Maharashtra reported 4,154 new coronavirus infections and 44 fatalities on Friday, according to health official, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state to 64,91,179 and death toll to 1,38,061. (PTI)Pune News Today highlights: Pune on Saturday recorded 134 new Covid-19 cases and four related deaths. The total number of active cases in the city stands at 2,067.
Two years after Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) restricted water supply in the industrial city to alternate days, the civic administration has decided to restore daily supply in a couple of months.
Meanwhile, a group of students from Afghanistan, who are studying in Pune, has come together in support of the “national uprising” against the Taliban called by Ahmad Massoud, leader of the resistance forces in the country’s northeast province of Panjshir. The students had organised a protest on Friday near the main building of the International Centre of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) around 3 pm.
Devotees gathered in huge numbers to offer prayers from outside the temple at Dagadushet Halwai Ganapati Temple on Friday on the first day of Ganesh Festival. (Express photo by Ashish Kale.)
Devotees bid Lord Ganesha farewell on the second day of Ganesh Festival on Saturday at an artificial 'pond on wheels' at Sahakar Nagar.
Pune on Saturday recorded 134 new Covid-19 cases and four related deaths. The total number of active cases in the city stands at 2,067.
In cooperative housing societies of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ganesh festival this year has gone online. With Covid-19 restrictions in place for the second year in a row, the festivities continue but in a subdued manner. Most societies which used to hold grand cultural festivals have since then moved them online, with only the participants allowed to come to the venue.
“Societies which are holding cultural events have been asked to live-stream them with only the participants allowed to be present at the venue. Similarly, in case of aartis, we have asked them to ensure only minimum number of participants are allowed in the venue, with others watching it online," says Sanjeevan Sangle, chairman of the Chikali Moshi Cooperative Housing Societies Federation.
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Residents of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have reason to cheer. Two years after it restricted water supply in the industrial city to alternate days, the civic administration has decided to restore daily supply in a couple of months.
The move follows directions from the state government, besides the near-completion of construction of a jackwell. Pavana dam, the lifeline of Pimpri-Chinchwad, is also currently full. Read more.
Dotted with historic landmarks such as the Pataleshwar caves and the Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje Garden, the Jangli Maharaj Road has a tale of its own thanks to a 21-year-old corporator who refused to stop asking questions. Know the history of the road and Jangli Maharaj, after whom it's named, here.
Sightsavers, with the support of SBI Capital Markets Limited as a part of its CSR programme under healthcare, are setting up three mobile vision centres in the cities of Chennai, Kolkata and Pune to strengthen the primary eye care services. This is under its National Urban Eye Health Programme – Amrita Drishti.
The intervention seeks to increase the demand for eye health services among the urban poor population through improved eye health-seeking behaviour. The mobile vision centres are likely to increase access to inclusive, quality eye health services through integrated and strengthened urban health service delivery system. The project will reach out to 22,500 slum dwellers in three cities in a year, a statement issued Saturday said. Read more.
A clutch of Congress leaders has begun lobbying for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra, the election for which is scheduled on October 4. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Satav.
Among those vying for the seat include Prithviraj Chavan and Mukul Wasnik. The names of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rajiv Shukla, Sanjay Nirupam are also being discussed. Also, in the race is Pradnya Satav, wife of the late Congress leader Rajiv Satav. Anant Gadgil, son of late Congress leader and former Union Minister Vithalrao Gadgil, has also laid claim to the seat.
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Sancheti Healthcare Academy will introduce Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) in Hospital and Healthcare affiliated to Pune University (SPPU).
The three-year intensive program meets the demands of today’s healthcare industry through precise training for evaluation, presentation and research of data related to Healthcare Management, Manisha Sanghvi, Executive Director of SHA, told The Indian Express.
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A woman and her two-year-old son were found dead in a well in Alandi Mhatobachi village in Haveli on Friday evening.
The police identified the deceased as Kavita Devidas Bhosale (30) and Pranit Bhosale (2), natives of Umarga in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra. They were residing in Bhekrai Nagar in Hadapsar area of Pune.
The police suspects a case of suicide, but a probe is underway to ascertain the cause behind the deaths.
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The Publications Division of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has published a book to pay tribute to Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi on his birth centenary. Authored by Pune-based Dr Kasturi Paigude Rane, ‘Bhimsen Joshi: Celebrating His Centenary’ takes one through chief events in the musician’s life, his expedition to north India in search of a guru and his training in music that followed.
