies will have to share more details about the criteria followed in rating instruments, provide information in a userfriendly manner on their websites and also specifically mention in case a particular issuer did not cooperate at the time of rating. Issuing a detailed circular, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said credit rating agencies (CRAs) have to implement the guidelines in 60 days. In case of non-cooperation by the issuer such as not providing details required for rating and non-payment of fees for conducting surveillance, Sebi said CRAs should continue to review the instrument based on best available information. For such cases, the “credit rating symbol shall be accompanied by ‘issuer did not co-operate; Based on best available information’ in the same font size”. Sebi said press releases related to review of rating should “carry the rating transition/history of all instruments of that issuer, rated by the CRA in the past three years, irrespective of whether the instrument is currently outstanding or not”. Further, the agencies should make available the rating history, press releases and rating reports, including those ratings which have been withdrawn, on their websites. AP/PTI
Govt proposes annual surveys on labour force The government has proposed to come out with annual surveys that would give it estimation of labour and workforce and unemployment rates nation-wide, according to Chief Statistician of India, TC Anant. The plan of NSS (National Sample Survey) conducting regular suvey of employment and labour force is at an advanced stage. There will be a separate break-up in data of rural and urban areas, under this plan, he told PTI. “This initiative is important because it will give us regular (annual) estimates of labour force, the workforce and unemployment rates at the all-India level as well as for rural and urban areas separately”, Anant said, adding, quarterly information would also be available to see changes in key indicators in urban areas. “It is expected that this regular time series will become a major input in economic policy discussion”, added Anant, also Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. PTI
debt below 60 per cent of the GDP. Currently, government debt amounts to about 69 per cent of the GDP. Downward pressure on the ratings could re-emerge if growth disappoints as a result of stalling reforms or if interest rate-setting monetary policy committee does not achieve inflation targets. A higher-than-expected deterioration in the nation’s external liquidity position could also put downward pressure on ratings, S&P added. The rating agency expects economy to grow 7.9 per cent in 2016 and 8 per cent on average over 2016-2018. It also expects current account deficit to be at 1.4 per cent of the GDP in 2016 and the RBI to meet its inflation target of 5 per cent by March 2017. With regards to banking sector, it said the private banks have better profitability, higher internal capital generation and capitalisation with lower-stressed assets than PSU banks. S&P estimated that PSU banks need capital infusion of about USD 45 billion by 2019, given their weak profitability, to meet Basel III capital norms, as against USD 11 billion support pledged by the government. The government may have to increase the allocation if banks are not able to secure capital from alternative sources, such as equity markets, additional tier-1 bonds, and insurance companies, S&P added. PTI
Sebi tightens norms for credit rating firms
COSTLY CALL
A Bangladeshi recharges his cellphone balance at a roadside Airtel centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh. By government accounts, four foreignbacked cellphone operators owe $500 million to Bangladesh in unpaid taxes. By the firms’ accounts, the figure is closer to $50 million. Norwegian Telenor’s subsidiary Grameen Phone; Egypt’s Orascom Telecom’s Banglalink; Robi, the Malaysian-Japanese joint venture Robi Axiata Ltd; and India’s Bharti Airtel’s subsidiary Airtel have rejected the government’s demands, taking the claim to tax appellate tribunal.
Centre notifies rules for Real Estate Act The Centre has notified the rules for Real Estate Act, that seeks to regulate the housing sector besides bringing transparency and ensuring timely completion of projects, which will be applicable for five Union Territories. The rules notified by the Housing Ministry will be applicable to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep, an official release said. The Ministry of Urban Development will come out with such rules for the National Capital Region of Delhi while the other states and UTs will come out with their own rules. The Act, which is touted as a major reform measure to regulate the vast real estate sector, requires registration of all projects with state-level Real Estate Regulatory Authorities to ensure protection of the interests of both buyers and builders. The rules also require builders to deposit 70 per cent of unused amounts collected for ongoing projects in a separate bank account to ensure timely completion of the projects. The rules state that a developer will be
required to refund or pay compensation to the allottees with an interest rate of SBI’s highest Marginal Cost of Lending Rate plus two per cent in case of delay in project. It stipulates that such payment to the allottee be made within 45 days of it becoming due. On suggestions from promoters, to incentivise registration of projects and real estate agents with the regulatory authorities, fee for the same has been reduced by half, the release said. For registration of projects, the fee has been reduced to Rs 5 per square
metre for up to 1,000 square metre and Rs 10 per square metre beyond this limit subject to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh per project. However, for commercial and mixed development projects, it will be Rs 10 and Rs 15 per square metre subject to a maximum of Rs 7 lakh. For commercial projects, it will be Rs 20 and Rs 25 per square metre subject to a cap of Rs 10 lakh per project. For plotted development, it is Rs 5 per square metre with a ceiling of Rs 2 lakh. The fee for renewing registration of projects with the regulatory authorities
will be half of the registration fee, the release said. Similarly, fee for renewal of registration of projects and agents have also been reduced to Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively. According to the rules, for every appeal to be made to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal, the fee proposed is Rs 5,000, while for every complaint to be made to Regulatory Authorities and Adjudicating Officers, fee proposed is Rs 1,000, the release said. As per the rules, Adjudicating Officers, Real Estate Authorities and Appellate Tribunals shall dispose of complaints within 60 days. The rules also provide for compounding of punishment with imprisonment for violation of the orders of Real Estate Appellate Tribunal against payment of 10 per cent of project cost in case of developers and 10 per cent of the cost of property purchased in case of allottees and agents, the release said. With notification of Real Estate Rules by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, states and UTs are also expected to do so soon. PTI
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
WATCH OUT it to the Watford Mix Master Competition in London of the DJs. She sets are directly inspired by her audience; her ability to read an audience and adapt her sound is uncanny. Don’t miss her play at the newly launched Teddy Boy this Saturday. When: November 5 Where- Teddy Boy, Baner
BRUNCH WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE BY FIDDLECRAFT Fiddlecraft is a Pune based band which experiments with various genres ranging from blues to Electronic music formed in 2013. Known as the Desi Punk Rock the band has been making waves with their unique style. The band believes in originality and the concept of fiddling. The band includes Gaurav Kadu on vocals, Naraayanan on percussion, Atul Massey on bass guitar and Akshay More on lead guitar. Winners of the Sunday Soul Sante award, this talented band will be performing live this Sunday, so come and enjoy a sumptuous brunch to the beat of live music and an amazing ambience. When: November 6 Where: Sway Bar & Kitchen, Mundhwa
A NIGHT OF MELODIC TECHNO SLick! are bringing back the undisputed master of melodic techno - Petar Dundov and a jaw dropping local line-up, to say the least. Born in Zagreb in the early ‘70s, his career in dance music stretches back the best part of 20 years, but it’s only in the new millennium that he’s been using his own name for his productions. Over the years he’s graced many of the world’s most prestigious and bestloved techno institutions – including mega-festivals I Love Techno, and cutting-edge clubs like Berghain, Matter (RIP), Womb, Air, Fuse and Space. When: November 5 Where: Blue Frog, Yerwada
CELEBRATE SPOOKINESS This Halloween get braced for a memorable spooky experience at Downtown EsselWorld. In sync with the theme, Downtown will undergo a complete new Halloween decor. The fun-filled evening party will see patrons grooving to the music played by renowned DJ along with finest cocktails & mocktails and scrumptious delicacies. Among
multiple other fun & frolic activities, guests will also get a chance to meet the in-house tattoo artist and enhance their spooky appearance. When: November 5 Where: Seasons Mall, Hadapsar
AN EVENING WITH LUCKY ALI Enjoy an enthralling performance of Lucky Ali as the popular singer performs live at Phoenix Marketcity Pune. One of the most well-known singers in India, Lucky Ali has given several smashing chart numbers to the industry and has numerous awards to his credit. His song ‘O Sanam’ from the award-winning album ‘Sunoh’ and song ‘Aa bhi ja’ from I Love Lucky Ali still resonates with people as much for the soulful lyrics and tune. Come feel the music in the air and get ready to meet the man who made simple, ballad-style singing a true sensation. When: November 6 Where: Liberty Square at Phoenix Marketcity Pune, Nagar Road
This Halloween, spooky will be an understatement. MiAMi, JW Marriott Pune is dressing up to scare some souls. On the house will be big room and progressive house music by the famous band KEVU – comprised of the DJ Duo, Joao Pedro and Joao Rosario. Party begins on Saturday, 05th November, 9:00PM onwards. KEVU, the band was born in Portugal in July 2014. A popular name in music industry, the duo has been supported by the big names like Blasterjaxx, Tiesto, Hardwell, Headhunterz, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, Afrojack, Avicii and many more. Recently, they also released an official remix for Tiesto, the famous Dutch DJ. Their USP is the energy and festivity that they bring to their music. When: November 5 Where: MiAMi, JW Marriott, SB Road
JAZZ FROM WEST TO EAST Jazz has been influenced by several music forms across the decades as it moved from South America through Chicago, to the East Coast and across the shores to Europe and Asia. This Sunday at Gyaan Adab, Majid Aziz will conduct a session which will address the unique compositions and styles that have emerged starting with straight ahead jazz and moving on to Spanish, Iranian and Indian jazz flavoUred compositions. He will present anecdotes and incidents, videos and live performances and also perform some of the compositions on his guitar live to looping rhythms. When: November 6 Where: Gyaan Adab, Kalyani Nagar
TEDDY SATURDAY Paint the town red with DJ Smitz, born and raised in Mauritius, a versatile, charming musicmagician, who amazed the entertainment industry and created history in 2008, by being the first lady DJ to ever make
VOX POPULI In a state government resolution released on Thursday, Teachers will now have to record attendance by clicking selfies with groups of 10 students in the classroom, thus marking their presence. They will also have to upload the AADHAR card number and name of the students on the SARAL system twice. We ask Punekars what they think of this solution
GET DOODLING! Your favourite doodling workshop is back at Imagination Roof. Doodling is a great, fun way of expressing yourself, yet it’s often underrated as an art form. This special workshop is targeted at creating artworks that express your inner thoughts and imagination. So come one, come all and learn the basic drawing tools that can enhance your visual language. When: November 4, 5 & 6, 4 pm to 6.30 pm Where: Imagination Roof, Ganeshkhind Road
Visvak Writer Sounds like a good idea. But like any other idea, I’m sure there are ways and means to get around it as well. What’s to stop teachers from reusing old selfies to report high attendance? The ideal way to ensure students come to class is to make the quality of the classes better.
