Brijesh Dixit, managing director of Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, has said that they are making efforts to start the service as early as possible. (File)Pune, Maharashtra News Highlights: Commuters in the city who were eagerly waiting for Metro rail services up to Shivajinagar to get started in the New Year are in for a big disappointment. It will take at least another two months or could be even more for the metro service to run up to the hub of city Shivajinagar, officials said. “Currently, the trial run for Metro service from Pimpri to Shivajinagar is underway. After the trial runs are over, we will send the report to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety who will inspect the system and then give a green signal. All this will need more than two months’ time,” Maha Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane told The Indian Express Friday. Read here
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Jaykumar Gore was discharged from hospital after he suffered injuries in the chest in a car accident. Gore was injured after an SUV he and three others were travelling in fell from a bridge and plunged into a ditch on the Pune-Pandharpur Highway near Malthan. While returning home in Nagpur’s Satara district, the driver of his car lost control and the accident took place, police said. Gore said in a statement, “…I’m recovering much faster than expected. I’m thankful… for the utmost care.” He was admitted in city’s Ruby Hall Clinic hospital.
In other news, the city’s Crime Branch has arrested two people and seized Mephedrone worth Rs 20 lakh from their possession. The accused were identified as Afzal Inam Nadaf (26) and Arjun Vishnu Jadhav (32) from Solapur and Lonavala, respectively. Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Narcotics Cell along with a Crime Branch team headed by Senior Inspector and Assistant Inspector laid a trap and nabbed the accused from near Sangamwadi Bridge. The accused had procured the contraband from drug peddlers in Mumbai’s Santacruz, revealed the investigation.
Maharashtra on Friday recorded 32 new COVID-19 cases that raised the tally of infections to 81,36,780, an official from the state health department said. The toll stood at 1,48,418 after one casualty was reported in the last 24 hours, while the count of recoveries reached 79,88,228 as 30 patients recovered from the infection, he said.
The state had on Thursday reported 23 new COVID-19 cases. With 12,916 swab samples tested in the last 24 hours, the total number of tests conducted in the state rose to 8,60,00,577. As per the health department report, Pune and Mumbai circles logged 11 cases each, followed by Nashik circle with six, Nagpur with two and one case each from Latur and Aurangabad.(PTI)
Popularly known as the seat of the Peshwas, Pune is dotted with forts that stand today as testament to the Marathas’ past glory. You will find here forgotten architecture and broken buildings as vestiges of a past that goes back to the settlements near the Mula-Mutha river from the period of Rashtrakootas and Yadavas. Read more
The family of Garima Agarwal, a student of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, who attempted suicide claiming that her PhD thesis had been plagiarised, has demanded justice for her.
After Garima (29) attempted suicide at her Delhi home on December 14, a first information report (FIR) was registered under section 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code at the Shahdara police station in the national capital on December 19. Read more
In its bid to reduce carbon emissions in the city, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has constituted a Climate Action Cell, comprising experts in the field and representatives of concerned organisations, which met for the first time on Thursday to decide the city’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality.
The civic body has formed an executive committee and working group under the dedicated cell. It expressed the need to prepare a Climate Action Plan for which a greenhouse gas emission inventory is needed and carbon emissions have to be measured. Read more
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Friday dared the Maharashtra government to register a case against him if his remarks about the 17th century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj amounted to "droh" or betrayal.
Pawar, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, has been facing criticism after he stated that Sambhaji Maharaj was `Swarajya-rakshak' or protector of the independent state carved out by his father, Shivaji Maharaj, and not `Dharmaveer' (religious warrior) as described by some right-wing Hindu groups. On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had said that to say that Sambhaji Maharaj was not `Dharmaveer' amounted to betrayal ("droh") of his thoughts and injustice to him. (PTI)
Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara, former cricketer and current Sri Lankan commentator had complained of symptoms like chills and shivering on the evening of January 4th, a day before the India-Sri Lanka match, and was taken to Ruby Hall Clinic, Hinjawadi, at 8 pm. He was treated for dehydration and high fever. He was discharged on Thursday, just before the match.
