Nagpur: An awareness campaign is being run in Nagpur in the name of Menstrual Hygiene Awareness. Ayana Kashikar of America, who is originally from India (Nagpur) joined the NGO Feel Good Foundation of Nagpur and started this campaign from August 15 to October 10, 2022. The Foundation distributed sanitary pads, stationery kits, chocolates, period charts etc. to the needy girls of Nagpur and became a means of running an awareness campaign about menstruation.

Ayana Kashikar said that due to food habits, hormonal changes of girls are causing early menstruation at an early age, and it is very important for young girls to learn to use all the information and pads about it.

Ayana Kashikar is a 12th grade high school student in Fremont, California USA. She comes from a reputed political family of Nagpur. Her grandfather was the late Group Captain Deepak Choudhary, a respected officer in the Indian Air Force, who actively participated in the Indo-Pak conflict of 1965, Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and in providing logistical support for military operations in Sri Lanka.

Ayana’s great-grandfather late Ramjivan Choudhary, was a MLC of BJP and the first barrister of the area. Several landmarks have been built in his honour in Nagpur. The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently inaugurated Ramjivan Choudhary Krida Sankul at Gandhisagar Lake, Deputy Chief Minister Late Gopinath Munde inaugurated Ramjivan Choudhary Road in his memory in 1999, and Ramjivan Choudhary Hospital in Nagpur was inaugurated late in the year 2000. Pramod Mahajan was the then Minister of Information and Technology.

The Feel Good Foundation is proud to partner with Ayana Kashikar, who is passionate about providing menstrual products for the underprivileged. Their goal is to reduce the poverty of the period through their service and to provide them with sanitary necessities. Ayana has already impacted over 400 underprivileged women in California USA, winning the US Presidential Service Volunteer Gold Award — the highest level of community service award for two years in a row.

Ayana aims to make a manifold impact by helping 1500 needy women in India. She ran a Period Poverty Fundraiser, donating all proceeds to the “Feel Good Foundation” for the distribution of menstrual products and care packs, affecting over 1500 women in need! Feel Good Foundation thanked Ayana Kashikar for the impact she has made on underprivileged girls and women in Nagpur through a cause that is still attached to it and does not get the required attention by the society.

Feel Good Foundation’s Dr. Nikesh Ambade and Madhuri Ingale (Maha Police) worked hard to provide benefits of this campaign to different slum areas and school students of Nagpur.On Saturday, October 8, also the school children of Chitnavis Trust were distributed menstrual information and pads, which included Pradnya Shivankar, Nandini Daga, Bhavit Jain, Rajni Wadhave, etc.

This campaign will continue for the whole month of October, due to the National Periods Day on October 10, this campaign has been intensified. One can contact the social sites of the organization to join and help the organization.

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NAGPUR: The Nagpur District Collector Shri Vipin Itankar had a Metro Ride. Shri Itankar travelled to and fro from Lokmanya Nagar Metro Station and Sitabuldi Interchange. The District Collector was given a warm welcome at Sitabuldi Interchange by Nagpur Metro officials.

During the Metro Ride, the District Collector was briefed about the various aspects of the Nagpur Metro Project. The progress achieved by the project since its initiation, the current status, the proposed expansion plans and other details of the project were explained to him by the officials during the Metro Ride.

Shri Itankar also sought to know certain information about the project. He was appreciative of the progress achieved by the Nagpur Metro Project. Shri Itankar urged the citizens to use Metro for their day-to-day routine to prevent vehicular pollution and congestion on the city roads. A good infrastructure project has come up in the city, he observed.

The District Collector also interacted with the officials of the Nagpur Metro. The Metro Train fares are too less, he said and urged people to take advantage of this low-cost yet comfortable journey provided by Nagpur Metro. He offered his best wishes to Nagpur Metro team for the future.

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Nagpur: Heavy rains lashed several parts of the city leaving roads inundated.Unexpected rainfall gave a tough time to the commuters on Tuesday morning. As per Indian Meteorological Department, generally cloudy skies with one or two spells of rain are expected in the city in the next two days.

Yellow alert was issued by the weather office for central Maharashtra region– Marathwada and Konkan for the next three to four days on Sunday. IMD Mumbai also added that thunderstorms with isolated heavy rainfall are expected in almost the entire state.

Scientist, Regional Meteorological Centre (Nagpur), Dr Praveen Kumar said that there is no signature and favourable condition for monsoon withdrawal yet over Vidarbha and Nagpur. “However, we may expect light rainfall for a few more days, but the intensity won’t be high. We need to wait for a few more days to make a rainfall forecast for Diwali,” he added.

