ULHASNAGAR NEWS

Ulhasnagar civic officials want salary as per sixth pay panel


More than 3,000 civic employees staged a dharna in front of the office of the municipal corporation on Monday. Alleging official apathy, the employees of the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation were protesting against the non-payment of salaries in accordance with the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

“The civic authorities have only been making false promises. Whenever we met officials to make them aware of our plight, we were told that the civic body was looking into our demands and will find an amicable solution soon. However, two years have passed but nothing concrete has happened so far,” said Charansingh Tak, president, Akhil Bhartiya Safai Mazdoor Congress.

Tak added that official apathy had escalated this matter and infuriated employees now seek immediate action from municipal corporation to resolve this simmering crisis.

He warned that if the administration failed to offer any solution soon, 3,000 civic employees will go an indefinite strike.

Highlighting the grievances of civic employees, he said the authorities had failed to implement the recommendations of the Lad and Page committee report. There has been no progress in the recruitment of 300 employees, which has been pending for almost a year now. Due to the indifference of the civic officials, more than 200 workers have been forced to work on daily wages for almost 10 to 15 years. Most of them are due to retire soon, but the civic body still doesn’t have any concrete plans to offer them some retirement benefits.

When HT approached municipal commissioner Ashok Rankhamb, he said, “We had formed a committee to look into the matter and we are also seeking guidance from legal and account sections to implement the recommendations of the committee at the earliest. We have also approached the state government to expedite the matter.”

Expressing concern about employees’ welfare, he said, “They are our employees and we will be happy to address their grievances. We are looking into their demands and will see to it that this issue is resolved.”

KALYAN NEWS

Six cities in state to get solar tag be developed as solar cities



To promote renewable energy and reduce green house gas emissions, the ministry of new and renewable energy proposes to develop 60 cities as solar cities, including six in Maharashtra - Nagpur, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Aurangabad, Nanded and Shirdi.

'In-principle' approval has been given to 48 cities to be developed as solar cities in the country, based on proposals received by the government from various sates. Out of these 48 cities, sanctions have been given to 37 cities which include Nagpur, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli and Shirdi, to engage consultants for preparation of Master Plans.
Commercially viable technology, like solar thermal heating systems and green buildings will play a key role to meet the target.

So far, the master plans for 7 cities - Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli from Maharashtra, Agra, Moradabad from Uttar Pradesh, Indore from Madhya Pradesh, Kohima from Nagaland and Aizawl from Mizoram have been finalised and the development is in progress, said minister of new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.
The criteria set by the ministry for the identification of cities include a city population between 50,000 to 50 lakh (with relaxation given to special category states including north-east states), initiatives and regulatory measures already taken along with a high level of commitment in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy, he said.
So far, Rs17.23 crore has been sanctioned for 37 cities, of which Rs 2.75 crore has been released for utilisation by the concerned state nodal agencies or municipal corporations.

AMBERNATH NEWS

8,000 ditch vehicles to celebrate car-free SoBo


An initiative to reclaim south Mumbai for pedestrians and cyclists got off to a great start on Sunday morning, with around 800 Mumbaikars ditching their vehicles to participate in a walkathon and a bike-a-thon.

Organizers, who flagged off the events at 8am, managed to keep vehicles off the 20-km stretch for the first few hours, after which a trickle of BEST buses and taxis began plying on the roads again.

While some turned up to show their support for the green cause, for others, it was a chance to get some exercise and fresh air. For a city always on the run, the prospect of biking 20 km on a Sunday morning seemed an ideal way to unwind after a hectic week at work. The event had its share of dazzle with big-ticket names such as actor Rahul Bose, industrialist Siddharth Mallya and director Abhinav Kashyap pledging their support. 


However, the turnout was lower than expected. "We had almost 800 people participating in both the rallies, so it was a pretty good turnout, though we expected more than 1,500 people to show up," said Kalpesh Parekh, founder of the Greenmile Foundation, which along with the Baramati Welfare Organization, conducted the event. "The traffic police cooperated with us 100%. But since it's the first year, it was a learning curve for all of us involved. I am confident that we'll be able to spread the word much better next year and the event will be much better coordinated next year," he said.

The event ended at Bombay Gymkhana where the top 10 winners of the bike-a-thon and the first six of the walkathon were felicitated.

The second runner-up of the walkathon, Premkant Negi, who had travelled all the way from Ambernath to participate in Sunday's event, was thrilled with his win. "I won vouchers worth Rs 30,000. I think I am going to buy a top-gear bicycle with the prize money. What better way to spend the money than to use it to make a permanent lifestyle change?" 

