The G20 First Development Working Group delegates excursion to Kanheri Caves, in Mumbai, December 16, 2022. (PTI)Pune News Live Updates: The move by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) of putting up decorative artificial trees across select roads to beautify the city ahead of the G20 meet has come under criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The AAP has slammed the civic administration for spending public money on artificial trees and ignoring the depleting green cover of the area. The civic body will spend Rs 20 lakh on this decorative exercise in the wake of the G20 meet in the city scheduled on January 16 and 17.
The NCP and BJP claimed major success in the 219 gram panchayat elections in Pune district, results of which were declared on Tuesday. “Our performance in the gram panchayat elections has been far better than other parties. We have achieved major success by grabbing as many as 131 gram panchayats,” Pradeep Garatkar, president of NCP’s district unit, said. Meanwhile, Bala Begde, BJP’s district unit chief said that they had expected to win about 50 gram panchayats. “Therefore, the results of the elections have been up to our expectations,” he said.
In other news, during an interaction with reporters on various issues related to the law and order in Pune City police jurisdiction, the newly appointed Police Commissioner Retesh Kumaarr said on Tuesday that Pune requires more number of dedicated cyber crime police stations and that training of available personnel in cyber crime investigation will be one of the priorities.
The Pune police Tuesday arrested a 23-year-old man and detained a 17-year-old college student for allegedly trying to open fire at a sweets shop in the Sinhagad Road area demanding kaju katli for free.
Officials from the Sinhagad Road police station said the incident took place at a sweets shop located in the Manikbag area Monday afternoon.
The police said that the firearm the suspects used misfired despite multiple attempts as they threatened the shopkeeper, identified as Jodharam Chaudhari, 50. (Read More)
Har Har Mahadev, touted as the first pan-Indian Marathi film on Shivaji, continues to stoke controversy although it has been nearly two months since its theatrical release — which was scuttled at many places due to protests — and has finally had its television premiere on December 18. On Sunday, protesters claiming to be ‘Shiv-Bhakts’ (devotees of Chhatrapati Shivaji), had met prominent actor Subodh Bhave, who played the Maratha king in the movie, in Kolhapur and demanded that the ‘objectionable scenes’ from the movie be removed in the television broadcast. The film without the ‘objectionable scenes’ was telecast the same night.
During his meeting with the protesters at his hotel in Kolhapur, Bhave assuaged them by promising that the film has been re-edited for its television run. He also made a surprise announcement. “My love for (Shivaji) Maharaj will remain until I die. The things that I learnt while playing him in the movie will remain with me. But I will not do a historical biopic in my life, ever!” Bhave said with folded hands in the video that has gone viral on social media. (Read More)
Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla on Tuesday expressed concern over reports of a rising COVID-19 graph in China but said there is no need to panic as the vaccination coverage in India is excellent.
Poonawalla's tweet came a day after the Union Health Ministry urged all states and UTs to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of newer variants, if any, amid a spurt in cases in the US and China.
"The news of rising COVID cases coming out of China is concerning, we need not panic given our excellent vaccination coverage and track record. We must continue to trust and follow the guidelines set by the Government of India and @MoHFW_INDIA," Poonawalla tweeted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pune-based SII had collaborated with Oxford University and pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca for making the Covishield vaccine. (PTI)
A special court in Pune convicted notorious sex racketeer Kalyani Kalyani alias Jayshree alias Tina Umesh Deshpande (52) and sentenced her to seven years of rigorous imprisonment on Monday.
Additional public prosecutor Vijay Fargade said that special judge S R Navandar had held Deshpande and two others guilty in a prostitution case booked under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking (PITA) Act and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on her.
Currently lodged in the Yerwada jail, Deshpande has been in custody since her arrest by the Pune police in August 2016 in connection with a sex racket operated from a residential area in Kothrud. (Read More)
In the 60s and 70s, gangsters in Pune roamed around the city on tangas or horse carriages to commit crimes. Their favoured choice of weapons? Bicycle chains, Rampuri knives, and in some cases, even soda bottles. Decades later, police officials say, Pune’s underworld has changed. Organised gangs now use high-end SUVs, sophisticated foreign-made firearms – and social media – to claim their supremacy.
Gang rivalries, then and now
The first-known major rivalry between organised gangs in Pune dates back to the 1960s and 70s. These feuds were between outfits led by Narayan Jagtap, a vegetable trader from Mandai, who was also running illegal liquor and matka (gambling) dens, and Govind Taru, who dominated the Kasba Peth area, according to police officials who have studied Pune’s underbelly. (Read More)
After Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s latest remark on the border dispute with Maharashtra, Opposition leader Ajit Pawar Wednesday appealed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to give a befitting reply to the neighbouring state on the issue.