The IMD revealed that the normal date for monsoon withdrawal over Vidarbha is between October 10 to 15.

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Nagpur: After the contract of M/s M/s Shapoorji Pallonji for Smart City project was cancelled by Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Ltd (NSSCDCL), now the big contractors and companies in Nagpur are eying the tender for the smart city project. Curiosity is at its peak as to who will get the tender. Since the contract of Shapoorji Pallonji has been cancelled, the remaining Rs 448 crore work will now be taken up by the Smart City administration.

Notably, the NSSCDCL, while rejecting the claim of damages sought by M/s Shapoorji Pallonji, the Board of Directors decided to cancel its Rs 630 crore contract for Smart City. The decision about foreclosure of contract had approval from the Special Purpose Vehicle of Shapoorji Pallonji that was formed for Smart City work, albeit post payment of compensation of Rs 15.25 crore as against claim of Rs 448.58 crore. At the meeting, the Board of Directors approved the foreclosure of the contract agreement with M/s Shapoorji Pallonji and Co. Pvt Limited (SPCPL) saying the company failed to complete the work within an extended timeframe up to June 30, 2022.

The contractor M/s Shapoorji Pallonji was required to construct 49.76 kms of roads, 28 bridges and culverts, 4 ESRs and allied MEP works including associated civil work. NSSCDCL granted three extensions to the company to complete the scheduled work. Till date, work for 12.36 kms road length, 1 major bridge, 9 minor bridges and 4 ESRs were only completed by the contractor up to June 30, 2022. Sometimes back, the contractor expressed his inability to complete the work within the extended time limit and on top of that they issued a notice seeking compensation of Rs 448.58 crores from NSSCDCL citing lack of clearances as to reasons for delay and non completion of the allotted work.

Now, the incomplete works are to be done. Keeping in view the past experience of the big company, it is envisaged that the smart city administration may break all the remaining works into parts and distribute them in phases and get these works done by the local contractors also.

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NMC has directed Nuisance Detection Squad to take ‘stringent’ action against the offending citizens who litter garbage at public places

Representative Pic

Nagpur: After the drubbing in the Swacch Sarvekshan ranking, now the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) administration has decided to penalise those citizens who are found dumping garbage at public places. The NMC has directed Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) to take ‘stringent’ action against the offending citizens.

According to reports, a penalty of Rs 100 will be recovered from individuals, Rs 400 from shops, Rs 1,000 from educational institutions, and Rs 2,000 from hospitals etc. The penalty is aimed at making Nagpur ‘clean and beautiful’, and to improve the city’s ranking in sanitation and hygiene.

Notably, Nagpur slipped to 27th rank, out of the 47 cities (above 10 lakh population category) in Swachh Survekshan-2022. The public perception that Nagpur’s political and administrative leaderships have failed in ensuring cleanliness in Nagpur City, has been reflected in the Swachh Survekshan rankings declared recently. As per the latest rankings, Nagpur had dipped four places — from 23rd position last year to 27th this year. Absence of scientific treatment and zero recycling of solid waste is the main reason for Nagpur’s poor performance.

Now, as per the directives of the civic administration, NDS will take strict action against those who urinate in public places, throw garbage, spit, and use plastic bags with thickness less than 50 microns. Ram Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner, issued the directions to NDS in a meeting held on Monday. Dr Gajendra Mahalle, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management); Veerasen Tambe, NDS Head, were present prominently.

As per the decision taken in the meeting, any person throwing garbage in public places such as road, footpath, open spaces etc will have to pay Rs 100 as a fine. Shopkeepers dumping garbage in public places like roads, footpaths, open spaces will have to pay a penalty of Rs 400. Educational institutes and coaching classes dumping garbage in public places shall be charged Rs 1,000. Penalty of Rs 2,000 will be levied on dispensaries, hospitals, pathology laboratories etc if they dump garbage in public places.

The amount of penalty will be the same for malls, restaurants, lodging and boarding hotels, cinema halls, wedding halls, caterers, service providers etc. If businessmen with fixed construction/shop dump garbage/waste in public places, they will have to shell out Rs 2,000 as penalty. Penalty amount is Rs 1,000 for those keeping animals in public places, washing vehicles/animals in public places, chicken centres and meat sellers dumping garbage in public places, workshops/ garages /repair shop owners dumping waste in public places.

