Kartik Lokhande's blog

* These ‘traverse stones’ are to be used during the special land measurement drive in the State * Maximum 33,602 stones are to be procured in Nagpur Division By Kartik Lokhande  This may surprise many, but Maharashtra Government is procuring 62,506 ‘stones’ at the cost of Rs 2,36,13,040. Thus, the Government will be shelling Rs 377.77 per stone. The reason? These ‘traverse stones’ are being procured for use in special land measurement drive to be conducted throughout the State. On July 23, Revenue and Forest Department has cleared the proposal of Settlement Commissioner and Director of Land Records, in this regard. The ‘traverse stone’ is an important part of land measurement under Sections 122 and 126 of Maharashtra Land Revenue Code. To ensure accuracy in measurement of land, ‘traverse stone’, plane table, electronics total stations etc are used. The need was felt as the Government is conducting a special land measurement drive in villages. Revenue Department is undert

  * The decision has been taken as Government money is being wasted in the form of suspended employees getting 75 per cent of subsistence allowance without doing any work * As many as 100 such cases are under consideration in Nagpur Division By Kartik Lokhande  Maharashtra Government has decided to reinstate the employees who were suspended for various reasons. The decision has been taken following a High Court order, and to avoid wastage of money in payment of 75 per cent salary to employees under suspension. As many as 100 such cases have come up for consideration before the division-level committee, in Nagpur Division. According to sources in the administration, several employees have been suspended over the years on various grounds. These range from an employee being an accused in cases of murder or abetment to suicide, misappropriation of funds, dereliction of duty, molestation, bribery etc. However, as per the norms, employees get 75 per cent of Subsistence All

By Kartik Lokhande  Vacancies at various levels has crippled the functioning of Directorate of Archaeology, Maharashtra, that has under it six offices at major centres in State to look after numerous protected monuments. Facing the problem, the Directorate has proposed to the State Government to fill up the vacancies and also increase budget for proper conservation and repairs of monuments. Under the Directorate of Archaeology, there are six major offices namely at Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pune, Nashik, Ratnagiri, and Nanded apart from Mumbai headquarters. Of these six offices, three do not have full-time Joint Director. Shrikant Gharpure is Joint Director at Nashik, B V Kulkarni at Ratnagiri, and V Kamble at Pune. As three other posts are vacant, Kamble has got additional charge of Aurangabad; Anand Bhoyar, who was Technical Assistant at Amravati, had got additional charge of Nanded; M Y Kathane, who is Curator of Nagur Central Museum, holds additional charge of Nagpur

* Data Bank to be maintained in District Collector’s office to expedite grant of NA permissions By Kartik Lokhande Within a year since the report of High-level Committee to curb unauthorised/illegal constructions in rural areas in the vicinity of major cities including Nagpur, Maharashtra Government has decided to scrap the concept of non-agricultural (NA) permissions for lands in Development Plan (DP) areas. As per the decision taken by State Cabinet in its meeting held on Wednesday, prior permission of District Collector will not be required for non-agricultural use of any land in the Development Plan area under the jurisdiction of municipal corporation/council. However, land-holder will have to obtain permission from competent authority (municipal corporation/council) concerned for development of the said land as per the use in DP. Within 30 days of getting such permission, the land-holder will have to furnish the information in this regard to Revenue Department. T

* Maharashtra Government proposes ‘compulsory checking’ of students/personnel leaving laboratories where acid is used or stored By Kartik Lokhande Taking a serious cognisance of a number of acid attacks in the State, Maharashtra Government has decided to place acid in the category of ‘poison’ and has prepared a draft of amendments proposed to 42-years-old Maharashtra Poison Rules. As per the draft, there will be no sale of acid or anything categorised as ‘poison’ without photo identity proof. Besides, it is proposed to make ‘compulsory checking’ of students/personnel leaving the laboratories or places where acid is used or stored. It is proposed that acid or any poison will not be dispensed except by a qualified person holding degree in Chemistry or diploma in Chemical Technology, or a person with HSC in Science and having practical experience of at least four years in dispensing chemicals or poisonous substances. This will make it mandatory for those in sale/dispensi

