Pune: Maha Metro on Saturday opened an underpass connecting the Swargate Metro station to the MSRTC bus terminus, offering much-needed relief to people frequenting the busy area. Commuters, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the slow progress of another key entry-exit point that would provide access toward Ganesh Kala Krida Manch and Sarasbaug, saying the work on…
Pune: State agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne told TOI on Saturday that a “positive decision” was expected on farm loan waiver before the June 30 deadline as govt’s dedicated war room was in the last phase of data scrutiny.Govt had earlier appointed a committee headed by retired IAS officer and economic adviser Pravin Pardeshi to assess…
Pune: Collector Jitendra Dudi has set a 20-day deadline for multiple agencies to prepare a comprehensive action plan to enforce lane discipline on highways passing through the district, following the recent propylene-laden tanker accident on Pune-Mumbai expressway and the subsequent traffic jam.The plan is expected to include stricter checks, improved coordination and clear role allocation…
Pune: First-semester postgraduate students of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) are waiting for their results two months after their semester exams — a delay triggered by the university’s seven-month indecision on the implementation of state govt’s revised passing rules.Under the earlier 30:30:40 pattern, students had to score a minimum of 30% each in internal and…
Pune: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Friday instructed the owners of ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants in the Bavdhan Budruk area to adhere to the latest pollution control guidelines within 20 days or face action.Babasaheb Kukade, the MPCB regional officer, said there were six RMC plants in the area. He said the MPCB was verifying…
Pune: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan on Friday cautioned against relying on the traditional notion of permanent friends or fixed adversaries, saying that in today’s rapidly evolving global security environment, such assumptions are increasingly unreliable.Addressing a seminar on Jointness, Atmanirbharta and Innovation (JAI) organised by the Southern Command, he said strategic alignments…
Pune & Bombay: Food and drugs administration (FDA) minister Narhari Zirwal on Friday said he would resign from his post if the investigation revealed his any link with the bribery case, following the opposition’s demand for his scalp a day after the anti-corruption bureau arrested a clerk of his department from Mantralaya.Responding to the opposition’s…
Pune: Divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar on Friday directed officials to expedite surveys to ensure early preparation of the draft macro-economic plan for the proposed “Pune Growth Hub”.He said the plan should be prepared based on inputs from workshops involving govt departments, agencies and representatives from private and industrial sectors in the review meeting of “Pune…
Pune: An assistant sales manager (32) of a private firm dealing in shipping containers jumped to death from Lion’s Point near Lonavla, about 70km from the city, in the early hours of Thursday — the birthday of his wife.A team from Shivdurga Mitra, Lonavla, brought the body up from the 250ft deep gorge and handed…
Pune: If you spotted groups of Punekars on the city’s hills, in gardens, or by the lakeside this Friday — looking up at the canopy rather than at the trail ahead — you likely witnessed the start of the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). The global citizen science event, which runs from Feb 13 to…