HAPPY COLLAGING
NIGHTMARE TIME, WITH PORTUGUESE DUO KEVU
Make great artworks with bits and pieces of paper. Put your creative skills to work by creating artworks without the use of crayons or paints. Collage making is a unique art form in which you combine several different pieces to create a new art work. This is not just a mere cut and paste job of few photos but an altogether unique art skill. When: November 4, 5 & 6, 4 pm to 6.30 pm Where: Imagination Roof, Ganeshkhind Road
Jason Sanphil Visual Developer This will call for loads of pictures which is unnecessary. It will be a waste of time to assemble the students for each picture. It’ll be a better idea to remove the loopholes in the existing attendance process at the institutions. Entering the Aadhar card number seems quite impractical and not all students might have one. For everyone to enter a name and number on a daily basis is a futile and wasteful thing. Solomon Johnson Assistant Statutory Auditor It’s not a very good idea to take selfies and update student details online regularly. The conventional procedure is a lot more preferable, where the presence of a student is verified by a teacher. This can be updated online on a weekly basis.
PLAY WITH CLAY
Zubair Shaikh Businessman and Photographer Though it is a new method, it is too cumbersome to click selfies and put Aadhar card details. The existing generic system is good enough for attendance. Or swipe systems can be introduced with card for every student to be used on entering and exiting the class. A camera too can be placed with the machine so everything gets recorded quickly and effortlessly without wasting manpower. It is a onetime investment which will work in the long run and is a much better alternative to the proposed idea.
There is something very therapeutic about working and playing with clay. Whether you’re a child, teenage or an adult, the tactile nature of clay lets people with artistic minds develop their imaginations come alive. This weekend, join the fun and learn how to use modelling clay to create different shapes and pieces of art. When: November 4, 5 & 6, 4 pm to 6.30 pm Where: Imagination Roof, Ganeshkhind Road
Sherina Poyyail Student Taking selfies with the students everyday will be too time consuming but since a lot of government schools falsely mark children present to avoid trouble with the Education Board, it could be a good move to prevent absenteeism in schools. If the Aadhar card entering can help streamline things in terms of government administration it’s fine because it makes it easier to note the number of kids in school and their details.
POETRY OPEN MIC NIGHT
PARTY HARD After a sensational gig with J00F in May, we just had to bring him back for round 2. Well the wait is over, John 00 Fleming returns to blueFROG He is an artist who has achieved international success in a career spanning over 20 years without dishonouring his musical essence or fans. With over 10 million album sales and 30 produced mix compilations, John’s a proven musical pioneer whose essence lies in what his fans call, ‘the J00F sound’. When: November 12 Where: blueFROG, Yerawada
PUNE
Bullock Cart Poetry is proud to present the second edition of Get up and Speak- A monthly poetry open mic night to be held at Lost The Plot- Pune’s open air theatre and one of the warmest and best venues in town. There will be 15 slots available for the open mic night. To make the night worth remembering they have two amazing features to share their work with us. They stand for something much more then the courses they take or the jobs they do. Srijan Dubey is an entrepreneur, artist, engineer and most importantly a writer and a spoken word poet. A regular in the poetry scene in the city his writing and performances speak for themselves. Anirudh ‘Eka’, born in Hyderabad and raised in the United States, began writing and performing spoken word (or slam poetry) 8 years ago. Since then he’s attended countless open mics. When: November 10 Where: Lost The Plot, Aundh
Poulomi Ghosh Sociology MPhil scholar I find a few problems with this resolution. Firstly, how are they going to verify that students are actually attending and not just clicking the selfie and going back? Secondly, this takes away the onus of primary education from the government and puts it more on the teacher. Thirdly, this also suggests a hyper surveillance of both teachers and students focussed on just attending school rather than the content of education. Fourth, why does an education system give push to this commercial culture of clicking selfies and owning phones for the purposes of this? The selfie phenomena might erode and become obsolete but a primary education system needs to have more substantial and sustainable resolution to make it better. THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 04, 2016
PUNE
Women catching up with men in drinking habits
EDITOR
LETTERS TO THE
“The redesigning exercise may not guarantee better performance of BRTS with safety for commuters, pedestrians and road users in general.” - Prashant Inamdar, Convener of Pedestrians First
Politicos are a law unto thmselves
Propaganda, avoidance and propaganda. At one end Ganesh Bidkar is saying that he wasn’t aware of the fact that he was violating the code of conduct by distributing Diwali gifts with the BJP symbols and photos. And Girish Bapat reacted to it by saying he wasn’t aware that such packets were being distributed while the packet contained a photo of the man himself. You know something is wrong with this scenario. I don’t know how parties get away with such acts. I have faith in the Election Commission, but politicos are like law ‘93 madrassas in Sindh unto themselves. have solid links with terrorist groups’ -Brijmohan Sharma P13
Theres more to a katta than ust cha and conversat on
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The Puneri kattas are a way of life F THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 04, 2016
PUNE
I was expecting somebody or the other to eventually write about the katta culture of Maharashtra. Growing up in the city, I have seen my grandfather, father, and gladly, “We completely support having an alliance with Shiv Sena for the municipal elections in Pimpri We have held informal Shiv Sena a chaiwallah who set up shop six years ago near even myChinchwad. mother delving intalksit.withThere’s leaders in this regard. Now, a formal proposal will be sent forward.” - Laxman Jagtap, Chinchwad MLA our house in Aundh and although it is not a popular spot with many people coming in, we have made that our favourite. We have made friends with the chaiwallah and there is no keeping count of number of the cups of chai we have every evening as our neighbours also join us. - Ishita Gautam
BJP, MNS trying to woo voters with Diwali gift bags BJP and MNS party workers distribute ‘gift’ bags to prospective voters for the upcoming elections, in direct violation of the model code of conduct BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar The Election Commission of India (ECI), on October 21, announced the election schedule for vacant seats in the state legislative council (MLC), and candidates are to be elected from local bodies. The ECI conducts state legislature council elections. Six lawmakers’ seats of the state legislature are vacant, and thus the model code of conduct is now in force in Pune city and surrounding rural areas. Corporators from municipal corporations, Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samiti members are the
ones who vote in the MLC elections, so the ECI has imposed the model code of conduct in the entire district. Despite this, some Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporators are openly distributing bags containing pulses, sugar, jaggery, perfume, diyas, and soaps to prospective voters in the civic body elections, to be held in February 2017. This is a violation of the model code of conduct by corporators, of which the election administration seems to be completely unaware. The bags carry the logos of their party, and pictures of party leaders. Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporators have been distributing these bags to voters in Mangalwar Peth, Kasba Peth and Somwar Peth. The bags also have photos of guardian minister Girish Bapat. The BJP and MNS workers wear their party caps and mufflers while distributing these bags, telling citizens that these bags are sent by their party leaders as Diwali gifts for voters.
