Pune Beat

This was being done after a delegation of Express Citizens8217; Forum ECF called on him recently with a request to adopt a set of norms similar to those laid down by Police Commissioner K K Kashyap for festival pandals, Agarwal added.

Shinde had raised a point of information on the issue seeking to know if Agarwal had already adopted the norms at the behest of the ECF delegation. He demanded that the municipal administration take the elected body into confidence before arriving at any decision on the sensitive issue.

It may be recalled here that the ECF executive members had met Agarwal on Monday urging him to adopt the norms since Kashyap had laid them down for the entire police commissionerate. They requested the civic chief to give them wide publicity so that festival volunteers are informed about these well in advance of the festivities.

According to the norms set by the police commissionerate, the size of a festival pandal will not exceed one-third of the road width, it will not face the centreline of the road so that the gathering of spectators do not occupy further road space, and that it will not be erected within 10 meters from the road junction.

Insa award for NCL scientist
Ashish Kishore Lele, a scientist working with the polymer engineering division at National Chemical Laboratory, Pune has been selected along with 17 other researchers from all over the country for this year8217;s Indian National Science Academy INSA medal for young scientists.8217; The award is given every year for outstanding contributions to science and technology.

Lele is involved in polymer processing work at NCL, which mainly includes developing of new polymer products.