“Pandit Joshi was one of India’s most cherished music personalities from the 20th century – a concert performer, guru and organiser. He was instrumental in innovating the structure of the Indian classical music concert. One of the most intelligent minds of his time, he had an unparalleled aesthetic perspective and was the busiest performing musician of the 20th century,” said Dr Rane.
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Pune Rural Police’s Local Crime Branch on Friday arrested self-styled ‘godman’ Manohar Bhosale alias Manohar Mama from a village in Satara district.
Bhosale was earlier booked for allegedly cheating one Shashikant Subhash Kharat (23), a resident of Baramati, by assuring to cure his father, who was suffering from cancer, in return for Rs 2.5 lakh.
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Appealing to local residents to immerse Ganesh idols near their residences instead of in a water body, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has made available around 200 tonnes of Ammonium bicarbonate for free distribution to help them dissolve the idols of plaster of paris at their home.
“The PMC has provided nearly 13 tonnes of Ammonium Bicarbonate to each of the 15 ward offices for free distribution among local residents to dissolve the idols at their home. Also, 247 idol collection centres have been set up across the city and 150 mobile idol immersion tanks would be ferrying them to enable residents to immerse idols near their residences instead of going for immersion in any water body, considering the ongoing pandemic,” said Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.
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A gambling racket was busted in Kusumdhara area of Nagpur, leading to the arrest of 15 persons and seizure of Rs 1.54 lakh cash and six motorcycles, police said on Friday. Acting on a tip off, a farmhouse was raided by the rural police's crime branch on Thursday, an official said.
A case has been registered under the Maharashtra Prevention of Gambling Act and further probe was being carried out by Parseoni police, he added. (PTI)
The state government will initiate steps to include IVF treatment under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana to provide financial relief to people from rural areas to avail the treatment, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said.
The state government will initiate steps to include IVF treatment under the Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana to provide financial relief to people from rural areas to avail the treatment, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope has said.
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Pune city police have arrested a woman for allegedly stealing a three-month-old girl from Sassoon General Hospital. The accused was identified as Vandana Jethe (24), a resident of Kharadi.
According to a complaint, the 22-year-old mother of the infant had come to the hospital for treatment. They were at ward number 74 of the hospital, when a woman wearing the uniform of a nurse told her that a family member had come to meet her.
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A study by a group of Pune-based researchers has recommended planting Ashoka and cluster fig trees (Umbar) in the Shivajinagar and Pashan areas of the city, as they were most resistant to air pollution.
These trees can act as pollution barriers and as a sink to control air pollution and should be planted more to mitigate air pollution menace, experts said. The city generally witnesses moderate air quality during the summer and winter seasons and improved air quality in the monsoon season.
Any increase in the concentrations of either oxides of sulphur or nitrogen in addition to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 or PM 10 contributed by vehicular emissions, construction works, burning of farmlands and similar activities can lead to deterioration in air quality.
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The Covid-19 tally in Nashik reached 4,06,518 on Friday after 121 cases were detected, while the day also saw one death and 115 people getting discharged, an official said.
The toll in the district is 8,602 and the recovery count is 3,97,012, he added. With 3,804 samples being examined on Friday, the number of tests in Nashik went up to 24,97,976, the official said. (PTI)
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Friday recorded 241 fresh Covid-19 cases and 4 deaths.
A group of students from Afghanistan, who are studying in Pune, has come together in support of the “national uprising” against the Taliban called by Ahmad Massoud, leader of the resistance forces in the country’s northeast province of Panjshir.
The students had organised a protest on Friday near the main building of the International Centre of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) around 3 pm. Students from Afghanistan, studying in various colleges in Pune, had come to the SPPU with banners and posters to take part in the protest. But they had to postpone the programme as they could not get permission to hold the protest.
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Pune recorded 1,751 cases on Friday and Pune district reported 974 new Covid-19 cases and 7 deaths. Over 1,033 recovered from the disease, taking the active cases to 8,822 in the district. On Friday, 24,656 samples were tested.
There is a low-pressure area, and its associated cyclonic circulation prevailing over east Rajasthan and the neighbouring areas, which is keeping rainfall activity steady over Maharashtra and parts of central India. Adding to this is the monsoon trough running to the south of its normal position.
The Met office has warned of isolated heavy spells (64.4mm to 115.5mm in 24 hours) and issued an ‘Yellow’ alert over Uttarakhand, Punjab and west Rajasthan till Sunday, and similar intense rain with ‘Orange’ alert for Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Goa on September 13 and 14.
