Nashik Diary

Take for instance the incident of an LPG tanker holding an entire town to ransom. About 10 days ago, an LPG tanker, while crossing a bridge under heavy downpour, slipped and overturned in Nandgaon town. The semi-literate driver and the cleaner, who escaped unhurt, panicked and so did the residents.

Since it was a gas tanker, people feared that it would explode any moment, blowing up the town. The local police vacated houses within two kilometres of the accident spot. For two days the tanker remained at the spot till experts from petroleum agencies arrived to retrieve it.

Some years ago, the government had planned to impose minimum educational qualifications for truck and tanker drivers and the unions had struck work compelling the Government to withdraw the move.

Dearth of funds inNMC

The Nashik Municipal Corporation, like the State Government, is facing a resource crunch and there are hints of hiking taxes. But the financial crisis has not prevented the State government from buying a new Mercedes car for the Governor. Likewise, the resource crunch has not deterred the Nashik Municipal Corporation NMC from buying a brand new Ambassador car with Isuzu engine for the chairman of the civic education committee, Ganpatrao Kathe.

Deputy mayor, Ghulam Shaikh, is also demanding a new car as the Contessa at his disposal is under repairs. The Nashik Municipal Corporation NMC has raised Rs 100 crore through bonds to finance its ambitious projects like the underground sewerage project. In the process it has increased its liability which includes an interest 16 per cent to bond holders. The fact remains that none of the several projects are likely to be complete with funds raised through the bonds and the only fait accompli would be an increased tax burden on Nashikites. For thecity fathers, it is business and pleasure as usual, with taxpayers8217; money.

NCP not an asset anymore

When former Nashik MP of the Congress party, Dr Vasant Nivrutti Pawar, joined the Nationalist Congress Party NCP on the eve of the recent elections, little did he think that it would only be a liability.

Pawar, who unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls on an NCP ticket from the Nashik constituency, has found that he has to accommodate the NCP8217;s local office in his residence-cum-nursing home. The NCP was provided with an office space by a municipal contractor, Shivnath Kadbhane, but when Kadbhane was denied a ticket, it led to verbal duels, while the space continued to be utilised by the NCP for its campaign.

Now with the NCP not performing as expected, the space provided for it is being used for a craft exhibition cum sale. Nivrutti Pawar, who had taken lead in expressing solidarity with Sharad Pawar in the hope of getting elected and perhaps becoming a minister, has become the custodianof the NCP office, which is now located in his house.

An orator in the RSS herd

Acharya Dharmendraji Maharaj was recently in Nashik along with the Dharma Jagran Yatra undertaken by the Gomantak Sanskruti Raksha Manch from Goa to Delhi.

The acharya is a crowdpuller in the Sangh Parivar for his oratorship. So, the audience most of which comprised supporters of the parivar became impatient while waiting for him on the banks of river Godavari, but they waited nevertheless and then spent hours just listening to him.

The reason behind the audience8217;s great enthusiasm is the fact that the acharya speaks in Urdu-Hindi, unlike the other speakers of the parivar who speak in Sanskritised Hindi, though he did not say anything which the loyalists did not know.

8212; RAKSHIT SONAWANE