Health dept to recruit doctors through walk-ins Authorities scrap appointments through civil services
BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 The rising number of vacancies in the rural health centres across the state and the indifference of doctors to join duty
code of conduct. I will send our flying squad to these peth areas where these bags are being distributed. We will directly file cases of violation of the model code of conduct against people doing this.” BJP house leader of PMC, Ganesh Bidkar, whose supporters are distributing gift bags to voters, said, “Diwali has great importance in Hindu culture. It is not possible for poor people to celebrate Diwali during such high inflation. Therefore we distribute Diwali items to these people. I am not aware that the model code of conduct is in force now, otherwise we would not distribute these bags to people.” Guardian Minister Girish Bapat said, “I am not aware of people who are distributing such bags to citizens. I will immediately inquire into the matter and take action against them. Personally, I have not sent anybody to distribute such things to citizens; I am well aware that the model code of conduct for MLC elections is in force now.” tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com
In Bhopal, there’s something terrifically similar to katta culture called Patiyabaazi. I hail from Madhya Pradesh and when I read the story about this culture in Maharashtra, I was so amused! In my hometown, people sit in small circles for long hours sipping chai and having conversations. Their conversations are funnily, endlessly about boasting about what their relative did, or bought, or modified. Patiyabaazi is filled with fantastical imagination and it is just rollicking fun to hear those stories. I hope I can get to experience a katta soon. - T S Dharmesh
The Diwali ‘gift’ bags with the party logos and leaders’ pictures
During Diwali, the prices of chana and besan shoot up as they are used extensively to make sweets. Kasba Peth resident Omkar Dixit said, “Since the last two days, BJP and MNS party workers have been distributing bags containing items related to Diwali, and appealing to
Pawar said, “The BJP is distributing these gift bags, keeping an eye on the PMC elections. The bags have guardian minister Girish Bapat’s photo on it. Bapat is sitting in a responsible constitutional position while his supporters distribute bags. It is sad and harmful for our democracy that party workers are openly appealing to citizens to favour their political party in the upcoming PMC elections. It is a violation of the model code of conduct imposed by the ECI for the MLC elections. These political people disappear for four years after the PMC elections, and suddenly they have appeared now that the elections are three months away. They only woo voters at this time, and after the elections, they loot taxpayers’ money.” District collector, chief elections and surveillance officer Saurabh Rao said, “The model code of conduct for MLC elections is now in force in the entire district. So distributing bags with party leaders’ photos and symbols to voters is a violation of the model
citizens to favour their political party in the upcoming civic body polls. The PMC elections are at hand, so independent candidates contesting the elections too are distributing such bags in our area. This is nothing but bribing the voters.” Mangalwar Peth resident Narayan
Will it take a fire to spur PCMC into action?
New lease of life for kids with heart disease OCTOBER 08-14, 2016
PUNE
“The site is around 15-20 km away from Pune. The proposed airport will be connected with six routes including national highways 4 and 17. There will be a special ring-road connecting major industrial establishments with the proposed airport from Hadapsar.” - Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister
The health department has arranged surgeries for poor children with cardiac ailments, at different hospitals in November
BY
These children suffering from cardiac ailments were identified by the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) doctors.The children’s families neither have the money for treatment nor the required documents. The parents are overjoyed that the health department has arranged surgeries so quickly for their kids. Deputy health director (Pune region) Dr Hanumant Chavan, who has followed up the issue, said that they have sort out the heart surgeries issue. “Most of the surgeries have been stalled as the parents don’t have mandatory documents like ration card, identity card or income proof. But we have assigned document completion work to the respective RBSK doctors of the area, who will do it by the end of this month. After completion of the documents, the children will be operated on under various health schemes,” said Dr Chavan. “We have held meetings with the collector, charity commissionerate and deputy director,along with Sassoon Hospital and RBSK doctors, and finalised how and where to perform the surgeries,” said Dr P G Darshane, assistant director of health services. Of the 47, 18 patients’ documents will be completed within a week.Five children have already been operated on. There are six children, whose surgery costs exceed Rs three lakh.They cannot be eligible for the Rajiv Gandhi Jivandai
DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 Thereare good tidings for the 47 poor children from Pune district suffering from cardiac ailments, who have been awaiting surgeries for one or two years. All 47 will undergo the necessary heart surgeries in November, at different hospitals under various schemes, according to the plan worked out by the Pune deputy health director. One-and-a-half-yearold girl Durva Sudhakar Dhavare of Chinchwad recently succumbed to heart disease, so the number is 47 now. TGS had highlighted the children’s ordeal in the October 7 edition, with the headline, ‘The lives of these kids hang by a slender thread’. Th is has prompted the health departmentto do the needful. Taking cognizance of the TGSreport, the health department has been spurred into action. It has started taking follow-ups of the ailing children, and surgeries have been planned for almost all the 47 kids.
AWAITING TREATMENT
BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1 The Pune collector and district health officials had been on their toes since they received the letter from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to trace seven-year-old Vaishali Yadav, and arrange her surgery as soon as possible. After two days of searching, the collectorate officials identified Hadapsar resident Vaishali, who was suffering from congenital heart disease, and the surgery costing Rs three lakh was done for free promptly at Ruby Hall Clinic on June 2, despite not having identity proof like ration card. This miracle has happened because she had written a letter to the PMO, quoting her parents’ inability to finance the surgery. But what about those 48 poor children from Pune district awaiting heart surgeries, whose families neither have the money for treatment nor required documents. If they are not operated upon, some of them will die, and who will be responsible for their deaths? All of them deserve to be treated like Vaishali, if they write to the PM. According to statistics available with Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) officials, as many as 48 poor children identified by 73 RBSK teams in Pune district are in need of urgent heart surgeries. Some of them have waited for five years, but their parents are unable to raise the money for the surgery. These parents along with the doctors have made countless visits to government, charity and private hospitals in Pune and Mumbai, but to no avail. According to sources, there are more than 200 children awaiting surgeries in Pune district, but officials are downplaying the number to just 48. Teams of RBSK doctors identified these children from PMC and ZP schools and Anganwadi centres in districts, and refer them for further treatments to Aundh Civil Hospital. After conducting various tests like 2-D echo and cardiac catheterisation, it is the responsibility of the civil surgeon to facilitate heart surgeries in their own hospital, charity hospital or through Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (RGJAY), free of cost, as these patients are from weak economic backgrounds. Some children are not treated under RGJAY as some diseases are not covered under the scheme for the poor to avail of the treatment for free. So these children are still waiting for the surgery. Even charity hospitals in Pune are not ready to operate on them free of cost.