The amount of penalty will be Rs 400 for very small/retail vendors doing business on pavements, handcarts. Besides, NDS will take action under Maharashtra Non-Degradable Waste Control Act, 2006 against manufacturers, sellers, stockists etc of plastic carry bags with less than defined thickness.

In the meeting held on Monday, Joshi said that it was necessary to take action against citizens who threw garbage on streets and pavements, spit, polluted water sources, urinated on roadsides, used plastic bags etc to keep the city clean. If citizens or shopkeepers hand over garbage to sanitation workers, it will help in maintaining cleanliness in market areas. He urged the citizens to use ‘Swachhta App’, and also register their complaints by downloading the app on their mobile phone handsets. “NMC shall redress the complaints as soon as possible,” he said.

First, awareness will be created among people. Even after this, if garbage is found in public places and markets, penal action will be taken against violators. Joshi urged shopkeepers to keep green and blue waste bins in their shops to collect wet and dry waste. NMC has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Ved Foundation, through which members of Rotary Club, Swachh Sangathan are providing services. Cleanliness drive is being supported by NGOs like Green Vigil Foundation, Tejaswini Mahila Mandal, Rotary Club etc.

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Over 25,000 women have benefited from health camps. Different blood and radiological investigations, dental care and treatments are offered under the scheme

Nagpur: Following a good response to the State Government’s ‘Mata Surakshit Tar Ghar Surakshit’ scheme in Nagpur City, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has extended the health camp at all its Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and hospitals till October 30. More than 25,000 women have benefited under the health scheme. Different blood and radiological investigations, dental care and treatments are offered under the scheme, according to reports.

NMC has waived the nominal Rs10 fee for registration under the scheme. As many as 25,278 women were examined by NMC medical officers. Of these, 21,563 beneficiaries got screened for blood pressure, 662 for chest X-ray and 731 women underwent dental examination. A total of 14,004 women aged 35 years and above were examined for non-communicable diseases, 533 pregnant women took tetanus vaccine and sonography examination of 153 women was done.

According to NMC Medical Officer Dr Narendra Bahirwar, the Health Department will now analyse the data from the screening phase. We need to find out which diseases are prevalent among city women. A lot of medicines and vitamins too were distributed among the beneficiaries, he said.

The reports further said that at some PHCs, thyroid was detected among a large number of women, though the data is yet to be finalized. In these camps, women were given a comprehensive health check-up and counselling was also done after cancer screening. Women and expecting mothers were examined by medical officers for body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin, urine, blood sugar, diabetes (for those aged above 30 years). Reproductive tract infection/sexually transmitted infection screening and immunization of mothers and children were conducted.

Guidance on breastfeeding, screening for high-risk delivery, folic acid in adolescent girls, prevention of anaemia through anthelmintics, guidance on sickle cell screening and thalassaemia, screening and sonography of high-risk pregnant mothers by gynaecologists under human development programme, leprosy screening, family planning, mental disease check-up were also done.

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Nagpur: The Nagpur Railway Station on Monday witnessed a nasty incident when the son of a Nagpur MLA went berserk and abused a lady employee for not providing a battery-powered platform car in time. However, surprisingly, the Railway officials maintained ‘radio silence’ and were not ready to say anything in this regard, according to a report in a Marathi news channel.

As per the report, the female employee, who had undergone a bypass surgery a few months ago, was so scared by the threatening posture of the MLA’s son, she had to be admitted in a hospital, the report said.

According to the report, the son of the MLA from Nagpur came to the Station Manager’s Office (Commercial) at Nagpur Railway Station on Monday around 2.30 pm. He asked the female employee present in the office for a Battery Operated Platform Car to reach the platform. However, she said that it was late as the platform car had already left with one disabled person. This enraged the ‘unruly’ son of the leader and he started abusing the female employee in filthy language. “I am the son of a big leader. Don’t you recognise me?” shouted the brat and threatened her of dire consequences.

When the news channel contacted the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Krishnath Patil for his version, he did not respond. Ashutosh Pandey, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner of Central Railway said that he has not received any such complaint so far.

The incident has left other employees scared as the issue of their safety has come to the fore. Usually, the Nagpur Railway Station is under the watch of RPF and Railway Police. However, even after such a big incident, not a single security personnel rushed to help the helpless lady employee. No action was taken. All of them were acting like nothing had happened, the report said.

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Nagpur: In a major success, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW ) of Nagpur Crime Branch arrested the fraudster Sushil Ramesh Kolhe, absconding for two years, for allegedly floating shell companies and duping investors of Rs 35 crore by promising them high returns. Kolhe is one of the three accused.