AMBERNATH NEWS

Two killed in an attempt on life of Shiv Sena leader

Two persons were killed during an attempt on the life of a local Shiv Sena leader at Ambernath town on Wednesday night.

Four unidentified persons, armed with sten-guns, entered Shiv Sena's office in Ambernath and opened fire at the party's local unit chief Arvind Walekar injuring him, they said.

Walekar's bodyguards quickly surrounded him and one of them was fatally hit by a bullet, police said.

The bodyguards too fired killing one of the assailants, they said.

The two deceased are yet to be identified.

Walekar has been admitted to a local hospital, police said.

It is suspected that the firing is a result of previous enmity, they said, adding police have launched a manhunt for the attackers.

Walekar, a former president of the Ambernath Municipal Council, was named as an accused in a criminal case but was subsequently acquitted by the Sessions Court.

Security has been stepped up at Ambernath, located on the outskirts of Mumbai, following the incident, police said.

 

ULHASNAGAR NEWS

MNS poll aspirants see merit in Hindi



The upcoming civic polls seem to have convinced the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray about about the virtues of multiculturalism.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray may refuse to speak any language other than Marathi, however, party leaders hand-picked by him in Ulhasnagar do not seem to share their party chief's xenophobia. The sizeable Sindhi population has forced MNS poll aspirants to campaign in Hindi.

Dinesh Ahuja, an MNS leader who may contest the civic polls from Ulhasnagar 2, is using signboards in Hindi appealing voters to join the party. He has also put up signboards in Marathi, however, he feels use of Hindi will give him "visibility". "I have installed signboards in Hindi and Marathi so that my voters clearly understand the party's message," said Ahuja. Sachin Kadam, chief of the party's Ulhasnagar unit, said, "Ahuja has not taken the party's approval before using signboards in Hindi. We will remove them.".

AMBERNATH NEWS

16-year-old athlete falls off running train, loses leg


Looking for an electric point to charge his mobile phone on train, cost a 16-year-old hammerthrow player from Ambernath in Thane district lost his leg, and career.

Neeraj Singh, a hammerthrow player, was in Ranchi to represent the state at the Junior Athletics Meet on Friday. As the state made  no arrangements for their tour, the players had to make do with the seats they managed to get at the last minute. Neeraj booked a seat on Shalimar Express.

On his return journey, as the train neared Wardha, Neeraj’s phone battery got discharged. He found an electric point close to the door. Leaning on the door, he tried to put his charging pin into it. But, the door gave way and Neeraj got hurt on his head. Owing to the injury, Neeraj lost his balance and fell on the

tracks between Nagpur and Wardha. 

Vilas Gaikar, Singh’s coach and family friend, said: “According to the rules, the junior athletes team must be accompanied by an official for an outstation sports meet. But, no official from the state was with the team.”

Admitted to Kasturba hospital at Wardha, Singh underwent a surgery wherein his left leg was amputated knee down on Saturday.

So far, no official from the Maharashtra Athletic Association or the Thane District Association has inquired about his condition or offered help, Neeraj’s family claimed.

“An official from Wardha District Association visited Neeraj once, but offered no help,” Gaikar said.

RANDOM NEWS

Rupee hits all-time low of 52.73 vs dollar; looks vulnerable


The rupee skidded to an all-time low on Tuesday as oil refiners and other companies scrambled to buy dollars, with the currency looking increasingly vulnerable to a swelling current account deficit. 

Exposure to short-term portfolio flows, a rising oil import bill and slowing export growth have heightened the risk on the rupee and the outlook remains bearish. 

There is also the increasing likelihood the US super committee will fail to reach a deal on debt restructuring, which could trigger another major round of selling of in emerging market and risky assets. 

At 10:40 a.m. (0510 GMT), the rupee was at 52.58/59 per dollar, after touching an all-time low of 52.73, and 0.8 percent weaker than its previous close of 52.1550/1650. 

At its record low, the rupee has slumped 16.8 percent from its 2011 high reached in late July. 

"The outlook for the rupee continues to look weak at this point. The next technical level on the chart shows 55.11," said Ashtosh Raina, head of foreign exchange trading at HDFC Bank in Mumbai. 

"There is all-round demand coming in from all quarters and there are unlikely to be any ranges for the market now." 

Describing the sharp depreciation of the rupee as "disruptive", the Reserve Bank said any action to arrest the fall will be guided by medium-term considerations. 

