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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pune police hold coordination meeting with maulanas ahead of Bakari Eid
In preparation for the upcoming festival of Bakari Eid, Pune Police organised a coordination meeting with maulanas and religious leaders in the Zone 5 area of Pune city to ensure peaceful and lawful celebrations. The meeting, held at the Zone 5 office in Wanowrie on Saturday, focused on various guidelines and regulations to be followed during the festival. DCP Zone 5 Rajkumar Shinde, senior police officials from Hadapsar, Wanowrie, and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officers were present during the meeting. Police addressed key concerns such as the conduct of animal sacrifice, the use of loudspeakers at mosques, the prevention of illegal animal trading, and the operation of unauthorized slaughterhouses. Police officials emphasised the importance of adhering to civic norms and maintaining communal harmony. 'We want the celebrations to be conducted with respect to the law and public sentiment. Our goal is to ensure that the festival is observed peacefully and in a spirit of unity,' said Shinde, who addressed the meeting. Maulanas and community leaders assured the police of their cooperation and committed to spreading awareness among community members about the guidelines. In addition to animal sacrifice protocols, the police urged the religious leaders to ensure that loudspeaker use complies with time restrictions and volume limits as per Supreme Court directives. The meeting concluded with an appeal for inter-community respect and cooperation to make Bakari Eid celebrations smooth and joyous for all.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Naval Kishor Ram takes charge as Pune municipal commissioner, prioritises citizen-centric projects
Naval Kishor Ram took charge as the new municipal commissioner of Pune on Saturday and set a clear agenda on day one — prioritising citizen-centric projects and improving ease of living in the city. Ram replaces Rajendra Bhosale, who retired on May 31. A senior IAS officer, Ram previously served as Pune district collector during the Covid pandemic and was later deputed as deputy director in the Prime Minister's Office. Speaking after assuming office, Ram said, 'My priority is to execute citizen-centric projects. All efforts will be made to improve ease of living for citizens. Several projects are pending, and I will try to give them a fresh push.' Though Saturday was a holiday, heads of all PMC departments were present to welcome the new commissioner. Ram also held an introductory meeting with civic officials. Among the key challenges before him are the upcoming municipal elections and delays in major infrastructure projects due to the absence of an elected general body. Ongoing works like the metro rail, riverfront development, equal water distribution, and river rejuvenation (with support from JICA) need administrative attention. The monsoon has already arrived, and Pune has witnessed flash floods in recent years. Ram will have to immediately oversee monsoon preparedness and disaster management. Due to the absence of corporators for the past few years, no new projects have been initiated. The onus will now be on the commissioner to take the lead in pushing developmental initiatives. Ram's familiarity with Pune's administrative and civic issues is expected to help. His earlier stint as district collector and working relationship with guardian minister Ajit Pawar are likely to prove advantageous in navigating civic challenges.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Back to glory: Literary Park to celebrate Prayagraj's rich legacy
In a move to preserve and promote Prayagraj as a centre of literary and cultural heritage, a dedicated literary park is all set to come up in Sangam city soon. Prayagraj, previously known as Allahabad, was once known as the influential centre of literary creativity in Hindi and Urdu. The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has already initiated the process in this regard, and the Construction and Design Services (C&DS) division of Jal Nigam has been designated as the implementation agency for this project, said officials. The proposed park would come up near the existing Shivalaya Park in the Arail area of Prayagraj, and the land for it has already been identified. Being constructed over two-and-a-half acres of land, the park would come up at a cost of over ₹12.03 crore. The funds have been sanctioned, and the first installment of over ₹6.01 crore has been released. 'The park's construction will start in June and will be completed within a year,' said Rohit Kumar Rana, project manager, C&DS. Prayagraj has been known not only as a religious city but also for its literary and cultural heritage. It has a rich literary history, serving as a major centre for Hindi and Urdu literature, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has been home to many literary giants and has a strong tradition of book-reading and literary events. Many prominent writers, including Munshi Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Upendra Nath 'Ashk', and Harivansh Rai Bachchan, are associated with Prayagraj. But in the last few decades, not much effort has been made to develop or conserve it, concede officials. The construction of a literary park is an effort in this very direction so that local citizens and tourists can get information about this heritage, they maintain. C&DS project manager Rohit Kumar Rana said that first, a Saraswati Pavilion will be constructed in the park, in which statues of 16 major Hindi litterateurs will be installed. A Triveni Amphitheatre will also be constructed here, where cultural events will be held. There will be a huge library-cum-convention hall inside the park, which will have a collection of literature created by these litterateurs and their memories, he explained. The official said that there will also be a book-selling centre inside this park so that literature lovers can buy the books of the noted litterateurs to take with them. There will also be a kids' zone for children in the park. A food plaza will also be constructed for snacks and beverages like tea, coffee, fruit juices, and soft drinks, he added.