<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal (Western Zone Bench, Pune) in the matter of Vishwajit Ramchandra Dixit Vs Union of India & Others dated 07/03/2025.</p> <p>The issue raised in the application
UPA's thrust on education is massive, says M.A.A. Fatmi The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has laid thrust on education, M.A.A. Fatmi, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development has said. Inaugurating the library block of H.M.S. Institute of Technology (HMSIT), near here on Saturday, Mr. Fatmi said the UPA Government would increase allocation to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by Rs.10,000 crore and to the mid-day meal programme by Rs. 5,000 crore. He said while the percentage of school dropouts was brought down considerably at the primary level, it remained as high as 63 per cent at the secondary level. Mr. Fatmi regretted that only 9 per cent of those who finished secondary education, entered colleges. Less than 2 per cent got admission into professional courses. "We still need to set up lakhs of polytechnics and thousands of technological institutes,' he said. "We have permitted existing polytechnics to run courses day and night to cater to more aspirants.' Three new Indian Institutes of Technology in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, and three new Indian Institutes of Science in Maharastra (Pune), Punjab, and West Bengal (Kolkata) were being set up, he said. Sixteen new universities were being formed. There would be at least one Central University in each State, he added. He promised to process the sanction of a new IIT for Karnataka and said: "I will see that it is located in Tumkur.' Mr. Fatmi asked students to give equal priority to sports and academics and said: "If you play well, you will be much inclined to read books.' "Acquisition of sportive spirit when you are young will enable you to become a good leader,' he said, inviting engineering graduates to enter the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies.
The general body meeting of Pune Municipal Corporation witnessed a row over the effluents and sewage water being released into the Mutha-Mula Rivers on a large-scale. However, Municipal Commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi admitted that at present the PMC only has half the number of sewage treatment plants (STP) needed for the city. Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale even called for White Paper about the entire situation from the civic administration, to which the commissioner asked for a "minimum period' of one month. The debate started with the Shiv Sena leader Shyam Deshpande pointing out that the civic body is satisfied only with desilting the rivers and not actually keeping them clean in the real sense. "Desilting the rivers is fine, but what about the huge quantum of effluents being released into these rivers?' he asked. Corporator Anil Shirole said, "PMC received Rs 200 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, some of which are being spent on the rivers. But what is the use of such huge funds, if unclean and sewage water is let out into the rivers.' Pardeshi said, "As against the need of the city, only half the number of STPs are functioning in the city. The total amount of sewage water generated in the city is 700 MLD, out of which only half is being treated and then released.' Corporator Vikas Mathkari asked the civic administration to carry out a probe into functioning of the agencies, who are given a contract of handling the STPs. Meanwhile, on Wednesday Shiv Sena corporator Sachin Bhagat had allegedly carried a pistol into the general body-meeting hall. NCP corporator Mohansingh Rajpal had raised questions about this during the same meeting. Thursday's meeting also witnessed some initial discussion on the same. While Congress corporator Aba Bagul objected to carrying weapons into the meeting hall, NCP corporator sought a metal detector at the entrance of the GB hall.
With mercury levels rising, Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale has agreed to convene a special general body meeting to discuss the issue of water scarcity with corporators representing scarcity-hit areas within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits. Leader of House, Anil Bhosale pointed out the PMC's failure to stick to their commitment of resolving the issue water scarcity at a faster pace. "The problem is likely to aggravate this summer, and the issue needs to be tackled with proper planning,' Congress leader Ulhas Bagul said.
School children can now look forward to environmental education through eco friendly parks as the State Social Forestry Department is all set to revamp the 29 nurseries spread across all districts of the state to convert them into national green corps parks. "In 2001, the forest ministers of all states in the country met at Coimbatore where they resolved to spread environmental education by conducting orientation for students. This was under the scheme National Green Corps,' said Prakash Thosre, director, Social Forestry, Maharshtra.
The small car meets the aspirations of the consumer but may just compound the problems for the society he lives in. V.V. DESAI shows how.
On the second day running, there was little respite for residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad from overflowing garbage bins and containers. In several suburbs today, mountains of garbage had sprung up as officials of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation battled with complaints from residents. Since Saturday, the private vehicles owners, numbering 50, have struck work demanding hike in garbage collection amount. Health chief Dr Nagkumar Kunachgi while refusing the hike had said that the PCMC does not need the services of the private vehicle owners.
GAIL India, the country's largest transporter and marketer of natural gas, is looking at the possibility of floating a subsidiary to set up compressed natural gas (CNG) outlets along the highways where it has its pipelines. The company is targeting to become a Rs 50,000 crore company by 2011. The company plans to set up these outlets under its CNG corridor plan and has already identified in the areas Delhi-Agra-Lucknow highway and on the Mumbai-Pune highway.
The highway from Pune to Ahmednagar is an interesting one. Farmers in traditional white peaked caps zip past you, some in fancy new cars. Signs of prosperity are apparent, although the region battled with severe drought just a couple of years ago. A few kilometres down the highway, beyond the small town of Chikrapur, a left turn reveals the road that leads to our destination
Forty persons, including women from nine families living, at survey number 2A/8 on Bhau Patil Road in Bopodi are using nearby open ground as public toilet facility. This was after the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) demolished a public toilet they were using for last 25 years without making any alternate arrangement on January 18. The toilet was constructed by the PMC on a private land. NCP corporator Anil Bhosale later purchased the land and asked builder Ravindra Sankala to develop the site.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has been under criticism for delay in executing various development projects, has however received praise from the World Bank for its rehabilitation of the project affected people (PAP). Municipal Commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi had recently made a presentation of the PMC initiative at a meeting of all the municipal commissioners of the selected cities under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) with the World Bank officers.