A resident of Nimdevi Nagar, Wanjara, Kamptee Road, Sushil (33), his brother Pankaj Kolhe and Bharat Shankar Shahu allegedly had floated AGM Corporation, AGM Digital Ltd, Janseva Mutual Benefit Nidhi Ltd, Sanjay Traders Pvt Ltd, Discovery & Media Family Foods, Sussex Life Project Multiple Marketing Pvt Ltd, Mohd Aslam Haji Munna Miya and other shell companies.

The accused trio invited people to their Civil Lines office and lured them with a promise to double their invested amount in 18 months. They also assured high profits like fund sharing, royalty and bonus in other schemes. To gain the investors’ confidence, Sushil and Pankaj Kolhe had also entered into formal agreements with them. People, not only from Nagpur, but from different cities had parked money in their ponzi schemes. Later, Kolhe brothers and Shahu defrauded the investors of over Rs 30-35 crore by neither returning their invested money nor extending any benefit to them.

One of their victims, Nagendrasingh Thakur from Madhya Pradesh, had approached the then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh with a complaint during his grievances redressal camp in the city two years ago. Subsequently, inquiries were conducted into the matter and a case under Sections 406, 409,420, 34 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 3 of the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (In Financial Establishments) Act, was registered against Kolhe brothers and Shahu at Sitabuldi Police Station.

Later, the case was handed over to the EOW for further probe. Police Inspector Mukund Kawade, who is now investigating the case, said that investors cheated by the accused should contact the Office of the DCP (EoW ), fourth floor, Administrative Building No 1, Civil Lines or on his cell number 9823212677.

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Nagpur: A con couple extorted Rs 15 lakh from a woman by using her bogus confession on a stamp paper about a murder that never happened. The couple allegedly forced the woman for writing “I have committed a murder” on a stamp paper and hatched a criminal conspiracy for extortion. The couple was arrested by Jaripatka Police.

The accused have been identified as Amit Tiwari (35) and his wife Renuka (28), both are residents of Sitabuldi.

Amit is a history-sheeter. On a complaint lodged by a 35- year-old woman, Jaripatka Police registered a case of criminal conspiracy, extortion and fraud against the couple and arrested them.

According to police, the victim is a resident of Jaripatka and a relative of accused Renuka. The victim clicked on a link of an online game on Facebook mobile app in September 2011. A page opened in the app which offered immediate returns of Rs 17,000 against the investment of Rs 12,000. She played the game and won Rs 17,000. Soon after, she received another message for investment of Rs one lakh in the game. The woman borrowed Rs 1 lakh from a relative and invested in the game. But, she lost the game and the money. The relative started asking her to return the borrowed Rs 1 lakh. The victim told Renuka about this.

The accused Renuka promised to arrange Rs 1 lakh and collected some money from her on the pretext of processing fees. Later, Renuka told the victim that the moneylender fled the city. Soon after, she forced the victim to write on a stamp paper “I have committed a murder” and used the stamp paper to blackmail her. The accused couple Amit and Renuka extorted Rs 15 lakh from the woman in the past one year, police said.

Fed up of regular extortion, the victim narrated the incident to her relatives who suggested that she should lodge a complaint. Jaripatka Police have registered the case and arrested the accused persons.

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Nagpur: Fate is cruel, they say. Someone’s bag is full to overflowing, and someone’s bag is empty till the end. The relationship between Gond Basti in Siddheshwar Nagar of Nagpur and destiny is no different. The workman in every hut here has a business of felling trees with an axe in hand. The police catch them on flimsy grounds, and send them to jail. This leaves them jobless. The crisis of starvation is looming large on this tribal settlement, according to a report in a local Marathi daily Sakal.

The discrimination against the tribes has deprived them of their food security in many ways and the discrimination is quite similar to the caste discrimination. There are cases to show that the tribes are denied their right to food.

According to the report, one such example has come to the fore. Ramesh Premsingh Uike, aged 60, was suffering from hunger pangs for a month. His whole body was consumed by the fire of hunger in his belly and on Monday, October 10, he left his body. The whole Vasti was shocked. They mourned ‘Bhuk Pyas Ne Ramesh ki Jaan Li’.

At a time when the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Food Scheme is being implemented to provide free food-grains to 18 crore people, it is said that the stress on the poor has been reduced due to this free food-grains!!. The question is being asked, how does Ramesh go hungry in Siddheshwar Nagar, a Gond slum in Nagpur?

