Pune: A year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone for the 5.5-km underground Swargate-Katraj Metro project, commuters are still awaiting the start of actual groundwork. Officials estimated that it might take another two months to complete the necessary formalities before construction can finally kick off.The PM laid the foundation for the…
Pune: As the evening aarti concludes and the vibrant beats of the ‘dhak’ resonate through Durga Puja pandals, the air becomes thick with the scent of incense and palpable anticipation.From the edge of the throng, a dancer steps forward, carefully balancing an earthen burner filled with smouldering coconut husk and camphor. As fragrant smoke gracefully…
Pune: Persistent clouding over the city has narrowed the gap between day and night temperatures, making Pune unusually chilly for late Sept.An expert from Vagaries of Weather said, “On Sunday, Shivajinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 23.9°C — a steep 7 degrees below normal, the lowest Sept day temperature since 2017, and the second-lowest in…
Pune: Gangster Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar and nine others, among those arrested in the Sept 5 murder of Ayush Komkar (18) in Nana Peth, were sent to Yerawada central jail after a special MCOCA court on Monday ordered their remand in judicial custody.Ayush was shot dead by two men in the basement parking of his…
Pune: Former Union agriculture minister and NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has urged govt to start counselling camps for farmers from the flood-affected areas to prevent them from taking drastic steps. He said a rehabilitation plan to help them recover will help.The veteran politician took to his ‘X’ handle on Sunday to offer suggestions on…
Pune: Minister of higher and technical education Chandrakant Patil linked Savitribai Phule Pune University’s (SPPU) decline in national rankings to frequent campus protests and urged the management to control such unrest to improve public perception and institutional performance.Speaking at SPPU’s 126th convocation on Saturday, Patil said, “Perception is among the 20 criterion for marking in…
Pune: A 34-year-old catering contractor from Pimpri lost Rs22.65 lakh to cybercrooks, who offered him a work-from-home job in a fake private company. The fraud occurred between February and Sept this year. The victim approached the Pimpri police on Saturday and lodged a complaint.An officer from the Pimpri police said that an unknown person contacted…
Pune: Three workers, including a woman, suffered burns after a fire broke out in a chemical compound packaging unit in Ambarvet village in Mulshi taluka, about 35km from Pune, around 11.30am on Sunday.The injured workers, Renuka Gaikwad (40), Mohit Raj Chaudhary (49) and Sandip Shendkar (49), were admitted to a private hospital in Ghotawade Phata…
Pune: With the monsoon lasting longer than usual this year, residents are struggling to maintain their holiday homes in places like Lonavala, Mulshi, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar and surrounding areas. Sixty-five-year-old Kondhwa resident Rakesh Sharma bought a holiday home in Khandala with the intention of spending weekends away from the city. The challenge now lies in maintaining…
Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has urged the IGR department to stop the registration of unauthorised structures located in the blue floodline zone within the civic limits.A senior civic official said that the directive applies only to completed unauthorised constructions and not to vacant plots, as transactions of open land cannot be restricted by…
