Pune, June 26 The Environment Status Report (ESR) of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will have a different feel to it this year, literally. For the first time the civic body is set to produce the annual report on recycled paper. The idea behind the initiative, the first of its kind in the state, is to send across the message that it practices what it preaches, on environment friendliness and tree conservation.

Visiting the historic Sinhagad, one of the most favoured hangout of Puneites, will now come with a price, if you carry plastic items along. As an effort to curb the environmental pollution caused by plastic, visitors will be made to pay a penalty in the range of Rs 50 to Rs 100, if he or she is seen carrying plastic bags or bottles. "If the visitor, on his return from the fort, is found carrying less plastic than what he took along, the deposit amount will be kept as penalty,' said State Forest Minister Babanrao Pachpute, who was in the city for a hearing at Council Hall, on Monday.

City accounts for 34 of 90 locational clearance applications received and 7 of 8 projects sanctioned

Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd (GBL), a biotech company in Pune and a subsidiary of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd has tied up with PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) for a dedicated malaria vaccine manufacturing facility at Hinjewadi. Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will inaugurate the malaria vaccine manufacturing facility and oncology plant on Saturday.

Health officials were in for a shock when a random haemoglobin level check showed just how anaemic women were in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Fifty-five of the 215 Class II and III women employees had haemoglobin levels under 10 gm while seven women had very low haemoglobin levels.

Just before the commencement of the monsoon, PCMC commissioner Ashish Sharma called for a meeting of various officials to discuss flood control measures recently. People staying near the banks of the rivers Pavna, Mula and Indryani have to face the menace of floods, threatening their life and property.

In the wake of the ongoing row over the appointment of consultants for the 24X7 water supply plan for the city, municipal commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi clarified his stand that the proposed scheme was necessary as it is for the benefit of Pune. Addressing media persons on Thursday, the commissioner said, "This is an opportunity to bring a solution to the erratic water supply, which should not be missed.' Those who wanted to approach the court regarding the appointment of consultants for the project were free to do so, Pardeshi added.

In order to stop the damage to the environment by cutting trees during various festivals, Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale on Wednesday said the civic administration would initiate action against those selling branches of trees in the city.

Over 2000 saplings of rare medicinal species were planted at a program mme at Fort Jadhavgadh on Saturday. More than 200 volunteers of Senior Citizens Club, Lokmanya Nagar, Sadhana Vidyalaya, Hadapsar, employees of Fort Jadhavgadh Hotel took part in the project .

City incinerates 1 tonne bio-medical waste a day Nearly one tonne of bio-medical waste is generated and disposed of in Pune each day. While the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has outsourced the activity to a private firm Sun Enviro Limited to collect the waste and dispose it at the incineration facility at Kailash crematorium, efforts are now underway to woo over 6,000 small dispensaries to join the scheme. According to Piyush Solanki, assistant general manager of Sun Enviro, "so far, only 250 dispensaries and clinics have been registered.'