Ramesh Uike was suffering from hunger for three days and his stomach was stuck to his back. His intestines were crushed. After being thirsty, even water was not going into Ramesh’s stomach. Finally, on the night of Monday, October 10, Ramesh lost his appetite and the fire in his stomach subsided only after he was dead. Is it a starvation death in Nagpur? This question is hounding one’s mind.

Willingness to share sorrow:
The Gond Vasti shares each other’s sorrows, shares each other’s tears. But how can we share the hunger, is the question of the youth of this settlement. “Saab, Hamare Hatonko Kam Do, Hamare Haath Mehnat Karne Wale Hai. There are 200 young boys hamari Basti me hai, lakin inke hato ko kam nahi,” lamented one of the elder persons in the settlement. Today Ramesh became a victim of starvation. Tufan Uike left the settlement in a huff asking how many more hunger sacrifices should be given after this?

The role of Tribal Department:

All tribals are in this Gond Basti. They have a budget of crores to implement their development agenda. However, the Tribal Department officials never reach them. Even when they arrive, they take the photos, everything is said to be fine. The youths in the slums do not get employment, women’s self-help groups are formed. As the Tribal Department is only in the role of watcher, it is not possible to tell when the day of liberation of the tribals will arise in this era?

Ramesh’s 55-year-old wife Taemul was blind. After her death, her family was given food by the neighbours. Ramesh’s children have no work to do. How to survive is the question hounding the people of this settlement. As the working man’s hands do not get work, the hearth is not lit for three days in many houses in this Gond Basti.

Ramesh could not bear the hunger and died. The family had no money for the funeral of his body. Barma, Rama, Sachin, Dau and Lakshmi were all looking at the dead body of their father. At the same time, Tufan Uike, a social activist from Gond settlement, collected money from the people of the entire settlement. A fund of one and a half thousand rupees was collected. After this cremation was done at Manewada Ghat.

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Nagpur: Education is at the forefront of Round Table India and requires careful attention to detail. In such a situation, zero overhead philanthropic organizations like the Nagpur Round Table-83 have always come forward as they have each year whether it be fundraising for building schools, educational material donations, etc through the exemplary work of its members.

Recently, Round Table 83 members along with Bridge the Gap Foundation inaugurated the 1st Phase of their school project in Sukali Village (Hingna). It was attended by Round Table Area 3 Chairman Kunal Agrawal, Area 3 AST Sayal Lunia, AIPC Vedant Agrawal and present from the headboard were Chairman Abhay Agarwal, Vice Chairman Prateek Minocha, Treasurer Shivagya Arora and Secretary Rahul Gugaliya, along with many present and past members of Round Table 83 along with other tables in the city.

From the Bridge the Gap Foundation, Neeta Gupta and Garima Tandon (from Bridge the Gap Foundation) were present. Also in attendance was Yogesh Kumbechkar (ZP CEO), Kamalkishor Putane (ZP Deputy CEO), Indrayani Borkar (Tahsildar, Hingna) and Dinesh Dhengre (Sarpanch, Sukali). Ramdsharan and Dhanwanti Gupta participated in the ribbon cutting and opened the school along with the dignitaries present. Approximately 300 men, women and children attended the event with great joy and to see the fruit of the efforts of the organizations that have helped build the school with cooperation of the village.

The task at hand was a school which was in poor condition with non operational singular washroom and only 2 classrooms. Using a modern design the school has been now completed in time to now handle approximately 200 students from Sukali and the nearby villages. The school is extremely well ventilated and set up for the future with an eye catching design and infrastructure. Bridge the Gap Foundation has also been instrumental in training of the new teachers towards the brand new school with curriculum planning and spoken English classes for the children. Furthermore the fundraising has also resulted in the arrangement of a bus to get students to and from the nearby villages.

In the 1st Phase which is now constructed on the Ground Floor around 3 classrooms have been made along with desks at the end of the classrooms to convert to studying on the computer as well. 1 classroom has been made into a computer lab as well. The school now also has a separate boys and girls bathroom within the building.

The school was built at an outlay of approximately Rs 40 lakh including school building, furniture, etc. Funds were collected through multiple innovative mediums at Round Table 83 — through fundraiser of pin jacket, CSR donations from large companies, as well as donations from companies in Nagpur as well as around the country. NRT 83 is a registered trust and also eligible to take CSR donations

For the future of the school, additional columns have been left and an extension shall commence shortly to further increase the capacity of the school as well. Extensive surveys have been carried out to see the exact requirements which will be frozen shortly to increase the number of classrooms and other areas. The donors for the project were quite happy on the beautiful design and planning of the building and prospective donors may contact Round Table 83 to visit the site as well as discuss the same.