Talking about his experience at Ruby Hall Clinic, Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara said, “I would like to thank all the staff, both medical and non-medical for the wonderful care that they have given me during my stay at the hospital. Additionally, I would also like to thank Dr Shridhar Deshmukh and his team who were immensely capable, professional, and incredible. Every single aspect was looked into and I felt safe and secure knowing I was in such good hands. I am leaving with abiding memories of everyone here at Ruby Hall clinic and I am very grateful to them for my return to health."
Commuters in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad who were eagerly waiting for Metro rail services up to Shivajinagar to get started in the New Year are in for a big disappointment. It will take at least another two months or could be even more for Pune Metro service to run up to Shivajinagar, the hub of Pune city, officials said.
“Currently, the trial run for Metro service from Pimpri to Shivajinagar is underway. After the trial runs are over, we will send the report to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety who will inspect the system and then give a green signal. All this will need more than two months’ time,” Maha Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane told The Indian Express Friday. Read more
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has cited possible financial loss if ongoing construction activities under the River Front Development (RFD) project in the city are stopped. The western zone branch of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has allowed works for which orders have already been issued and directed the civic body not to issue new work orders for construction of any kind till amended environment clearances are obtained for the project.The bench of Judicial Member Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Vijay Kulkarni heard activist Sarang Yadwadkar’s application on Wednesday. The activist urged the tribunal to direct PMC to immediately stop all construction activities undertaken for RFD of Mula, Mutha and Mula-Mutha rivers and impose a penalty on the civic body for violation of a tribunal judgment of November 11. Read here
Less than 50 lakh people above 18 years in Maharashtra have taken the Covid-19 booster vaccination, but the fresh outbreak in China and other nations has slightly pushed up the demand for precaution doses, Maharashtra health department officials said. State immunization officer Dr Sachin Desai said on average around 10,000 doses are being administered daily now.
Over four crore people in the 18-44 age group have got both shots of the Covid-19 vaccine in the state since vaccination commenced in January 2020, according to Maharashtra health department data. In the 18-44 age group, around 30 lakh people have taken the precaution dose while over 15 lakh have taken the booster shot till January 2 this year in the 45-59 age group. Read here
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Union government must change its attitude towards cooperative banks and support them because they serve the common people. Pawar was speaking at the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee of Vishweshwar Cooperative Bank Ltd.
"Generally, there is a misconception that people in the cooperative sector are involved in wrongful practices....there are irregularities in the cooperative sector but if you look at the overall percentage of irregularities, you will realize that the percentage of irregularities in the nationalised and scheduled banks is 92 per cent and the percentage of irregularities in the cooperative sector is hardly .43 per cent. Not even one per cent," Pawar claimed. (PTI)
Nationalist Congress Party workers on Thursday spoke up about factionalism at the local level in a meeting with party chief Sharad Pawar. Pradip Garatkar, NCP's district president, said the meeting of key party functionaries from each tehsil was held to take a review ahead of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections.
A party functionary from the Velha unit told reporters that he told Pawar that the NCP can win Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections on its own if factionalism was overcome. (PTI)
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday sought to allay Opposition apprehension about state-based industries moving elsewhere and said it is natural for those holding investor summits to visit Mumbai as it is India's financial capital.
Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said those who want to attract industries to their states or hold an industrial summit have no alternative but to come to Mumbai and that reflects the strength of Maharashtra. He was responding to queries about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Mumbai visit for a roadshow on Thursday in connection with an investor summit to be held in Lucknow in February. (PTI)
Maharashtra on Thursday reported 23 COVID-19 cases, which took the tally to 81,36,748, while the death toll stood unchanged at 1,48,417, a health official said. This was a rise from the 16 cases reported on Wednesday, he pointed out.
Mumbai circle led with 14 cases, followed by six in Pune circle, two in Nagpur circle and one in Latur circle. The recovery count increased by 30 to touch 79,88,198, leaving the state with an active caseload of 133, he said. Pune district has 72 active cases, followed by 25 in Mumbai and six in Thane, he added. (PTI)
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the inauguration of the “Muralidhar Lohiya Matrumandir," a new pre-primary wing of Deccan Education Society on Thursday.