"We don't really have a target or a rate in mind. It's moving as per market dynamics. It (fall in the value of the rupee) is disruptive, there is no question. There (will be) impact on our import bill, particularly for energy. It's having an impact on companies and it is a problem," Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn told reporters here. 

On the possibility of action by the central bank to arrest the fall of the rupee, Gokarn said, "Any action we take now (will) have to take into account the fact that these actions might have consequences a little further down the road. So we have got to balance out actions with risks or a potential increase in vulnerability later on..." 

"Actions have to be weighed in terms of their medium-term risks," he added. 

The immediate impact of the fall in the value of rupee, he said, will be on the inflation rate, which has been hovering near the double-digit mark for several months. 

"We should not be looking at only the short-term when we make these judgements. Every action that has been suggested... that has been debated, also has potentially adverse consequences down the road. So we have got to balance out those too." 

Although the RBI has been maintaining that the exchange rate should be market-determined, it is volatility that has been worrying the central bank. 

"... Volatility is another thing. This is the sharpness and speed of the movement that is obviously creating some disruptions. We don't know where it is going to go, but it is something we need to watch out for," Gokarn said. 

DOMBIVLI NEWS

Collegians arrested for robbing three

The police on Thursday arrested three youths, including two collegians, for robbing people in Dombivli (W). They took to crime to finance their "lavish lifestyle", the police added. The police also seized a bike used by the youths to commit the crime. 

The accused are identified as Ajay Sakpal (20), Mayur Bane (18) and Prakash More (18). According to the police, Sakpal and Bane are FYJC students, while More works in a factory. On November 2, the accused targeted Pramod Badge around 12.30am in Manpada and robbed him of Rs 7,500. Later around 1.30am, they offered another passerby, Subhas Singh, a lift and took him to a deserted place where they beat him up and snatched his cellphone and jewellry worth Rs 24,000. 

At 2.30am, they stopped auto driver Santosh Yadav near Lodha Heaven and robbed him of Rs 1,500. The Manpada police formed a special team headed by inspector Dattatray Pandharey and on Thursday arrested accused from Dawdi, based on a tip-off. "We will check if they are involved in other robberies," Prakash Nilewad, inspector, Manpada police station.

DOMBIVLI NEWS

Governor lessons for CM on file disposal


It's time for chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and his cabinet colleagues to take lessons from governor K Sankaranarayanan on the quick disposal of files.

Sankaranarayanan, disclosing the secret on Sunday, said, "when I was the junior-most cabinet minister in Kerala, and whenever there was difficulty in understanding a subject or there was confusion, I never hesitated in consulting senior cabinet colleagues, so decision-making was faster."

Sankaranarayanan told a function largely attended by Keralites settled in Dombivli that now files were pending as there were no consultations. "There is nothing wrong if a cabinet member consults his senior. One should not feel shy about it. In the absence of consultations, pendency is bound to increase,'' he said. 

ULHASNAGAR NEWS

Muslims fight for burial ground in Ulhasnagar


MUMBAI: Fed up with the alleged apathy of the state government and the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) towards their three-decade-old demand for a burial ground, some Muslims of Ulhasnagar have threatened to try and bury their dead near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside Mantralaya.

With 1.5 lakh Muslims, the town of Ulhasnagar badly needs a Muslim graveyard as the community has to take their dead to Kalyan and Ambernath, several kilometres away, for burial.

On Tuesday a group of around 100 Muslim residents of Ulhasnagar sat on a dharna at Azad Maidan, demanding at least two acres of land for the burial ground. Some of the protesters' representatives at a press conference threatened that if the government didn't give them a burial place within 15 days, they would take their dead to the gates of Mantralaya and, on the way the ambulances carrying the bodies would also stop at Matoshree, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's residence at Bandra. 

ULHASNAGAR NEWS

7L gold, cash looted from bizman's home

Ulhasnagar: Five robbers threatened a businessman's family at gunpoint and escaped with Rs 5 lakh cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 1.68 lakh at Ulhasnagar on Sunday. One of the robbers had kept a security guard confined to the building gate at gunpoint so that he could not raise an alarm.
The incident took place around 3.45 am. Of the gang of five, four entered the first floor flat ofPremchand Narwani at Sai Charan apartment of Gol Maidan. Premchand's wife and son were in the house at the time. The valuables in the house were meant for Premchand's son's wedding in February 2012.