Round Table India is a young men’s organization aimed at promoting community service and goodwill in national and international affairs. Round table is present in 67 countries worldwide with over 65,000 members. Round Table India has more than 320 Tables (chapters) located in 95 plus cities and towns.

Round Table India (RTI) is an organization of non-political and non-sectarian young men between the age group of 18 and 40 promoting service, fellowship and goodwill in national and international affairs. Working towards the education of underprivileged children, till date, 7890 classrooms have been built across India in, impacting 8.67 million children.

Round Table India is a zero overhead organization and therefore every rupee raised by the organization goes purely into charitable projects and this year as well Nagpur Round Table 83 will continue its work towards any and all such projects. NRT 83 is a registered trust as well as registered to accept CSR donations.

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The NMC’s Nuisance Detection Squad recovered Rs 84,500 fine from the offenders

Nagpur: On Day 1, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation launched a crackdown and fined as many as 233 Nagpurians for throwing garbage at public places in different parts of the city on Tuesday. The NMC’s Nuisance Detection Squad (NDS) recovered Rs 84,500 fine from the offenders. The violators included citizens, shopkeepers and even footpath vendors and the NDS team fined them ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 1,000 each.

Notably, NMC had warned the persons urinating, spitting, carrying plastic bags and shopkeepers and other establishments for dumping garbage on footpaths, roads, market places that it would take strict action against them. NMC is charging fines ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 2,000 from defaulters. On Day One, NDS registered the highest 33 cases in Laxmi Nagar Zone, 20 cases in Gandhibagh Zone, 7 cases in Mangalwari Zone.

The NDS caught 53 citizens, 78 roadside vendors and 34 shopkeepers among others for throwing garbage in public places across the city. The NDS team caught 39 citizens from the Laxmi Nagar Zone which included individuals, shopkeepers and even vendors for littering in public places. The team recovered Rs16,800 fine from them. This was followed by Satranjipura and Mangalwari zones with NDS team nabbing 36 citizens each for littering the footpaths, roads and other public places.

The NDS team also caught and penalised 30 citizens under Dhantoli and Gandhibagh zones, which mostly houses commercial establishments like railway stations, bus stops etc.

During the visits, the NDS caught many people littering alongside roads and creating black spots. Most of them admitted their mistake but also claimed that the NMC’s waste pickers are late or do not come at all. So, residents dump the waste at the same spot so that it is being collected by the door-to-door garbage lifting agency.

Under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Radhakrishnan B, Veersen Tambe, Sanjay Khandare, Dharmaraj Katre, Pawan Dongre, Narahari Veer, Natthu Khandekar, Sushil Tupte, Premadas Tarwatkar, Sudhir Sudke, Sanjay Sonone, Narendra Turkar and NDS teams of different zones put efforts in these actions.

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Nagpur: The Local Crime Branch of Kanhan Police on Tuesday arrested two youths who stole aluminium wires from MSEDCL’s pole at Mauza Bori Singori in Kerdi Shivar.

The accused have been identified as Harish Ramsingh Gautam (19) and Praful Siddhu Dhurve (23), both residents of Khadan No. 4, Kanhan.

According to police, after stealing the aluminium wires, the two accused had sold the stuff to a scrap trader. Cops have seized the stolen aluminium wires worth Rs 77,000.

The arrests were made by PI Omprakash Kokate, constable Arvind Bhagat, NPCs Shailesh Yadav and Virendra Narad.

Kanhan police are investigating the case further.

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Nagpur: As the intensity of rain increased over the last two days, fly ash slurry from Khaperkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) has once again started flowing into Kanhan River affecting water supply to Nagpur city.

According to NMC officials, the accumulated fly ash this time was clearly seen at Kanhan Water Treatment Plant (WTP) intake well. On the upstream, substantial discharge of fly ash was seen from Waregaon overflow point which flows into the Kolar River and ultimately meets the Kanhan River, said the officials from NMC’s Water Works Department.

As the Kanhan WTP cannot treat fly ash in river water, the raw water pumps on the right bank of the river (Drywell) had to be stopped, which means 35 per cent pumping totally stopped. Only partial (65%) pumping was done from the WTP, resulting in water crisis in the Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the Nagpur city, including 28 ESR’s from Asi Nagar Zone, Nehru Nagar Zone, Lakadganj Zone and Satranjipura Zone.

Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Orange City Water (OCW ) have informed about the development to KTPS.

