Citygritty 8212; Pune

He promptly produced one. And amazingly enough, the card showed the payable fare as Rs. 17.50! An argument ensued wherein this driver even roped in the support of the other rickshaw drivers who were waiting at the auto stand in the vicinity. Eventually, she had to cough up the money.

It was only on checking with a friend that she realised that the legitimate fare was indeed not Rs. 17.50 but Rs 10.75! Rickshaw drivers not carrying a rate card is a common enough occurrence, but now, it seems there are also some unscrupulous ones who do carry the mandatory card but with inflated rates. Guess it is time for the commuters to carry the cards themselves 8211; and correct ones at that!

Raining misery
Monsoons do bring relief from the oppressive heat, but the flip side is that commuting becomes a pain. A major problem 8211; roads get clogged with water and that is a major cause of traffic blockade. Which brings the focus onto the storm drains that are meant to keep the roads free of water.

Unfortunately, with the monsoons just a few weeks away, the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC has yet to begin its exercise of cleaning these crucial drains. Says R.T. Shelkhende of the drainage department, 8220;We already issued a circular to the ward offices 15 days back to get the storm drains in their wards cleaned. But they have yet to start work.8221; So can we expect the PMC to follow this simple procedure that will save us all the trouble of choked roads, or do we simply let the rains do their job?

Home and away
Away from home and in the wilderness of Yevat, kids aged between five and 18 have an opportunity to live a life of adventure. D.B. Naik, entrepreneur, is conducting an Adventure Camp in two batches, with the first one commencing on May 21 and the second one starting on June 1.

Over a 10-day period, six trainers will teach the kids outdoor sports like trekking, horse-riding, swimming, as well as spiritual enhancers like meditation and Bhagvad Gita shlokas. While campers will be provided with breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner, they will also have the option of buying food of their own choice from the nearby stores.

To meet any casualties, the camp will be equipped with a first-aid kit, in addition to a dispensary in the vicinity. A fully-equipped hospital in close proximity will pay put to fears in case of serious injuries. Boys and girls will be accommodated in separate barracks.

If their parents so desire, younger kids could remain at the camp for a shorter duration, that is, five days. So feel like an adventure? The opportunity8217;s here.

Sculpted souvenir
This statue is going places, quite literally. As a symbol of friendship between Pune and its sister city, San Jose, United states of America, a four-foot-tall bronze statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj astride a horse will soon find its way to the American city.

The statue, which had been sculpted by city-based sculptor B.R. Khedkar, has been ready for over a year. 8220;We needed time to work out the details with the authorities in San Jose,8221; says V.N. Tapikar from the mayor8217;s office, explaining the delay. 8220;The statue will be dispatched to the USA in the last week of May. It is to be installed in a public garden and will be unveiled on July 3,8221; he said.