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Maharashtra reported 4,154 new coronavirus infections and 44 fatalities on Friday, according to health official, taking the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state to 64,91,179 and death toll to 1,38,061.
The number of daily cases and fatalities witnessed a marginal dip. On Thursday the state had reported 4,219 new COVID-19 cases and 55 fatalities.
Pune city reported 262 new cases but no deaths. (PTI)
Concerned over the steady increase of Covid-19 cases and the crowding of markets during the festival season, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has banned in-person worshipping or darshan at Ganesh pandals. The civic body has also urged Ganpati mandals to telecast the rituals live so that the devotees can watch it online.
“The devotees should be restricted from visiting Ganesh pandals for in-person worshipping of Lord Ganesh and the darshan of the Ganesh statute should be provided by mandals via online or electronic medium,” stated the PMC order.
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The Pune police have begun scanning lodges and hotels across the city to check violation of rules and regulations. The move follows the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl at various places, including two lodges, located in Pune railway station area.
“We have seized the registers of the two lodges. We can’t reveal further at this stage of the investigation,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Namrata Patil said Friday.
Patil said all lodges and hotels in the city will be under the scanner. “We will be verifying whether proper identification proofs are being taken from those who seek a room in the lodge or hotel,” she said. Swargate, Shivajinagar and Pune railway station area have the maximum number of lodges and hotels in the entire Pune city.
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The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cantonment General Hospital (SVPCGH) in Pune Cantonment has called upon NGOs and organisations working for the underprivileged in the city to participate in their vaccination drive in the fight against Covid-19.
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cantonment General Hospital (SVPCGH) in Pune Cantonment has called upon NGOs and organisations working for the underprivileged in the city to participate in their vaccination drive in the fight against Covid-19.
Earlier this week, the 100-bedded SVPCGH Hospital had conducted a mega vaccination drive during which it administered the first dose of Covidshield to 388 people and the second dose to 304 people in a single day.
‘Ride Kashmir’, a cycle ride with the twin aim of celebrating the 75th year of India’s independence and promoting women empowerment, will be held on September 12. At least ten women from the city will be part of the group of over 100 women who will participate in the 65-km cycle ride from Baramulla to Kaman Aman Setu, Uri.
The ride has been organised by the Indian Army 19 Infantry division. Among the cyclists from Pune include Preeti Maske (43), Nirupama Bhave (73), Dr Aparna Kulkarni, Maithili Jog and others. They will fly on September 11 to Srinagar from Pune to participate in the ride.
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Five years since the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched, an analysis of data shows that farmers in states which had contributed the maximum premium to insurance scheme have received lesser compensation than states where the amount of premium collected was less. An evaluation by the standing committee of the Lok Sabha has brought out gaps in implementation in the scheme, which aims to cushion the farm sector from losses due to vagaries of nature. The report was recently released on the Lok Sabha website.
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Maharashtra BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Thursday said he would reveal alleged corruption by a Maharashtra cabinet minister next week and produce documentary evidence to support his claim.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, the former Member of Parliament from Mumbai said he is currently gathering evidence against the minister whom he did not identity.
"I was in Pune in search of third Anil. Reporters ask me, 'who is the next Anil after Anil Deshmukh and Anil Parab'. I wanted to complete my work related to finding the third Anil in Pune. I will reveal the scam of one more Cabinet minister from the Uddhav Thackeray government along with documentary evidence next week," Somaiya said.
Former home minister Anil Deshmukh of the NCP and Transport Minister Anil Parab of the Shiv Sena are under the scanner of law enforcement agencies in cases of alleged corruption. (PTI)
Crime branch of the Pune city police has busted a sex racket operating from a spa in Baner area. The Police arrested two persons and “rescued” eight women, who were allegedly lured into the sex racket.
As per a press release issued by the Pune city police, police sent a decoy customer to Kanak Spa located at the Surya Prakash bungalow at Balewadi Phata in Baner on Wednesday.
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A dedicated cyber police station would be set up for the Pimpri-Chinchwad area, Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil said on Thursday.
Replying to a question about the rise in cases of cyber frauds, Walse-Patil said dedicated police stations would be set up across the state to tackle such crimes, including in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the industrial township near Pune.