Despite instructions of compliance from MPCB, both Koradi and Khaperkheda Thermal Power Stations failed to restrict flow of fly ash in water bodies and ash bunds. In a reply to the Centre For Sustainable Development (CFSD), MPCB claimed that MahaGenco has been instructed to undertake immediate rescue and relief operations in all affected villagers with supply of safe quality water, clearing access roads, etc. after the Khasala ash bund collapse.

MPCB also instructed the thermal power plants to stop releasing fly ash in ash bund and remove legacy ash. Whereas Leena Buddhe, Founder, CFSD, who raised the issue of fly ash bund collapse before the Government said, “MPCB is doing only paper work against MahaGenco for this breach and no authentic action has been taken by their side to restrict the flow of fly ash in rivers”, she said adding that, MPCB directed MahaGenco to repair the collapsed bund in Khasala to avoid any such incident. However, the power generation company has just covered the incident site with fly ash filled sacks, which may cause a repeat of this incident in near future.

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Nagpur: A senior technician of MSEDCL was trapped by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Nagpur while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,500 from a consumer to replace a power meter installed at his residence in Hingna.

The accused has been identified as Vishal Bhimrao Pawde (40), senior technician of MSEDCL, Wanadongri (Class IV ).

According to ACB sources, the complainant was fed up with inflated power bills. He inquired with the senior technician Pawde at MSEDCL office who suggested him to replace the meter with a new one and demanded Rs 7,500 for the same. Taken aback by the bribe demand, the complainant approached the ACB and lodged a complaint.

The ACB sleuths verified the complaint and arrested Pawde red-handed while accepting the bribe. An offence under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at Hingna Police Station.

The action was carried out under the guidance of SP ACB Rakesh Ola, Addl SP Madhukar Gite by DySP Yogita Chafle, PI Varsha Mate, PI Ashish Choudhary and staff including Asmita Mallewar, Anil Bahire, Harshalata Bharadkar and others.

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Nagpur: Heavy downpour coupled with gusty winds lashed Second Capital of the State on second consecutive day on Wednesday. Several trees were reportedly in and outside Nagpur city. In one such incident, a man driving his two-wheeler was seriously injured after a tree fell on him in the Civil Lines area.

The injured was subsequently rushed to nearby hospital where he is being monitored under serious condition, sources said. Officials of the Fire and Emergency Department of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation approached the spot and started efforts to clear the road.

As per Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), cloudy sky will remain for next two-three days with one or two spells of light to moderate rains. Thunderstorms will accompany rains.

By Wednesday morning (till 8.30 am), Nagpur received 45.3 mm rainfall, second highest in Vidarbha. Yavatmal received the highest rainfall in the last 24-hours at 60mm followed by Gondia at 57.6 mm. Akola (13.2 mm), Buldhana (28 mm), Amravati (13 mm) and Wardha (4.2 mm) received rains. Whereas other places were dry on Wednesday.

The southwest monsoon normally withdraws from Nagpur by the first week of October. But, due to the extended monsoon, this year, the city is experiencing wet weather. Normally, days in October are warmer and nights are colder than in the previous month but the nights are still warmer due to the presence of humidity.

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Nagpur: Upliftment and empowerment is what the youth of Nagpur need. The Alliance Against Centres of Trafficking with the support of Nagpur Police launched an initiative for the same.

The initiative called as Young India Unchained (YIU) was launched by Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, IPS (retd) former director general, NDRF ad civil defence Dr P M Nair who has a celebrated expert on anti-human trafficking and child protection.

YIU is a collective by the youth for the youth to create awareness on safety issue including sex trafficking and other henious crimes against women and children in the city

What is Young India Unchained Initiative’s vision?

*Increase in Awareness among youth on crimes against women and children including sex trafficking.

*Increase in youth participation in efforts to ensure safety and prevent human trafficking.

*Reduction in young college girls being lured into trafficking.

*Increase in participation of youth in the criminal justice system by engagement with police, increased reporting of the crime.

Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told Nagpur Today that the drive was a very necessary step as the crime in youth has been on a rise. “There have been cases of eve teasing, cyber stalking which needed to be addressed at the earliest,” he added.

“Female students were finding it difficult to come up and speak about the problems faced by them. We hope this drive is beneficial for the youth and help us address their problems in a more mechanized manner,” Kumar said.

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Nagpur: In good news for environmentalists, Lendi and Naik Talao in Nagpur, which are almost became non-existent due to rampant pollution and encroachments, are going to get a new lease of life as rejuvenation project worth Rs 27.71 crore has been approved by the State Government under Atal Mission For Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0 (AMRUT), according to media reports.