AMBERNATH NEWS

Kshamata Gaikwad

She is the first Indian woman to co-author a description of a new species of lizard. Kshamata Gaikwad (24) from Ambernath has made a universal discovery of new species of lizard in Kolhapur, under the guidance of Dr Varad Giri, the curator of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). After completing her post graduation in environmental science from Mumbai University in September 2007, she volunteered in BNHS, learning the basics of taxonomy on caecilians and reptiles. In September 2008, she was given the post of research fellow when she began working on this gecko. "I always had a liking towards wildlife. I observed that a lot of research was being done on larger group of animals whereas little creatures like reptiles and caecilians were unexplored. Thus, I plunged in and took the opportunity to explore their world under my microscope," quips Kshamata. Her mentor Dr Giri is full of praise for the young scientist. "Kshamata has been patient and persistent throughout these years. She volunteered for a year with BNHS and travelled all the way from Ambernath to Fort everyday even when she wasn't paid a penny. We need thousands of Kshamatas to come forward and popularise the beauty of reptiles," he says. For her part, Kshamata is thankful to her mentor. "Giri sir always cleared my doubts but never spoon-fed me; instead, he nudged me to think on my own," she avers. Kshamata is proud of her work and yet believes in staying simple and working hard. "I am happy that at this point of my career I have received a co-authorship for a universal discovery but will be content when I will become the first author," she confesses. The determined girl is now working in the Western Ghats looking for new species of reptiles and amphibians. She will also check their breeding season while finding out if they are facing any problems related to survival and ensuring that the species is preserved. We wish her all the very best!  About the lizard  This gecko has been termed scientifically as cnemaspis kolhapurensis, after the locality where it was discovered. It belongs to the group of dwarf gecko (cnemaspis genus) and is smaller in size, has a strange snout and a long neck. As this lizard moves on the ground, it has circular pupil and smooth scales. It also has slender digits and a shiny tail. The under side of the tail has black and yellow dots. These characteristics mark it from other specimens of this family Fast facts • The first sample of this dwarf gecko was picked by Dr Giri back in 2005 • It took four years for the finding to be published as the scientists had to compare this gecko with every individual species in the group to guarantee that the specimen was first of its kind • This species is registered in Zootaxa, a scientific journal from New Zealand

REAL ESTATE IN BUKAD

“One can find plenty of 1BHK homes costing Rs 10-15 lakh here, which is perfect for government employees,” says Mohan Tharwani, from Tharwani infrastructure. Tharwani’s ongoing projects include Rosalie, Rosalie LX at Kalyan and Ritu World- Wind of Change at Barrage Road, Badlapur (West). “Ritu World is the first of its kind luxury project in Badlapur with all modern amenities at affordable prices,” informs Mohan Tharwani.  

Ambernath is faring well with its new projects like Wadhwa constructions. “Ambernath is a blend of old-world charm, culture and modern times. People keep getting attracted to its ambience,” says Prakash Wadhwa, from Wadha group. He adds, “We have slashed 100 rupees from the booking price for Gudi Padwa to boost sales in Ambernath,” adds Wadhwa.

In Dombivli, premium lifestyle projects such as Lodha’s Casa Bella and Regency Estate have altered the perception of the city. “These flats offer high-end amenities at reasonable prices, moreover Dombivli is really well connected, has good education options, a mall nearby,” says Kishore Pishori, a CA and a resident of Regency Estates.

Interestingly, Government policy has a role to play in the emergence of these areas as realty hotspots. Avers Bhavin from Raj Group, “The home loans are more attractive. Most of these projects are backed by banks; these factors are responsible for a huge spurt in realty demand.”

There are positive signs of development in the far flung suburbs too. Neptune builders and Nirmal Lifestyle are coming up with projects in Ambivli and Shahad, which are all set to revolutionise the face of these towns. “The main advantages of these suburbs are low pollution level and affordable rates,” says Raja Rochlani of Madhav constructions.

"Badlapur has become a haven for professionals from the public sector. One can find plenty of 1BHK homes costing Rs 10-15 lakh here, which is perfect for government employees”

KALYAN NEWS

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has started resurfacing roads following criticism from citizens and Opposition members. In the first phase, the KDMC has started pothole-filling work in Dombivli. On Tuesday, the work started from the Rajendra Prasad Road in Dombivli.

On October 23, a woman died after falling from a bike on the Badlapur-Dombivli Pipeline road.

Standing panel chairman Janardan Mahatre said, "Nine contractors are trying to complete the work as soon as possible."