On Tuesday, the Karnataka chief minister had reiterated that not an inch of land will be ceded to Maharashtra which has been laying claim to its Belagavi district. During a debate in the Karnataka Legislature, Bommai said if all members agree, the House would pass a resolution reiterating Karnataka’s stand on the border dispute with Maharashtra. (Read More)
The move by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) of putting up decorative artificial trees across select roads to beautify the city ahead of the G20 meet has come under criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The AAP has slammed the civic administration for spending public money on artificial trees and ignoring the depleting green cover of the area.
The civic body will spend Rs 20 lakh on this decorative exercise in the wake of the G20 meet in the city scheduled on January 16 and 17. (Read More)
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) MLAs on Tuesday held a protest against the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government outside the state Assembly in Nagpur.
Earlier in the day, former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Uddhav Thackeray arrived at the Assembly to participate in the MVA meeting before the House went into session.
The stand of the Opposition in the House on state-related issues was discussed at the meeting.
Earlier, on Saturday, the tripartite coalition of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) launched a protest march across Mumbai against the Eknath Shinde government and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. (PTI)
More from Cities
Even as China has recorded a massive surge in Covid-19 infections, experts have said that the rising infection rate might not be an immediate threat to India though they asserted the need to step up surveillance.
“In particular, we have to keep a close watch on the evolution of newer variants,” Dr R R Gangakhedkar, former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told The Indian Express. (Read More)
‘JAL DINDI,’a mission launched by environmentalists to create awareness about increasing pollution of Pavana river, the main source of water to the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, started from Pavana dam on Tuesday.
Scores of volunteers, school and college students, environmentalists, activists, villagers and senior citizens joined hands as ‘Jal Dindi’ took off early morning from the dam. Women volunteers performed a ‘puja’ to set ‘Jal Dindi’ rolling as slogans to protect the river rent the air.
‘Jal Dindi’ is an initiative of Pavana Jal Dindi Pratishthan, whose members come from diverse backgrounds and from different places in Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Maval region. All of them have joined hands with the sole purpose of protecting Pavana river from increasing pollution, creating awareness among the masses to protect the river, raising voice against the neglect of the river and calling for steps to stop the pollution of the river. (Read More)
Reacting to the ongoing controversy over Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone- starrer Pathaan, model and fitness icon Milind Soman said Monday that questions of morality are subjective and the only determinant in such things can be the legal test.
Speaking to reporters in Pune during a press conference for his multi-city cycling campaign Green Ride 2.0, the model spoke on an array of issues including fitness, social media trolling, and issues pertaining to morality and ethics. Soman will complete a 1000 km journey from Mumbai to Bengaluru on a bicycle under Green Ride 2.0. (Read More)
THE CONGRESS on Tuesday threatened to launch an agitation if the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) fails to reduce the prices of petrol and diesel in tune with the fall in crude oil prices in the international market.
In a memorandum submitted to the regional office of HPCL in the city, state Congress vice-president Mohan Joshi and Ramesh Bagwe said the prices of petrol and diesel are high despite the sharp decrease in crude oil prices. (Read More)
The power theft prevention flying squad of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has raided two stone-crushing units in the Wagholi area of Pune over the last week and detected power theft worth Rs 1.4 crore, officials said.
The Pune City police have registered two separate offences against the proprietors of these units at Lonikand police station under the Electricity Act, 2003.
MSEDCL officials said the first stone-crushing unit had a sanctioned load of 103 horsepower but the unit was allegedly stealing power using low-tension cables from a distribution transformer in the area. The total power theft of the unit has been pegged at 4.25 lakh units and the unit has been slapped with a punitive power bill of Rs 74 lakh. (Read More)
The affiliation of the Mahar Regiment of the Army and 8 Squadron of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which will allow both formations to develop joint capabilities, was formally signed at a ceremony held at the Bareilly Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
The ceremony involved a joint Army – Air Force Guard of Honour and signing of ‘Charter of Affiliation’ by Lieutenant General C Bansi Ponnappa who is the Adjutant General and Colonel of the Mahar Regiment, and Air Vice Marshal M S Deswal who is the Commodore Commandant of the 8 Squadron of the IAF. (Read More)
The Pune district in Maharashtra has reported fewer than ten new Covid-19 cases this week and fewer than 50 are in home isolation, according to health officials. Two patients are currently hospitalised, they added.
This is in keeping with the countrywide trend of declining cases, district health officer Dr Bhagwan Pawar said. “We have also ensured most people in the district are vaccinated against Covid-19 with the first two doses and the booster dose as well,” he added. (Read More)
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