The minister was speaking at an interaction organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists. He also said that at present a person who joins the police force as a constable can rise, at the most, to the rank of Assistant Sub Inspector. This policy would be modified and a constable-rank person would be able to rise to Police Sub-Inspector's level before retirement, he said. (PTI)
Probing into the alleged abduction and gangrape of a 14-year-old girl, Pune City police on Thursday nabbed managers of two lodges, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 16.
A senior officer said, “We have arrested two more persons — who are managers of the two lodges where the girl was taken by the perpetrators and was raped. The act could not have been committed without the negligence or, worse, connivance of these two managers.”
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Pune City Friday will mostly experience overcast sky conditions with a possibility of light intensity rain towards the evening, the India Meterological Department (IMD) said. Pune witnessed rain overnight on Thursday with 24-hour rainfall. The recorded rainfall in Shivajinagar was 8.5mm, Pashan - 7.4mm and Lohegaon - 8.8mm.
The city's maximum temperature is expected to be 29 degrees on Friday.
The NCP’s city unit on Thursday announced a 238-member executive committee to encourage party workers to work hard to regain power in the PMC, which the party lost to BJP in the 2017 civic polls.
“The size of the executive committee is big as the city’s limits have been extended. The inclusion of 23 villages has made PMC the civic body with the biggest area in the state. The population of city is around 60 lakh and it has parts of 11 assembly constituencies in it,” said city NCP chief Prashant Jagtap.
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After pulses, the central government has stepped in to control the skyrocketing prices of edible oil, with traders, wholesalers and millers being directed to declare their stock limits.
The measure, seen as a step away from imposition of stock limit on holdings, comes weeks after the Centre slashed import duties on edible oil. With erratic monsoon casting doubt about kharif output, the step is being seen as part of the government’s efforts to control inflation before five states go to polls in 2022.
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Over 7,000 personnel of Pune City Police will be deployed during the Ganesh festival, which is taking place for the second time under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Traffic curbs have also been put in place for some arterial roads in central Pune.
The festival will be celebrated this year from September 10 to September 19. City police officials said that because most of the curbs on movements and economic activities have been lifted, there will be greater risk of spread of the infection, so police have already issued a Code of Conduct for the celebration of the festival.
Senior officials said that a deployment of 7,000 personnel and over 500 officers will be in place for the 10-day festival. In addition, multiple Quick Response Teams will be deployed and special squads have been formed to prevent cases of theft in crowds, crimes against women and cases of road robberies.
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Pune recorded 1,185 cases on Thursday and Pune district reported 934 new Covid-19 cases and 8 deaths. Over 689 patients recovered from the disease leaving 8,888 active cases in the district. On Thursday, 25,770 samples were tested.
Small pandals with minimal decorations and online streaming of darshan and daily prayers are some of the steps taken by Pune's prominent Ganpati mandals to ensure a safe Ganeshotsav during Covid times. Along with the police and volunteers, the mandals will keep a check on gatherings around the pandals.
Prashant Tikar, treasurer of Tambdi Jogeshwari Ganpati, the second Manache Ganpati in the city, said that they have kept the decorations modest to not attract a crowd. “Our preparations are almost as they were last year - the mandap is small and decorated with flower garlands. Keeping in mind the concerns about Covid, no one is allowed to enter the mandap. At the least, the devotees can have a 'mukh darshan' from the street at a distance but we urge them to see the live telecast at home. Processions are not allowed hence the 'aagman' will be toned down,” he said.
Tikar said with their second edition of ‘Online Samvad Sammelan’, they will interact with some prominent faces of the city on a variety of topics during the ten-day festival.
Following the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in which most accused are autorickshaw drivers, the Pune city police and the Regional Transport Office have promised to carry out a concerted drive against unauthorised rickshaw drivers in Pune station area.
"We will launch a drive against illegal autorickshaw drivers in the city," Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta told The Indian Express Thursday. "In most cases, it is seen that autorickshaws are sublet by one owner to another, one driver to another. In this case, we are trying to find out how many of those arrested were driving autos illegally."
The Maharashtra Rickshaw Panchayat said there were nearly 4,000 autorickshaws plying in the Pune station area alone and nearly 30 per cent or 1,000 of them were illegal.
Nicknamed the Oxford of the East at one point, the charm of Pune as one of the country's leading education hubs does not reflect in the ranking of top institutions across the country released by the Union HRD Minister Dharmendra Pradhan as he announced the National Institute of Ranking Framework 2021.