Sancheti Hospital, Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS) and Chandmal Munot Trust have collaborated to organise the 29th Free Plastic Surgery camp between January 5 and 7 in Pune. Dr Larry Weinstein, US-based Plastic Surgeon, inaugurated the camp Thursday.
The camp will include screening and surgeries of patients with cleft lip, cleft palate, nose, eyebrow, ear deformity etc. A total of more than 500 patients have registered for the camp and nearly 200 operations will be performed for under privileged patients. Read more
His treating doctor Dr.Kapil Zirpe, Head Of Department of Neuro Trauma Unit At Ruby Hall Clinic said “The ditch where the SUV fell was at least 30 feet down and therefore, MLA had suffered chest fractures. He was admitted with chest trauma & chest ankle fracture post the accident. Due to bony fractures in the chest, there was a lot of breathing difficulty when he was admitted a week plus, ago. However, over the period of time with multi-speciality approach inclusive of pain management as well as functional assistance, he responded quite well to the treatment beyond medication. In Mr Gore’s case, Physiotherapy helped him gain functional independence quite quickly."
“In these days of being at Ruby Hall, I have been treated by ward boys, nurses, caretakers, Doctors like their own family member. And it was because of this approach that my recovery was much faster than expected. I am thankful to Dr. Purvez Grant, Dr. Zirpe and to the Nuero trauma unit team for giving me utmost care.” Says Bharatiya Janata Party (MLA), Jaykumar Gore said in a statement issued today.
The Pune rural police have deployed force and issued prohibitory orders at the historic Lohagad Fort in the backdrop of the proposed Urs or observance for Haji Hazrat Baba Umarshahwali and the opposition to it by many organisations. The police said that the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) had sought security cover.
The Lohagad Fort, which remained a key hill fort of the Maratha empire, is located near the Lonavala hill station in the Maval taluka of Pune district. The fort has been under the ASI’s control and is a favourite destination for tourists and trekkers alike. Read more
Pune Metro completed the work on a major connecting link between Shivajinagar interchange station and Raja Bahadur Mill station by laying a girder across the Central Railway crossing, paving the way for the extension from Shivajinagar to Ramwadi on Nagar Road.
“The important work on the route from Vanaz to Ramwadi was completed Tuesday after the elevated steel girder was put across the Central Railway crossing at Sangamwadi and now the trial run on the stretch from Shivajinagar to Ramwadi can be started in the next few days,” said a Pune Metro officer. Read more
As the winters are setting in late in the city, IMD predicts the minimum temperature to be pegged around 15 degrees with a slow drop as the week progresses. IMD forecasts the minimum temperature in the city to drop to 8 degress from January 9 to January 11.
The Pune rural police have busted a gang involved in siphoning and black marketing food grains from the public distribution system (PDS) shops. The police seized three vehicles carrying around 11 tonnes of siphoned foodgrains and arrested four people.
A team from the local crime branch (LCB) of the Pune rural police was working on a specific input that some people were involved in illegal transport and black marketing of the foodgrains siphoned from PDS shops in Pune. Subsequently, officials from the district food distribution office were made aware of the input and an operation was planned to intercept the transporters, LCB officers said. Read more
NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said it was not wrong to think of the 17th century ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj either as a saviour of religion or the protector of ‘Swarajya’, the independent Maratha state founded by his father.
Controversy broke last month when Pawar’s nephew and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said in the Maharashtra Assembly: “We always refer to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj as ‘Swarajya Rakshak’. But some people are calling him ‘Dharmaveer’. It is incorrect as Sambhaji Maharaj never championed the cause of any particular religion. His sacrifice and work were for national welfare.” Read more
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde recently directed the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department to look into the demand for separate washrooms for transgendered individuals in government, semi-government, and other public spaces. Shinde gave this direction while responding to the demands made by Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress Secretary Roshan Meshram.
Since the last year, Meshram has been raising the issue of the lack of separate toilets and washrooms for transgendered individuals in public spaces. In want of separate toilets and washrooms, such individuals are forced to use either the toilets designated for males or females, he has said. This not only causes them problems but also makes them vulnerable to harassment or abuse, according to Meshram. Read more