Nashik Round-Up

The petition will be heard following its transfer from the Nagpur bench of the High Court in April. Though the hearing was scheduled for May 4, the case had been adjourned to June as none of the petitioners turned up in court.

The petitioners are demanding that the proposed university be located in Nagpur, contesting the Nashik lobby which claims the institution should be set up here in keeping with the promise of Health Minister Dr Daulatrao Aher.The controversy was compounded last week, when some doctors in Dhule formed a committee demanding that the university be set up in their district to facilitate upgradation of medical services there.

Convicts learn a lesson

When the judge threw the book at them five years ago,he had no idea that the symbolism would dawn on the three convicts one day.

Now, Hitesh Pravinchandra Shah 27, Santosh Anna Patekar 30 and Rajendra Uttam Borse 28, who were sentenced to life imprisonment at the Nashik Central Jail, are poised to take the entrance test for the Master8217;s course on May 16. The jail authorities have permitted the trio, convicted under Section 302 murder of the Indian Penal Code, to undertake post-graduation studies via correspondence after the jail superintendent, Ram Jadhav, cleared their request.

A jail official said that after the preliminary examination they would be admitted for the Master8217;s course of the Yeshwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, adding that the trio will be escorted by the police to the exam centre.

Manmad morcha

An all-party morcha was taken out in Manmad town on Wednesday to protest against the fourfold hike in water tariff by the Manmad Municipal Council.Residents are especially angry with the tariff hike as the town is hit bya perpetual water scarcity. Water is available for only an hour twice a week. A former chairperson of the council, Rehman Shah has formed the Purogami Vichar Manch, which had organised a bandh in the town on May 9.

Today8217;s morcha demanded the immediate withdrawal of the hike in addition to adequate water supply. Manmad is an important junction on the Central Railway with a population of around one lakh.

Constables8217; fate hangs fire

The fate of 368 police constables, who had passed the departmental examination for promotion as sub-inspectors in 1995, hangs in the balance as they are yet to be promoted, even as the government prepares to conduct another departmental examination on September 13.

The government fills 50 per cent of the PSIs posts from departmental promotees, who are graduates and serve as constables. On April 8, about 3,500 constables took the departmental examination and 422 of them were declared successful. Of the 422, only 54 have been actually posted as PSIs while the rest arestill waiting for their promotions.