Tejaswini Rale Tejaswini Sunil Rale, 9, of Jawalake Khurd (Khed) was detected by a RBSK doctors team in 2013. She has complicated heart problem as her aortic valve is not working. Her father Sunil Rale visited DY Patil Hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic, Budhrani and NM Wadia Hospital but they refused operation citing her as a high-risk patient. “I have given my consent to these hospitals but they are not ready to operate on her,” said Sunil, who is a farmer. Tejaswini has a nine-month-old sister Shriya who underwent surgery for Atrial Septal Defect. Yash Nivrutti Kamble Yash Nivrutti Kamble, 9, of Bhatnagar in Kalewadi is suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart disease that causes inadequate flow of blood to the lungs for oxygenation, which requires ‘Biventricular Repair’ surgery. Though Yash was identified by the Pimpri-Chinchwad RBSK team’s Dr Umesh Jaiswal last year, he has been suffering from the heart problem for the past five years. He is in need of surgery but his parents are unable to afford the cost of the surgery. Yash’s father Nivrutti is a daily wage worker, and his mother works as housemaid. Yash is now in serious condition and unable to walk. His parents are tired of visiting hospitals and requesting politicians for help. The surgery is not covered under RGJAY so they are helpless. Hospitals are refusing to treat Yash as it is a high-risk operation.
Tejaswini (right), baby sister Shriya (centre) with their mother
Varsha Popat Pawar, 14, of Daund died two and a half years ago as she was not operated on in time. Maharashtra RBSK Doctors and Employees Association (DREAMS), an association of the RBSK doctors in the state, wrote a letter to the Civil Surgeon of Aundh hospital, reminding him to facilitate heart surgeries of these high risk children, but nothing has happened yet. “We are following up the issue since last three years with several reminders but nothing has happened yet,” said Dr Pranali Vetal, president of DREAMS. “Now all of these children have written letter to PMO like Vaishali to get health aid,” said Dr Vetal. Deputy Health Director (Pune division) Dr Hanumant Chavan said that they are going to facilitate these surgeries through RGJAY. The new amendment is being made by RGJAY to include these pending surgeries. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com
Durva Sudhakar Dhavare Durva Sudhakar Dhavare, 1.5, lives in a slum in Chinchwad. Her father is a daily wage worker and her mother is a housewife. They lead a hand-to-mouth existence. Durva is suffering from a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a congenital heart defect in the ventricular septum, the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart. She is underweight and suffers from severe malnutrition (SAM). She was identified by doctors in 2015, but is unable to avail of the surgery as her family is unable to raise the Rs three lakh needed for the surgery. The couple also has a six-year-old son Kishor. Poorva Sunil Badhe Poorva Badhe, three and a half years old, who lives at Davadi Nimgaon of Khed tehsil, is suffering from high risk heart disease. She requires surgery which costs Rs 2.5 lakh. Her father is a farmer and has spent almost Rs 50,000 on tests to diagnose the disease. Doctors are refusing to perform surgery on her as it is complicated. Her parents are awaiting surgery at a camp in Mumbai, as advised by RBSK’s Dr Pranali Vetal. Vaibhav Dashrath Rathod Vaibhav Dashrath Rathod, 4, of Nanekarwadi in Chakan, has a hole in his heart (ventricular septal defect). His father works in a company. He has taken Vaibhav to Sahyadri Hospital, and other charitable hospitals, but they have refused to operate on him.
Women-exclusive Govt order on privatisation not want their wards to undergo the surgeries. rickshaw plan One patient has migrated to his stalled own state. The total count of patients is 47, which has of hospitals flouted by PMC been finalised by the health department. Once
Arogya Yojana (RGJAY) and have been referred to the charity commissioner officials, who have takenup the responsibility to operate on them at top city hospitals free of cost. PMCTh rents Shahu surgeries which are too much e out11 Hospital to private player Orakas at just onehave been referred to Sassoon complicated, rupee a month General Hospital. A team of cardiac experts from England is visiting the SassoonHospital mayor cardiac department from “The November12 to himself has 18. Th ree children’s diagnosis is now being violated completed. The parents of the fourstate children do BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar
Despite the state government stay order on privatisation of hospitals under local bodies,the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) run Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Hospital in Wanowrie, which falls under Mayor Prashant Jagtap’s ward, has been recently given to Orakas green acres private hospital to run for the next 30 years, on the rent of just one rupee per month. The mayor has thus violated the state government stay order. Congress and Republican Party (RPI) corporators strongly opposed the privatisation of Shahu Hospital, but the mayor forcefully passed the proposal thanks to his majority in the house. Orakas hospital offers orthopaedic, diagnostic care and treatment and has a trauma centre. According to the agreement with PMC, Orakas hospital will give just one per cent concession on bills to Pune patients for orthopaedic treatment under the central government health scheme. PMC administration has cited lack of patients at Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Hospital as reason to give this hospital to Orakas Hospital on public private partnership (PPP) basis for 30 years at just one rupee monthly rent. Shahu Hospital was constructed by PMC on land reserved under R-7. According to current market rates, the property is worth Rs six crore. But it was given to the private hospital with just a Rs 30 lakh deposit and one rupee monthly rent, on the flimsy premise that they are giving modern medical treatment to the citizens of Pune. There was only one tender from Orakas for the tender process of giving Shahu Hospital on PPP basis.According to the MRTP act, PMC must float a second tender by minimising terms and conditions, so that more private players can participate. But PMC has violated this rule as well
and granted tender to Orakas without falls under Mayor Jagtap’s ward, and he implementing tender procedure for a was determined on giving it to a private second time. player. They passed this proposal in PMC opposition leader Arvind the general bodyon majority basis. But Shinde said, “The state government tomorrow if anybody goes to court, this had already given stay order to privatise entire procedure court may be scrapped.” PMC run Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in PMC RPI house leader Dr Yerwada, because the Siddharth Dhende said, government had already “Politicians in power at taken a policy decision PMC do not care a whit to restrict local bodies about citizens’ health. from privatisation of It is a myth that good their hospitals. Providing medical facilities are health care facilities is the provided only by private responsibility of any local hospitals. I am an MBBS body, according to the doctor and I know this as MRTP act. But in this a fact. Thirty per cent case, the mayor himself of Pune’scitizens live in has violated the state slums. How can they government’s orders and afford to pay bills of given PMC property of private hospitals? There ARVIND SHINDE Shahu Maharaj Hospital are Pune hospitals that worth more than Rs six demand a Rs 15,000 crore on rent to a private deposit before starting a player, by promising that the hospital will patient’s treatment. So this is a serious provide specialised medical treatments. matter.How many common people can The standing committee decided to give afford treatment at Orakas Hospital? It is Shahu Maharaj Hospital on rent to a our responsibility to provide health care private player, saying that the hospital facilities free of cost, or provide modern will provide modern specialised medical treatments at fair and minimum costs. treatment to citizens. But the general We strongly opposed the privatisation of body is above the standing committee. Shahu Hospital in the house but mayor They sidelined the general body and passed the proposal on the basis of their gave the tender to Orakas. This hospital majority in the house.”
govt orders.”
BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2
the documentation is completed, most of the surgeries will be done through RGJAY, officials said. Most of the children are suffering from congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly or congenital heart disease. There is a problem in the structure of
PMC health chief Dr S T Pardeshi said, “Orthopaedic treatment is only available at PMC run Kamla Nehru Hospital, so there was a need toextend this facility to other PMC hospitals as well. Orthopaedic and trauma care machinery is expensive, and we did not have adequate staff for trauma care, so we had no option but to take the help of private players. Since there were only 7/8 patients at Shahu Maharaj Hospital, there was no question of running an OPD. It was Mayor Jagtap’s wish to start a specialised medical treatment centre at Shahu Maharaj Hospital. The health department executed orders according to elected representatives’ wishes.” Mayor Prashant Jagtap said, “This is misunderstanding among many honourable corporators that we have done privatisation of the PMC run Shahu Maharaj Hospital. It is just a joint partnership with Orakas Hospital to offer modern medical treatment like orthopaedic and trauma care to the citizens of Pune. We followed the tender procedure as well while giving Shahu Hospital on rent to Orakas Hospital, so there is no issue of favouring anybody here in tender procedure. This hospital falls under my own ward and there was a demand from people to set up trauma care and orthopaedic treatment in Shahu Hospital. It takes substantial investment to set up a trauma care and specialised orthopaedic surgery. So the best option was to give it to a private player, because PMC does not have need to invest money in it. It requires a minimum investment of Rs three crore to set up a trauma centre. Orakas has to invest this amount on its own. As per our agreement with Orakas, they have to treat 60 per cent patients recommended by PMC and 40 per cent private patients. Orakas has agreed to give one percent concession on bills to patients under the central government health scheme. Most importantly, Orakas has agreed to give free orthopaedic and trauma care medical treatment facilities to sitting corporators, PMC officials and former members as well.” tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com
for kids with heart disease selling imported cigarettes having no declaration viz, maximum retail price, name, address and contact details of the importer, size, weight, packaging and expiry date of the commodity and many other things which are mandatory as per law. “A clear violation of the Legal Metrological Act 2009, Packaging and Commodity Rule 2011 was found in these cases,” said Kove. The vendors make huge money by selling imported cigarettes in comparison to the Indian brands. “They cheat customers as there is no price stated on the packages and also evade paying taxes and government duties as there are no declaration on the packages. We suspect that the stock belongs to black market and have even seized goods worth lakhs,” Kove said. Meanwhile, the legal metrology department has registered cases against the e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart for alleged violation of Legal Metrology Act, 2009, by flouting packaging norms.