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Rs 5.5 crore allocated for nullah cleanup in PMRDA region, tender to be finalized in 15 days
Pune: PMRDA has allocated Rs 5.5 crore for removing encroachments on nullahs and addressing flood-prone spots across its 6,000 sqkm area, senior officials told TOI. While pre-monsoon cleaning typically begins before the rains, delay in the tendering process affected the cleanup work. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The funds were allocated, and the work will proceed even during the monsoon," said an official. Usually, civic bodies and local authorities undertake such cleaning between Jan and Feb. However, this year's delayed tendering narrowed the window for effective implementation. The cleanup will also focus on 23 merged villages within Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) region, with joint efforts to identify and clear encroachments and flood-prone areas, which the officials said would be carried out with the help of PMC PMRDA officials clarified that the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) was responsible for addressing nullah encroachments and waterlogging in these merged villages, as they now fall under PMC's jurisdiction. "We lack the machinery to take direct action," said a PMRDA representative. Last year, PMC and PMRDA officials jointly surveyed newly added villages, identifying 189 encroachments and 125 waterlogging hotspots. A draft plan proposed creating a 7.5 to 9-metre-wide green belt with drainage gardens along affected drains. In a recent meeting, officials agreed on removing encroachments and taking immediate flood mitigation measures. However, with the monsoon already underway, work will be executed following further discussions. "Work will be undertaken soon for these areas too with the help of PMC," stated PMRDA officials. PMC shared the list of encroachments and flood spots with PMRDA for action. Officials maintained that PMRDA issues building permits without checking nullah encroachments, leading to severe waterlogging. This negligence is a major cause of flooding. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Residents' associations also voiced concerns, highlighting the overlapping roles of PMRDA and PMC. While PMRDA grants construction permissions in the merged villages, PMC collects property tax. Since the state scrapped the development plan (DP) prepared by PMRDA, these 23 villages now fall fully under PMC's jurisdiction. A resident of flood-prone Wagholi said, "The cleanup should have been completed before the monsoon, not during it."
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Ektanagari relocation to cost ₹1,500 crore, buildings within floodline will be razed: MoS
PUNE : The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had planned a 'cluster development' project to rehabilitate people from Ektanagari and nearby areas. This cluster will be developed under the Urban Redevelopment Scheme, according to UDCPR section 14.8. The proposal involves relocation of as many as 1,383 homes and at least 67 shops from the flood-prone 'blue zones' of Ektanagari, Vitthalnagar and Nimbajnagar to municipal land in Hingne Khurd survey no. 19. TOI speaks to MoS Madhuri Misal about solutions to this long-standing issue. Q: What are the short-term solutions proposed to avert flooding in the Ektanagari area? A: In the short term, focus is on preventing water from entering homes and shops. This plan includes the removal of debris and trash as well as prevention of any future dumping. Q: How are authorities going to stop debris dumping? A: The administration is going to install CCTV cameras to monitor debris dumping here. The cameras will be used to catch the offenders, who will face criminal cases. Q: What are the long-term plans, for a more permanent solution? A: That's where the cluster development proposal comes in. The permanent solution involves total relocation of affected citizens. Properties that fall within floodlines will be razed and residents will be moved to other plots. Two plots are available in the vicinity of the affected areas. Q: Why has the planned cluster development project progressed at such a slow pace? A: The financial requirement of the project has been a major concern. We need Rs1,500 crore to complete it and these funds are not available as of today. State govt has received the proposal from PMC, which is being discussed at the UD level. Q: In Ektanagari, there have been issues linked to flood compensation. Could you clarify? A: Yes, that is correct. The flood-affected people living in residential flats received compensation. But those with commercial properties or shops are yet to receive it. The lack of provisions in law for this type of compensation has delayed compensation to shop owners.