The only institution from Pune which made the cut was the D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune ranked second amongst the top 5 dental colleges in the country. Last year, it was ranked number 3.
No Pune institution was mentioned amongst the top universities in the law, management, research, engineering, medical institutions of the country.
Manohar Bhosale alias Manohar Mama, a self-declared 'godman' who claimed to have the power to cure cancer, has been booked by Pune Rural Police. The FIR in this case has been lodged at the Baramati police station by Shashikant Kharat (23) .
Kharat's father, who was suffering from cancer, had contacted Manohar Mama for help. Police said Manohar Mama assured to cure Kharat's father by using his 'powers'. He then took nearly Rs 2.5 lakh in multiple installments from Kharat in the last couple of years. When there was no improvement in Kharat's father's condition, he demanded his money back, but Manohar Mama and his aides allegedly threatened to kill him.
Kharat sought help from the activists of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS). A team of MANS then approached Abhinav Deshmukh, superintendent of Pune Rural Police, seeking action against Manohar Mama.
Police have booked Manohar Mama and his two aides, Vishal Waghmare alias Nathbaba and Imkar Shinde.
A day after the State Industry Department announced concessions up to Rs 1.50 lakh on e-vehicles, Industry Minister Subash Deshmukh Thursday said e-vehicles will henceforth become mandatory for all government, civic and Zilla Parishad offices.
“Last month, we came up with a new e-vehicle policy. Yesterday, we announced a rebate for e-vehicle buyers as part of our e-vehicle policy,” Desai told The Indian Express Thursday.
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NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday called on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at his official residence here, where they are expected to discuss various issues related to the state government.
An NCP office-bearer said that Pawar reached Thackeray's official bungalow 'Varsha' around 12.45 pm. The meeting between the two leaders comes amid several issues being faced by the government and the ruling paries, like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiating a probe against former home minister Anil Deshmukh after the CBI filed its FIR against the NCP leader on charges of corruption and misuse of official position.
Along with these points, the two leaders might also discuss the issue of nomination of 12 names to the state Legislative Council from the Governor's quota, which is still pending, an NCP office-bearer said.
(PTI)
A special court allowed the discharge applications of Maharashtra minister and senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal and seven others in the Maharashtra Sadan scam case.
Besides Bhujbal, the special court hearing cases related to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), discharged his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer and five others in the case.
They had sought discharge, claiming that there was no evidence to prosecute them in the case. They submitted that all the allegations against them were false and based on wrong calculations assumptions and presumptions.
Despite the voluminous charge sheet running into thousands pages filed in 2016 there is no sufficient evidence to proceed the trial, they argued.
(PTI)
‘Ghar,’ a home for orphan girls, paralysed women and the elderly, at Yerawada in Pune will open its doors from October 2. It is an initiative of retired Army officers who have stepped forward to serve the deprived sections of society in their own way.
Located opposite Gurudwara Dashmesh Darbar on the road between Kendriya Vidyalaya BEG and Deccan College, ‘Ghar’ will house 40 girls, 10 paralysed women and 19 senior citizens in its seven-storey building after becoming fully functional.
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Pimpri-Chinchwad Wednesday registered 184 new Covid postive cases, taking the active cases count to 1,393. Out of the total active cases, 808 are in home isolation, while 585 are admitted in various civic and private hospitals. Two Covid deaths were also registered on Wednesday, taking the death toll to 4,407.
Four organs of a 38-year-old man who was declared brain dead were successfully harvested by doctors at a Pune hospital and used for transplant. The challenge, in this case, was that doctors at Sahyadri Hospitals had to carefully evaluate each organ as the donor had recently recovered from Covid-19. They did not harvest his heart and lungs.
The donor, who hails from Wardha, was declared brain dead on September 6. He had met with a road accident. After his family consented to organ donation, his liver, kidneys, eyes and pancreas were retrieved.
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Ahead of the 10-day Ganesh festival, the Traffic Control Branch of Pune City Police has issued executive orders to divert four-wheelers and heavy vehicles from two arterial roads in central Pune — Bajirao Road and Shivaji Road. The road diversions will be in force from the morning of September 9 till the night of September 19.
Ganesh Festival will be celebrated this year from September 10 to September 19. These 10 days see a significant increase in traffic volume on key areas in central Pune like Mandai, Bajirao Road, Kelkar Road, Laxmi Road, Tilak Road and Kumthekar Road.