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Is writing to the PMO the last ray of hope for these 48 children awaiting heart surgeries?
Legal metrology department also seize their stock
BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2
No tendency among youth to get heart diseases: study
The lives of these kids hang by a slender thread
33 vendors booked for Someone cares selling illegal cigarettes
Amitabh Gupta, special inspector general of police and controller of legal metrology, stated in a release that some customers had lodged complaints with his office. Based on the inputs, the legal metrology department carried out raids at warehouses of Amazon and Flipkart in Bhiwandi in Thane district, and seized products worth around Rs 85 lakh. Eighteen types of packaged commodities worth Rs 37 lakh were seized from M/s Instacart, and 21 types of packaged commodities worth Rs47.7 lakh were seized from M/s Amazon Sellers Services Pvt. Ltd, it said. These packages did not conform to the “Package Commodity Rules, 2011,” the release said. The complaints said, among other things, that packages did not mention MRP of the goods, the weight, details of manufacturing, packing dates, contact details of makers or suppliers, etc., Gupta stated. With Agency inputs vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com
The state government’s dream project of an exclusive autorickshaw service run by women for women has failed to take off six months after its announcement. The state government has reserved a five per cent quota of autorickshaw permits for women drivers. The project envisages women autorickshaw drivers who will cater to women commuters only. It has been held up owing to the colour issue. The women have demanded that the autorickshaw colour should not be changed to pink from the standard black and yellow, so that the vehicles can be given out on rent. But the Regional Transport Office thinks this is unethical and action will be taken against such a practice. As per the state transport ministry decision, 3000 autorickshaw permits were distributed in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) limits. Of these, 160 autorickshaw permits were reserved for women. Fifty-eight women had applied for autorickshaw permits, of which 29 were found to be eligible for the permits, and the remaining applications were rejected owing to errors in the forms and lack of eligibility criteria. Regional Transport office (RTO), Pune has issued permits to 18 women but not a single woman autorickshaw driver is to be seen in Pune driving a pink autorickshaw. To speed up the process, the Pune RTO had issued notices in August to all this autorickshaw permit holders to complete the colouring work and bring out the pink autorickshaws on the roads. “The state government had allotted a five per cent reservation of permits to these women as a move towards women empowerment,” said Anil Patil, deputy regional transport officer, Pune. Earlier, the colour of the womendriven autorickshaws was not finalised. The RTO has taken declarations from all the permit holders that any colour which would be decided by the state transport department would be followed. “The statement about the colour
issue was agreed to, so why are they now not ready to make changes to the autorickshaws? Most of them want to give their autorickshaws to others on rent and earn money, but as per the rules it is not ethical and cannot be done. Action will be taken if any of the autorickshaws are found to be driven by male drivers,” said Patil. “These pink autorickshaws will be given more preference by the women commuters as they find it safer to travel in these autorickshaws especially at odd times,” he said. Indira Nagarkar, 58, who received the autorickshaw permit through a lottery, said, “I have applied for this permit stating that the vehicle would be driven by my son as he is jobless. I am too old and at this age it will not be possible for me to drive an autorickshaw,” she said. Pushpa Narsale, is another woman who has suffered losses. “I have bought the autorickshaw on loan and have being paying the EMIs for the last two months from my own pocket. I have not earned a single penny from this autorickshaw,” she said. “The RTO authorities have told us that the autorickshaws cannot be driven by any male. This is wrong. Family members of the permit holders should be allowed to drive the autorickshaws,” said Narsale. Autorickshaw permit holder Rupali Rawade is not sure if she will drive the autorickshaw. “We have not given any declaration about the change in colour to the RTO. What difference will the autorickshaw colour make?” she said. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com
State legal metrology department has booked 33 vendors for selling imported cigarettes sans declaration. The statewide special drive was conducted after a detailed study of the mode of trading practices adopted by the sellers of imported cigarettes. Inspector General of Police and Controller of Legal Metrology Amitabh Gupta had ordered to conduct the drive after several complaints were received by the LMO department about cigarettes sold with no declaration. The LMO had conducted a twoday special drive in Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur and Mahabaleshwar. In Pune, sellers like Choice Enterprises, Smokers Corner, Kalyani River Corner, Siddeshwar Panwala, AP Traders, Bhageshwar Traders are Heera Agency are amongst those booked for violating the norms said, DL Kove, deputy controller, Pune region “Violations in the state include
Talegaon resident gets justice after filing an RTI plea, since the nagar parishad had declared that his house was unauthorised despite taking permission BY GUNWANTI PARASTE @gunwantiparaste
An RTI appeal has enabled a 74-year-old to get justice. Owing to the carelessness of the Talegaon Nagar Parishad, his house had been declared as being unauthorised. The parishad issued permission for the house construction, and after some time, told the man to pay a fine because construction was done without permission. The man then fi led a plea under the RTI, after which the house was declared to be authorised. Narayan Devi Das Pandit, of Talegaon Dabhade, has his house in Indrayani Colony. In 1991, he had taken permission from the Talegaon Nagar Parishad to construct his own house. In 2003, he wanted to construct the fi rst floor. Pandit wanted his own house map so hewent to the Talegaon Nagar Parishad office. They refused to give him a house map, saying that he had not taken permission for house construction. They said that his house
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BY VICKY PATHARE @Vickypathare2 The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is yet to learn lessons from the recent fi re outbreaks in industrial areas. In a case of clear negligence of fi re safety norms that could put the lives of thousands of people working in industrial area of Bhosari and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in danger, the five-year-long pending proposal of a fi re station at Bhosari MIDC is gathering dust. The proposal got a go-ahead
two months back and the tender to construct the fi re station at Bhosari MIDC Phase II was sanctioned, but the engineering department of PCMC is yet to take any positive step. The MIDC Bhosari was merged under PCMC more than three decades ago, yet the area lack basic facilities. The twin town has expanded by leaps and bounds and houses more than 15,000 small and medium business functioning in MIDC Bhosari, Kudalwadi and Chikhali. Currently there are five fi re stations in PCMC areas located at Chinchwad, Talawde, Rahatni, Bhosarigaon and Pimpri, a facility that is insufficient for the growing population. The proposal to build a fi re station at Bhosari MIDC has been neglected by the administration and public representatives. “The PCMC civil department is least bothered about public service and
security. There are three fi re stations in pipeline to come up at Chikhali, Chinchwad including the Bhosari MIDC phase II but, I am fed up of requesting them for several times,” alleged Kiran Gavade, Chief Fire Officer, PCMC. “It will hardly take two months to construct the fi re station but due to the lackadaisical approach of the PCMC the work is pending. Now when everything is cleared and tenders are issued, why is the civil department causing delay. Several times I have raised the issue in the meeting but in vain. The new fi re station at Bhosari MIDC will have two fi re tenders and 25 workers,” said Gavade. The Centre has admitted that Indian cities and rural areas are facing shortage of fi re stations as little less than 3,000 such units are operating against the requirement
This is the house that Pandit built
unauthorised and that he would have to forwas consensus intold them that he pay a fine of Rs 5,000. Pandit had already taken permission for construction Uniform Civil in 1991. He then paid theCode fine but decided to
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A beggar woman has left her tearful little child hanging precariously from a metal barricade, even as vechicles pass by at extremely close range, on this busy street near Sarasbaug chowk
number 78, dating back to January 13, 2003. The parishad told him that the fi le was not available, since they did not preserve ten year old documents but destroyed them. Pandit asked for a list of the destroyed documents but the parishad ignored the application. Pandit decided to fi le a second appeal on November 7, 2014, asking for list of the destroyed documents. The second hiring commission passed judgment in Pandit’s favour, saying that documents for 2000 and 2003 years were available. The fi rst appeal officer said that they would provide the documents relating to the land to Pandit. The Nagar Parishad also decided to refund the money taken as fine from Pandit. A Talegaon Nagar Parishad official told TGS that ten year old documents were destroyed. But the 2000 and 2003 documents were available and would be provided to Pandit. They also commission would refund Pandit’s money, and tender an apology for causing him mental stress. Commissioner Ravindra Jadhav said that the map copy, construction map and related documents were not provided. Talegaon Nagar Parishad did not have any documents to prove that Pandit’s house was unauthorised. The commission passed judgment that Pandit’s house was not unauthorised, and that his money should be refunded. gunwanti.paraste@goldensparrow.com
SC lawyer terms the practice as a big scam
BY GUNWANTI PARASTE @gunwantiparaste
The Bombay High Court has given notice to banks that charge extra interest in the fi rst EMI. All banks must explain to the high court their reason for this extra charge. In 2015, a PIL was fi led against Union of India, Ministry of Finance through its fi nance secretary; the Reserve Bank of India, through its Governor; Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd. Mumbai; ICICI Bank Ltd, Vadodara through its directors; and ICICI Bank Limited, Bhandarkar Institute Road Branch, through its branch manager. Speaking to TGS, city-based Supreme Court Advocate Ashutosh Srivastava said, “We bought a home in NIBM area in 2014. We took a home loan from ICICI Bank. We mailed the bank about pre-EMI interest, but it ignored our mail and charged full interest. If the home loan starts in mid-month, then the bank should not charge for the full month, but the bank does not count the days. If the period between the loan starting date and preEMI date is five days, then the customer has to pay interest for only five days, unlike the prevalent period where bank taxes the customer for the full month.”
