A Baner-based citizens’ group, Vasundhara Swachata Abhiyan (VSA), on Sunday carried out a tree plantation drive and a cleaning drive in areas near Ramnadi. The volunteers planted 10 saplings of Panchavati trees: Umbar, Kadamb, Wad, Pimple and Amla.
The organisation has been working silently to improve the environment over the last two years. Every Sunday, the members of the organisation plant trees on Baner Hills, maintain the trees planted by them, besides cleaning the areas near the river. “This Sunday was a special one as one of our members, Gulabrao Tapkir, celebrated his 78th birthday. He wanted us to celebrate his birthday with nature,” said members of VSA, Anil Gaikwad and Deepak Shote.
The organisation also held a lecture on global warming and the imperative need to keep the rivers clean by former mayor and Nationalist Congress Party leader, Vandana Chavan.
Chavan in her lecture, organised at Vidhate Wasti in Baner, said that people should ensure not to dump garbage in rivers or on streets and should segregate and dispose of garbage properly.
“The civic body should make sure that sewage is treated properly before it flows into the river. Only then will we keep the rivers clean and give the coming generation a chance to use water,” she said. Corporators Baburao Chandere and Arjun Shinde were present during the plantation drive, along with Shankar Kalmani of Sarathi Pune.
Engg colleges win top honours
GH Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, Pune, was declared the second winner at the fourth edition of JK Tyre Baja SAEINDIA 2011 track events that recently concluded at Pithampur, near Indore.
About 1,700 engineering students from 79 teams across India worked with auto industry experts to bag the coveted award for the best road vehicle. SKN College of Engineering, Pune, was declared the event’s second runner-up. Other awards like Maximum Acceleration award and Dronacharya Award, were bagged by GH Rasoni College of Engineering and Management and SKN College of Engineering, respectively.
GH Raisoni also won the Durability award. Sagar Patane, a student from this college was honoured with the Best Driver award, while the Army Institute of Technology, Pune, won the Cost award.
Jawan made more than 500 calls to Pakistan
PUNE: The phone call details of army jawan Brijesh Singh revealed that he had made more than 500 calls to Pakistan during the last one year.
The crime branch had questioned Singh on Saturday. He had allegedly provided sensitive documents and information to suspected Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agent Vishambhar Agarwal, who was arrested on Tuesday. Assistant commissioner of police Prabhakar Patil (crime) told that a police team led by him, inspectors Bhanupratap Barge, Satish Govekar and Sunil Tambe visited the signal regiment at Ghorpadi and questioned Singh. "We are in talks with the army officials for the arrest of Singh," Patil said.
The police are investigating the purpose behind the calls made by Singh to Pakistan and also the persons whom he spoke to, Patil said. Investigations have revealed that Agarwal and Singh had first met during a train journey in November 2010, when both of them were coming to Pune, Patil said. Singh allegedly conspired with Agarwal to pass the documents about Southern Command to the persons from Pakistan. "We are investigating how the suspects sent the information." Patil added that police teams will be sent to the residences of Agarwal and Singh in Haryana and Mathura respectively for further investigations.
Agarwal (24), who hails from Haryana and presently residing at Transportnagar in Nigdi, was under surveillance for some time and was arrested near Alankar theatre on February 1 as there was information that he was supposed to hand over objectionable materials to an unknown person. The police had recovered the sketch and photos of Southern Command headquarters, telephone numbers of defence officials and a compact disc containing sensitive information.
Pune politicos all out to woo women voters
With civic elections scheduled early next year, the political fraternity in Pimpri-Chinchwad has already started wooing the electorate.
Women corporators — both incumbent and aspiring ones — are busy organising grand haldi-kunkoo and tilgul functions, which kicked off after Makar Sankranti. It is a social gathering, in which married women exchange haldi (turmeric) and kumkum (vermilion powder), as a symbol of their married status and wish for their husbands’ long lives. They invite friends, relatives and acquaintances to meet in an atmosphere of merriment and fun. The programmes will continue till Rathsaptami (February 10). Calendars with leaders’ photos and party policies and books on pilgrimages are being gifted to invitees.
A woman politician, who organised such an event, remarked that no woman ever denies an invitation of a haldi-kunkoo function. “It definitely enables us to reach out to the women in our wards.
Onus on civic bodies to save rivers
PUNE: Citing at least nine main causes that have been contributing to the pollution of the small rivers and tributaries which later join the Bhima river, the district collectorate and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) have fixed responsibilities on various civic bodies to take necessary action to prevent environmental degradation.
The polluted Bhima river joins the Ujani dam, and in turn affects the water source for several villages and towns along the river bank. The river is the main water supply source for several villages and towns in Pune, Ahmednagar and Solapur districts.
The Bhima River Action Plan, prepared jointly by the district collectorate and the MPCB, has stressed on the need for efficient management of water supply and waste water treatment systems to save the rivers. The plan gives comprehensive details of the causes of pollution of the rivers like the Indrayani, Pavana, Mula, Mutha, Kukadi, Ghod and Bhama, which join the Bhima river.
The main reasons of pollution cited by the authorities include release of treated as well as untreated domestic as well industrial effluents, mixing of leachate in the river due to untreated solid waste and use of chemical fertilizers, absence of flow of water throughout the year, growth of water hyacinth, sand mining, bathing and washing along river banks, and so on.
Physically-challenged students get scholarships
Pune: A hundred physically challenged college students have been awarded educational scholarships instituted by the National Association for Welfare of Physically Challenged.
According to Rahul Deshmukh, founder of the association, the students have been selected according to their academic performance, financial conditions and family background. The programme was held at Annabhau Sathe School, Kumthekar road on Sunday.
“The intention is to promote the importance of education among the physically challenged. Many disabled people find it difficult to continue their studies after school or junior college.
Lack of financial support is one of the key reasons behind it,” said Deshmukh, a visually challenged.
Accidents still haunts Express way
PUNE: Six members of a family died and four injured after the Omni van they were travelling in met with an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Monday morning. According to the Dehu Road police, a tempo hit the van from behind, causing it to turn turtle. The driver of the tempo abandoned the vehicle and fled the spot.
Assistant Police Inspector S Ranadive from the Highway Police department said, “The Omni van, carrying 10 members of the Dhulap family, was on its way to Pune early on Monday to attend some family function. Around 5:50 am, a tempo appeared from behind and rammed the Omni. The impact of the crash was such that Omni turned upside down.”
The highway police got to know about the incident from passersby and a team was rushed to the spot. Out of the 10 passengers, 6 were declared dead. The deceased have been identified as Kashinath Dhulap (45), Hariba Dhulap (50), Santosh Hariba Dhulap (25), Sandeep Hariba Dhulap (28), Usha Dhulap (40) and Suman Hariba Dhulap (45). Santosh Dhulap, Hariba’s son, who stayed with his family at Sion Koliwada was behind the wheels, police confirmed. Police said that some members of the family reside at Goregaon and others at Prateeksha Nagar in Sion.
The injured, identified as Deepali Santosh Dhulap (22), Tushar Santosh Dhulap (4), Poonam Khade (23) and a two-year-old unidentified infant were rushed to the Lokmanya Hospital at Negdi where they are undergoing treatment.
“We have the registration number of the tempo and will initiate inquiries to trace the identity and whereabouts of the driver. He has been charged with causing death due to rash and negligent act,” said a police official from the Dehu road police station.
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