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Pune city police have arrested a 24-year-old woman for allegedly killing her live-in partner who was found dead at his residence in Hadapsar on August 29. The police have identified the deceased as Sonal Dabhade who was in his late 20s and took into custody his partner Rohini Yanute.
The police said Sonal and Rohini were working for two different private companies and also preparing for competitive examinations. Following frequent quarrels, Rohini allegedly strangled Sonal to death on August 29.
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This month, the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) will launch its own online platform for several courses, ‘Degree Plus’. As job-related skills and added certifications become increasingly relevant for students to increase their employability, the university is launching its own platform where nearly 500 certificate courses will be available to students.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the popularity of online courses has grown exponentially and several ed-tech companies, in collaboration with Indian and foreign universities, have started offering diploma and certificate courses online.
SPPU Vice-Chancellor Dr Nitin Karmalkar said the journey started during the lockdown period when he was speaking to a few ed-tech companies about making a few diploma courses of the university available online.
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Maharashtra has administrated more than 15 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses on Wednesday, Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Dr Pradeep Vyas said. "A new record of vaccination in a single day in the state," he said.
Air Marshal Shashiker Choudhary, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command of the Indian Air Force visited the Base Repair Depot (BRD) in Pune on Tuesday and Wednesday , where he highlighted the importance of engagement with academia, industries and startups. Air Marshal Choudhary reviewed the tasks executed by the BRD and was briefed about the role played by the depot in supporting various legacy as well as latest ground support systems.
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Ganesh mandals in the city have objected to the ongoing construction of the elevated Pune Metro route over Sambhaji Bridge, popularly known as Lakdi Pul, near Deccan. The mandals say that the height of a planned Metro viaduct is so low that it will block the way of Ganesh mandal decorations and cause problems during immersion.
The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro), which is executing the Pune Metro rail project, is presently working on the two corridors — elevated route of Vanaz to Ramwadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate, which is mostly elevated and partly underground.
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After administering a high of 1.85 lakh vaccine doses on Tuesday, the number of people vaccinated in Pune district fell by almost half on Wednesday, with only 94,000 doses being administered at public and private centres till the evening.
Only 744 vaccination centres were open on Wednesday — 481 public and 263 private ones — as compared to Tuesday when vaccination took place at a total of 806 centres, including 545 public and 261 private ones. As many as 64 vaccination centres at public health facilities were shut on Wednesday.
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In a bid to conserve a natural spring within city limits, environmentalists have demanded that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) declare the land plot with natural spring in Bavdhan as a reserved site in the Development Plan (DP) of the city. They have said that unless this was included in the DP, they would approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority (MWRRA), Ground Water Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) and SDO Maval-Mulshi have already declared the natural spring in Bavdhan as a water resource and emphasised on the need for its conservation. The three agencies have issued directions to the PMC, saying it is the responsibility of the local civic body to conserve it.
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The India Meterological Department (IMD) Thursday predicted partly cloudy skies with chances of light rainfall towards the afternoon or evening in Pune.
Over the past 24-hours, the amount of rainfall recorded was 1.8mm in Shivajinagar, 3.3mm in Pashan and 2.2mm in Lohegaon. The Ghat areas recorded isolated heavy spells.
The maximum temperature over Pune will remain around 30 degrees Celsius on the day, the department said.
Pune City Police officials on Wednesday said they will seek the appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in the horrific abduction and gangrape case of a 14-year-old minor, considering the seriousness of the crime. Officials also said that the accused will be tried in a fast-track court under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said, “We will be seeking the appointment of a special public prosecutor in the case. As per the existing framework of cases under POCSO Act, the accused will be tried in a fast-track special court.”
Section 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers state and central governments to appoint a lawyer with more than 10 years experience as a special public prosecutor.
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While the Covid-19 numbers in Maharashtra have remained more or less stable in the last three weeks, a small but appreciable spike in cases in Mumbai, and a couple of other districts, has been enough to raise the scare of an impending “third wave”.
Two days ago, state Energy Minister Nitin Raut said the “third wave” had already arrived in Nagpur, after the city reported two consecutive days double-digit increase in confirmed cases. Nagpur had been reporting less than 10 cases since the start of August.
On Tuesday, Mayor Kishori Pednekar made a similar statement about Mumbai, probably with a little more justification. There has been a noticeable rise in the number of cases in Mumbai in the last few days — from less than 300 a day till the last week of August to over 400 now.
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