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fight for justice. Pandit fi ledan RTI on April 1, 2014 in Talegaon Nagar Parishad. He had asked for information about the map of land plot
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of over 8,500. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said India has 2,987 fi re stations against the requirement of 8,559, which shows
editor_tgs@goldensparrow.com, tushar@goldensparrow.com or mail it to The Editor, Golden Sparrow Publishing Pvt Ltd, 1641 Madhav Heritage, Tilak Road, Pune-411030
a deficiency of 65 per cent. The Standing Fire Advisory Council, which has representatives from all states, has recommended setting up
fi re stations based on response time — fi ve to seven minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas. He said the maintenance of fi re service is a municipal function but the Centre pitches in with funds and training to improve the infrastructure and quality of manpower needed to tackle fi re incidents. The National Disaster Management Authority had issued guidelines in April, 2012 to standardise the type of equipment and training of personnel to modernise and improve fi refighting capabilities in the country, Rijiju said. The National Fires Service College, Nagpur provides training to fi re officers in advanced techniques of fi refighting and rescue, keeping in mind changes such as industrialisation, growth of industry and expansion of urban areas, he said in his written response. vicky.pathare@goldensparrow.com
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
RAHUL RAUT
FEATHERED COMPANY
PMC to put details of No way to treat a pregnant lady 4,000 doctors online soon
OCTOBER 22-28, 2016
Visionindia company accused of denying pregnant women employees maternity leave, and holding back workers’ pay cheques
BY GUNWANTI PARASTE @gunwantiparaste
BY TUSHAR RUPANAVAR @tusharrupanavar
The central government recently amended the Maternity Benefit Act 1961, which increased the paid maternity leave for working women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. This amended act is applicable to establishments employing ten or more persons. But Archana Potdar, an employee of Visionindia Software Exports Limited, an ISO 9001:2008 certified IT company based at Karvenagar, was denied the maternity leave she asked for. Archana complains that Visionindia intimidated her and wanted to force her to resign when she filed an application for maternity leave. The Union cabinet on August 10 amended the Maternity Benefit Act 1961 by introducing the maternity benefit amendment bill 2016 in Parliament. Rajya Sabha too gave its nod to this amendment on August 11. As per the new amendment, government has increased maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. The act protects the employment of women during the time of her maternity and entitles her to a maternity benefit of full paid absence from work to take care of her child. Visionindia had got the tender of central government’s ICT (Information and Communication Technology) programme two years ago. Through this ICT programme, Visionindia recruited 838 teachers for 838 schools across Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg district to teach computers to 9th and 10thstandard students on contract basis. The amended act is applicable to Visionindia company as well as its employees whose number is more than ten. Visionindia employee Potdar currently serves as ICT teacher in Satara district. “I am working with Visionindia company as teacher under ICT
TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly
BY DNYANESHWAR BHONDE @dnyanesh1
The Samarth police have booked a man from Bhavani Peth area for allegedly treating patients without holding a valid degree or medical council registration, on October 19. Despite filing an offence under sections of the
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“Any new entrants to our party (BJP) shall not be automatically eligible to get ticket for the forthcoming civic polls in the city. (In light of recent induction of leaders in BJP under CM Devendra Fadnavis’ supervision)” - Girish Bapat, Pune District Guardian Minister
Tibet’s thangkas find new fans P13
Under the Right to Information Act, hiring of employees is done from 11am to 6pm. But in a first, hiring was done at 2 am by the Right to Information Commission, Pune. The RTI Pune Commission is working blindly, said RTI activist Prof Jayant Gaikwad of Ahmednagar. “It’s the first instance of hiring being done at night. When I received the hiring order letter, I was confused about the timing, which was said to be 2 am. I thought that it was a typing mistake. I tried to contact the concerned person and department, but I did not get a proper response.