The Central Government had given in-principle approval to fund rejuvenation of two water bodies — Lendi Talao and Naik Talao under AMRUT 2.0. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the two lakes to Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), an agency appointed by the state for technical scrutiny, and obtained sanction.

According to reports, the state-level technical committee for AMRUT 2.0 met a day ago, during which the NMC team led by Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B, Superintending Engineer Manoj Talewar and others gave presentation on the two projects and proposed to undertake rejuvenation works in 6.42 acres (22.53%) of total 28.5 acres area of Lendi Talao in the DPR.

Accordingly, the committee reportedly cleared the proposal. The committee has approved Rs14.31 crore funds for the project. A few years ago, the NMC had submitted a DPR with the state seeking funds for rejuvenation of the Lendi Talao under the State Lakes Conservation Plan (SLCP). But the state did not approve the project and directed the NMC to remove encroachments from the waterbody first.

After the NMC sought possession of Lendi Talao for rejuvenation, the state handed over the entire 28.5 acres area to the civic body on June 13, 2018. During the hand over, the district administration had restricted division, distribution or lease of the land to anyone for any other purpose.

In the same meeting, the committee also approved rejuvenation of Naik Talao, which is situated downstream of Lendi Talao. The project has been planned in 7.23 acres area. The committee has approved Rs 13.5 crore for the purpose.

Now, the state will submit both the projects to the Centre which will sanction funds under AMRUT 2.0.

The NMC has also planned rejuvenation of Police Line Takli Lake in West Nagpur and Binaki-Mangalwari Lake in North Nagpur under AMRUT 2.0. DPR of the two water bodies is being prepared. All four water bodies are facing threat of destruction due to encroachments, accumulation of silt, lack of maintenance etc.

Till now, the NMC has executed rejuvenation works in Sonegaon, Gandhisagar and Pandhrabodi lakes with the help of funds sanctioned by the state.

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Nagpur: With barely a fortnight to go for the festival of lights — Diwali — which symbolizes the victory of good over evil, the triumph of light over darkness, and hope over despair, Nagpurians in Pune, are subjected to exorbitant fares by private bus operators, to satisfy their vicious greed, in lieu of returning them to their hometown to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

The fares of private bus operators have broken all the previous records and are charging a hefty amount around Rs 6,000 per ticket for Pune-Nagpur journey. The tickets, which are set at between the prices of Rs 1,000 to 1,800 in general, have skyrocketed to 4,500 to 5,800 ahead of Diwali holidays.

Sans opportunities in Nagpur, lakhs of Nagpurians are working in Pune. Come Diwali and everyone wishes to be at home. Among all possible travel modes, some take luxury buses. But this year again, skyrocketing prices are burning a hole in people’s pockets, with the Government failing drastically to curb this menace.

Speaking to Nagpur Today, Nikhil Chandnani, a corporate professional, said that ahead of Diwali, private bus operators often engender this situation.

“With Diwali home-coming on the cards, many people from Nagpur observe this brazen looting by private operators to raise the fare of Nagpur. As there are limited trains and not all can afford to pay flight tickets, many opt for private buses. Private operators are well aware of this grim situation; hence show no lenience towards travellers,” he said and added that, “Government should look into the matter as this proves pivotal in making our ends meet during festive season.”

According to sources, ahead of Diwali, blackmarkating of tickets reaches a new peak with the Government and Administration refusing to wake up from slumber. Many touts secure several tickets of trains and buses on Nagpur routes, anticipating travel rush. These touts, then, exploit the busy schedule and willingness of every working person living in Pune to reach their native home and sell tickets at outrageous rates to pocket moolah.

– Shubham Nagdeve

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Nagpur: Frustrated with slipping down constantly from the cleanliness charts, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) decided to fine the ones littering the surroundings.  Additional municipal commissioner on Monday announced the drive to improve the city’s cleanliness image.

On Day 1 of the crackdown, NMC managed to fine 233 Nagpurians for throwing litter in different parts of the city on Tuesday. The civic body’s nuisance detection squad (NDS) recovered almost Rs 85,000 (Rs 84,500) fine from the citizens.

The violators included citizens and shopkeepers and were fined ranging between Rs 100 and Rs 1,000. A total of 53 citizens, 78 roadside vendors and 34 shopkeepers were fined throughout the day.

Total of Rs 16,800 fine was collected from Laxmi Nagar (39 citizens) alone—highest in the city. This was followed by Satranjipura and Mangalwari zones (36 citizens). Around 30 citizens were fined in Dhantoli and Gandhibagh zones.

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