said Dr Vaishali Jadhav, assistant medical officer of PMC, who had initiated the drive. On October 19, PMC had filed an FIR at Samarth Police Station against a bogus doctor from Bhavani Peth area for allegedly treating patients without holding a valid degree or medical council registration. The quack has been identified as Ayyub Khan, who runs the Wellness Clinic in Chowdhari building in Bhavani Peth area near Ghodke mutton market. Meanwhile, the authorities had called for ‘proactive for this quack approach’ with cooperation from medical bodies to tackle the issue of quacks and fake doctors operating in the city. A proposal to direct beat constables to keep an eye on such activities in areas under
The staff of Visionindia Software Exports Limited, an ISO 9001:2008 certified IT company based at Karvenagar
programme since the last two years. I teach computers to students at a school in Satara district. But when I filled an application for maternity leave, the company refused me the leave. Being a women employee, it is my right to get maternity leave of 26 weeks. But the company chiefs rejected my leave application, threatened me, and wanted to force me to resign due to my pregnancy. In the past, the company has forced pregnant women employees to resign. Their policy is to recruit new teachers in the place of pregnant women employees, by refusing them maternity leave and forcing pregnant women employees to resign. The company is harassing its women employees. I personally requested my seniors and had written many applications for maternity leave, but they refused,” she said. Social activist and advocate Rama Sarode said, “Not giving maternity leave to women employees is an offence as per maternity benefit act 1961 and this act applicable to both public as well as private establishments where more than ten workers are working. Archana can file a case against this company in court as well as at the state women’s right commission for denying maternity leave and forcing her to resign due to pregnancy. It’s every working woman’s right to get 26 weeks maternity leave and establishment has to
The health department of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has collected the details of over 4,000 doctors operating from the 15 ward offices of city area. Doctor’s details including name, degree, registration with respective council will soon be updated on PMC websites. Health department has issued notices to doctors whose registration is incomplete and have made changes in The game is up their names. dispensing allopathic With rising numbers Man medicines in Bhavani Peth area is found to have no license, qualifications of quacks operating in city, orvalidmedical council the move will be helpful in registration monitoring doctors in the city area and identifying quacks. Once the details
Wellness Clinic in Chowdhari building in Bhavani Peth area near Ghodke mutton market. The police filed an offence against Khan after Dr Dinesh Bende, medical ward officer (Bhavani Peth) who is also member of anti quackery cell headed by PMC health department, suggested it. Dr Bende had forwarded a report to PMC health department on February 17, 2016, urging action against Ayyub Khan after Bende found during
RAHUL RAUT
TEARS IN HEAVEN
Fire station at MIDC yet to kindleLetters into toreality the Editor may be emailed to
Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body neglecting the safety of people working in these industrial areas
the heart that is present at birth, which can be life-threatening. Some of them are suffering from Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), a defect of the upper chambers of the heart (atria), where the wall (septum) between the right and left atrium does not close. Some of them are suffering from heart murmur, a whooshing sound made by blood circulating through the heart’s chambers, valves, or through blood vessels near the heart. Some are suffering from Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) that results in low oxygenation of blood due to the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in the left ventricle via the ventricular septal defect. Speaking to TGS, joint charity commissioner officials said that they have been taking appointments of the hospitals which perform pediatric heart surgeries in the city free of cost under the IPF fund. “Six children have been referred by the health department to us. We are in touch with the medical social workers of city hospitals for surgery purposes. Not a single child will be deprived of surgery,” said Shivaji Kachare, joint charity commissioner. “We are happy that the health department has taken cognizance and is arranging the surgeries. Now our children will get a new lease of life,” said Sunil Rale of Khed, father of nineyear-old Tejaswini Rale, who is awaiting heart surgery. dnyaneshwar.bhonde@goldensparrow.com
It is impressive to see the health department taking up the onus to operate on the 47 kids suffering from heart ailments. I had read your story on how a young girl of one and half years of Banks fleecing customers RTI comes to the rescue of agewronged had succumbed to her heart problem, on home loan EMIs Talegaon resident and if it is that story which pushed the authorities to act on this, then kudos to you guys. It makes me really happy to see such beautiful things happening. - Shruti Ehsan Venkaiah bats
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
“There is an inherent weakness in pilot BRTS which cannot be put right. The busiest corridor in Pune does not have a single safe crossing, either a foot overbridge or underpass. This should be taken up on priority.” - Maj Gen SCN Jatar (retd), President, Nagrik Chetna Manch
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THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY
It’s sad to see that the PCMC is not the least bit interested in taking any action towards setting up a functioning fire station proportionate to the growing population in the area. Despite being sanctioned a while back, this procrastination or indifference is a reflector of the poor administration. They don’t understand that not only are the civilians staying there under danger but also the passing population, and an untamed fire could lead to further problems in the future like traffic and obviously loss of life and property. If the authorities are not capable of doing their duty, then it is up to the citizens of the area to get together and either start a peaceful protest or sign a petition in order to make sure that the station is created. From bricks to clicks, with -Irfan Sheikh Pune-based Olito OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 04, 2016
No sharing of black money reports
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give her total salary during her leave.” Shashikant Jadhav, ICT teacher of Visionindia, said, “I have been working at Visionindia under ICT programme as teacher since the last two years. But the company is very irregular in payments. It has not paid us for the last ten months and we have no food to eat. ICT teachers working at Visionindia in various districts came to the Pune office to meet the chairman and directors of the company. But they stopped our payments for the last ten months under false pretexts like government not paying the company. The company also did not give maternity leave to some of our women teachers during their pregnancy. This is a violation of women’s rights as well.” Director of Visionindia Software Exports Limited, JV Kulkarni said, “We have taken this issue of our women employees not getting maternity leave seriously. We will take strict action against the officer in charge who has denied maternity leave to these women teachers working in our company in the ICT programme. About payment, in the next 3-5 days we will definitely give their pending payments,. The government delayed our payment instalment, so payments of these teachers were delayed.” tushar.rupanavar@goldensparrow.com
Peth. Khan was administering to six patients present in the clinic. Dr Bende sent a decoy patient, Rupesh Babar, complaining of an abdominal problem. Khan prescribed a powder and some tablets and demanded Rs 400 from Babar. Dr Bende then asked the ‘doctor’ to furnish educational documents related to medicine practice. Khan furnished certificates of Alternative Medical Council, Calcutta, an identity card and a B Pharmacy Degree Certificate. He also showed his visiting cards which mentioned ‘Wellness Clinic, Dr Ayyub H Khan, B Pharm, DN, CSGM, DASM, AMCC, DOT, and his letterhead which mentioned Dr Ayyub Khan. All the certificates turned out
Dw
The senior lawyer has questioned the rationale behind this practice and terms the argument of ‘system error’ cited by banks as silly. “Any system error can be rectified by banks. It is a scam that has looted customers for years. The PIL seeks an answer and solution. Today, buying a home is not easy for every person. Banks give home loan and take interest. But for what reason do banks charge pre-EMI? I am happy that the high court has now shown interest in this matter, because it has become a big scam where illegal money is collected from home loan customers,” he said. Srivastava has filed PIL No 51 of 2015 and appears in person Vs Union of India, Reserve Bank of India, ICICI Bank and others before Bombay High Court, in the interest of borrowers/loan account holders who have availed housing loans from ICICI Bank Ltd. He said respondents number 3 to 5 are illegitimately and unlawfully charging interest for the whole first month EMI to its housing loan borrowers/loan account holders, instead of from the date of disbursement of the loan to the date of 1st EMI and as such, the respondent bank (ICICI Bank Ltd) has been charging interest from the retrospective date, thus affecting millions of housing loan borrowers/loan account holders. The HC issued notice to the respondents, and will take up the case on November 28, 2016. gunwanti.paraste@goldensparrow.com
SPORTS
THE GOLDEN SPARROW ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5-11, 2016
PUNE
“Kohli is as good as it gets. He is right up there. Root has good numbers, but it’s unfair to even compare Joe with Virat because his numbers are just phenomenal.” — Kevin Pietersen, Former England Batsman
Signposts Veteran state table tennis from today PYC Hindu Gymkhana is organising the 3rd Veterans State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament of this season at PYC Gymkhana community hall, Bhandarkar Road from Saturday. More than 200 participants have confirmed their entries. The tournament will be played in men 40 plus, 50 plus, 60 plus, 65 plus, 70 plus and women 40 plus, 50 plus and 60 plus categories, and offers a total prize money of Rs 70,000. National and international players like Sunil Babras, Upendra Mulye, Suhas Kulkarni, PG Kelkar, Yogesh Desai, Nitin Tosniwal and Manish Rawat will be participating in different age categories. The tournament has received more than 54 entries for the team championship. For further details, contact tournament secretary Avinash Joshi (9922420916).
Sadio wins KPIT ATP tennis tournament Sadio Doumbia of France battled Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India over three sets, while the Indian pair of Purav Raja and Divij Sharan saved two match points to lift the doubles title at the $50,000 KPIT MSLTA ATP Challenger organised by MSLTA and played at the Mhalunge Balewadi tennis Complex. In a well contested singles final, Doumbia won his first Challenger title, scoring a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over 346th ranked Gunneswaran. He claimed $7,200 (Rs 4,71,000) and 80 ATP points, while the runner-up took home $4,053 (Rs 2,65,000) and 55 ATP points. Purav Raja and Divij Sharan defeated Luca Margaroli of Switzerland and Hugo Nys of France.
“Playing Test cricket is ultimate for anyone and I am no different. Yes, this is my biggest achievement till date and it was the happiest moment.” — Hardik Pandya, All-rounder
City boy defies injury to claim glory Ten-year-old Arjun Adkar wins silver medal in the World Biathle Championship in USA after suffering an ankle fracture
the coach realised that he had the ability to run faster along with a quick pace in swimming. He advised him to shift to biathle and triathle and it has worked for the youngster. Arjun is standard V student of Dr Kalmadi Shamrao High School, Pune. Meanwhile, Indian players did a wonderful job at the event, winning two gold and two silver medals. In the last World Championship held in Georgia, India had won just one individual bronze medal. Thane’s Savar Akuskar won a gold medal in the under-11 Open Biathle event with a timing of 4 min 10 sec, and was followed by Sapna Prabhugaokar of Goa who clocked 4.17s. In the boys’ segment, Vedant Gokhale of Thane won gold medal with a timing of 4.17s and was followed by Arjun Akadkar who finished the event in 4 minutes 27 seconds. Along with Arjun, four players from Pune, including Geeta Malusare, Sai Disle, Parth Kharate and Parth Gore were selected for the Indian squad.
BY ASHISH PHADNIS @phadnis_ashish Beyond the scores and stats, the world of sports also throws up stories of athletes who overcome obstacles, show inspiring sportsmanship, and defy tall odds to achieve success. Pune youngster Arjun Adkar is a classic example. The ten-yearold had suffered an ankle fracture just a few weeks before the World Biathle Championship in the USA. However, he showed true grit at his tender age to win a silver medal in the under-11 event in Florida. Arjun, who has been training with international coach Jitendra Khasnis for the last six months, had won two gold medals in the national Biathle and Triathle championship held at Karnal, Haryana last month. However, during that event he suffered an injury and his left leg was put into a PoP cast. It not only disrupted his preparations for the world championship but also put his participation under threat. Doctors advised him not to participate in any event immediately as it might worsen the injury. Even his parents tried to convince the kid. “He is just ten and has a long sporting career ahead, so we tried to convince him to skip the world championship. But wasn’t easy as such opportunities don’t come easy. However, he was determined and just before the mandatory training camp in Pune, he removed the cast, put on a crepe bandage for protection and started preparing for the event. His dedication is truly remarkable,” said Arjun’s father Ajay Adkar. Even his coach was all praise for the young champion. “He surely was a gold medal contender and if he hadn’t suffered an injury he would have definitely grabbed it. Due to a gap of almost a month and a change in his running style, he wasn’t able to give his best but yet managed to get a silver medal. I am sure he will go all out for the
Arjun Adkar with his coach Jitendra Khasnis
yellow metal next year,,” said Khasnis. Arjun started swimming training with Khasnis, but during a cross training exercise,
Lack of organisational skills The event, despite being a world class tournament, was marred by lack of organisation. Several parents complained that their wards suffered hugely due to miscommunication. “Several times the distances of the event were changed at the last minute. When they were supposed to swim 100m, the participants were told to swim just 50m and run 600m instead of 400m. Secondly, the route consisted of sand patches and it had a slope, which was making difficult for runners. Their shoes were fi lled with sand and thus affected their performance. The organisers were too casual with the rules and no dress code was followed, no rule book was followed and despite protests from several team managers, they went on with their own set of rules,” said one of the parents on condition of anonymity. If this was not enough, on the last day, under-11 event was preponed by two hours and every team manager was not properly informed. Th is resulted in India and Pakistan athletes missing the event. After several protests, the athletes were allowed to participate in the open event and despite all odds, the Indians won medals in that particular event. ashish.phadnis@goldensparrow.com
Know the sport
Biathle/Triathle: Biathle is an event that involves a run, swim, and run course. It is a world class sport but not an Olympic one. The legs are raced with continuous transitions like triathlon. The race length is usually 200 m swim and 3 km run, which is shorter than aquathlon usually is. The Biathle World Championships have been held in September or October annually since 1999. The first event was held in Monaco, and returned there every two years between 2003 and 2009. Approximately 500 athletes have competed at each edition of the championships, representing some 50 countries. In triathle, shooting is added event to the biathle competition. It all comes under modern pentathlon, which is an Olympic sport that comprises five different events: fencing, 200m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a final combined event of pistol shooting and a 3200m crosscountry run.
Double crown for Dakshineshwar
Sowjanya emerges winner in ITF
TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly
Tamil
Nadu player Suresh Dakshineshwar won a double crown in the Pune Open Tennis Tournament organised by Navnath Shete Sports Academy at Deccan Gymkhana club. Suresh, who reached the final in the boys’ under-16 and under-18 categories, produced a good game to win both matches. In the under-18 final, he faced Pune’s top seed Siddhanth Banthia. In last year’s National series, held at the same venue, Siddhanth had beaten
Sowjanya Bavisetti stopped the winning run of 16-year-old Mihika Yadav 7-5 ,6-2 to lift the women’s singles trophy at the $10,000 KPIT MSLTA BVG ITF Women’s Tennis tournament at Balewadi. Lefthanded Bavisetti was troubled in the first set by her young opponent. Sowjanya led 5-3 before Yadav came back to level scores. However, a series of double faults affected Mihika’s performance and she went down in the first set. She never recovered from it and surrendered tamely in the second.
Suresh in the final, while in the recently held under-16 national championship, Suresh had proved better than the Pune lad. Therefore it was an equal tussle between both players and it reflected in the scores. The opponents were going neck to neck in the fi rst set and in the tie-breaker Suresh had the last laugh. The second set too was a close battle. Both players maintained their serves till the 8th game, as the score read 4-4. In the 9th game, Suresh broke Siddhanth and gained a 5-4 lead. The Tamil Nadu lad needed to keep his serve to win the match, but he lost momentum with a double fault. However, he recovered quickly and
FC Pune sinks to the bottom TGS NEWS SERVICE @TGSWeekly FC Goa ascended from the bottom of the Hero Indian Super League table for the first time after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over FC Pune City at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Balewadi-Pune, on Thursday. FC Goa was in danger of exiting the league early this season but coach Zico masterminded his first win over a team coached by Antonio Habas, as Brazilian striker Rafael Coelho scored the all-important goal from a free-kick in the 32nd minute. The win helped FC Goa move to the seventh spot with seven points from eight matches while FC Pune City is now at the bottom with six points from seven matches. FC Goa chief coach Zico made as many as five changes to the team that lost the last match at home against Delhi Dynamos. Zico preferred to strengthen his defence with three international players, while goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani, Sanjay Balmuchu and Robin Singh also returned to the side. FC Pune City coach Antonio Habas, who had never lost a match against Goa, made three changes, at least one necessitated with the two-match suspension of defender D Ravanan. FC Goa looked solid at the start, working their way neatly ahead. Joffre Gonzalez was presented with the first chance in the 10th minute when Pune lost the ball but the Spanish midfielder shot wide from close range after getting into a good position. Brazilian striker Rafael Coelho was also presented with a chance in the 23rd minute only to be blocked by Mohammed Sissoko inside the danger zone. Luciano Sobrosa then missed a chance from a corner-kick when he headed wide but Goa eventually managed to take the lead in the 32nd minute. Joffre had won a free-kick just outside the box after being
ISL Points Table Teams
M
W
D
L
P
Atletico de Kolkata
7
3
3
1
12
Mumbai City
8
3
3
2
12
Delhi Dynamos
7
2
4
1
10
Chennaiyin FC
7
2
4
1
10
NorthEast United
7
3
1
3
10
Kerala Blasters
7
2
3
2
9
FC Goa
8
2
1
5
7
FC Pune City
7
1
3
3
6
* Updated post Match #29 FCPC vs FCG
brought down by Pune defender Augustine Fernandes. Rafael stepped up and curled the ball well into the far corner of the net, past Pune goalkeeper Edel Bete who was distracted by the presence of Goa striker Robin Singh in the wall. Pune came very close to securing the equaliser just before the half-time break as Jonatan Lucca cut past five Goa players but his shot was well saved by goalkeeper Kattimani. In the second session, Pune City had more of the ball but could not breach the solid defensive line manned by captain Gregory Arnolin, Rafael Dumas and Luciano. In fact, FC Goa had two good chances to kill the match but Joffre shot wide after being put clear by Rafael and the Brazilian striker was himself guilty of missing an easy chance after he cut past the goalkeeper but only ended up providing an opportunity for Pune defender Rahul Bheke to head the ball away from the goal-line. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com
Rafael Coelho of FC Goa scores the winning goal against FC Pune City at Balewadi
pocketed the title. Earlier, Suresh had beaten sixth seed Aditya Ayyer 9-5, while Siddhanth had prevailed over Kaiwalya Kalamse 9-3 in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, life was easier for Suresh in the under-16 final. Top seed Suresh defeated second seeded Ojas Thejo 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets to win the double crown. Amongst the girls, Pune’s Shivani Ingale won the title, beating second seed Richa Choughule 6-1, 6-1. However, in the under-14 girls’ final, Richa managed to lay her hands on the trophy. She defeated second seed Gargi Pawar 4-6, 6-0, 7-5. tgs.feedback@goldensparrow.com