By Kartik Lokhande  If one thought that e-governance is the ‘in’ thing, one may be proved wrong by faster introduction of technology in governance. Maharashtra Government has decided to take a step further and switch over to ‘mobile governance’ or ‘m-governance’. It has prepared a framework for ‘m-governance’ and has also asked various departments to develop and implement citizen-centric mobile phone applications. Rajesh Aggarwal, Principal Secretary (Information Technology), has issued a circular in this regard to all Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries of various departments, all Divisional Commissioners and all District Collectors, Chief Executive Officers of all Zilla Parishads, Municipal Commissioners, and the authorities of National Informatics Centre and MahaOnline in this regard. In the letter dated July 2, 2014, Aggarwal has stated that the State Government has decided to deliver citizen-centric services through mobile devices. T

* Feels that it would be appropriate if project report to curb river pollution is prepared through NIT * A note prepared by ZP counters the perception that domestic sewage from six villages was polluting Nag, Wena rivers; and claims that discharge of untreated industrial effluent from MIDC area was responsible for river pollution Staff Reporter Responding to the issue of pollution of rivers due to effluents discharged from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area and villages around the city, Zilla Parishad (ZP) undertook a study and site inspections. After the exercises, ZP has observed that rivers or nullahs were getting polluted not due to sewage discharge from villages in the vicinity of Nagpur city. The perception that portions of Nag and Wena rivers and various nullahs outside the limits of Nagpur city were getting polluted/contaminated due to sewage discharge from nearby villages, is ‘wrong’, states a note prepared by ZP. MIDC Industries Asociati

Mountaineering. The word itself arouses the feeling of thrill deep within. Mountaineering may be a common thing now, but several years ago, this was not the case. Lack of proper equipment, trekking gear, difficulties in carrying oxygen supplies, non-availability of exact maps and effective training discouraged many. Here is an inspiring tale of ‘Nagpur Mountaineers’, a group of those who believed in defying all odds of the time and scaling new heights... By Kartik Lokhande Adventure-lovers are never bogged down by challenges. In fact, they are raring to go wherever there are challenges. And, this is exactly what ‘Nagpur Mountaineers’ did years ago. Started in 1981, it was a pioneering group. Now, though the number of mountaineering expeditions has come down, the group still exists as that of mountaineering enthusiasts. “When we started as the group dedicated to mountaineering in 1981, it was a pioneering effort. Today, the activity has gained popularity and lot many op

By Kartik Lokhande Sikkim is known for its beautiful landscapes, flowers,lakes, snow-clad mountains. But, of late, it is also acquiring the reputation of being one of the fastest emerging states in the area of religious tourism. Apart from Buddhist tourist centres, there are new centres like Siddheshwar Dham at Solophok that are attracting tourists from all over the country. Of course, many more sites are still under development. Here are glimpses of some major religious and spiritual sites: Pics by Kartik Lokhande Rumtek Rumtek’s main attraction is its Tibetan Buddhist monastery, which has been designated as an important ‘Dharma Chakra Centre’ – the International Headquarters of Karma Kagyu sect of Mahayana Buddhism, and the main seat of His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa in Exile. It is home to some of the most sacred, rare scriptures and religious objects. According to references available, the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje originally built it in the 16th century. But in

By Kartik Lokhande Usually, one imagines the hill-stations with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. But, if that hill-station is in the Himalayan mountain state of Sikkim, one should expect to enjoy the cloud-rises and cloud-sets apart from the picturesque inter-play of sunrays, blue sky visible through moving curtains of white-grey clouds, and the vegetation-covered and snow-capped mountains. Add to this the colourful monasteries, cheerful people, countless flower varieties, winding and zig-zag trail of Teesta river, and the State carves its place in the heart and mind of visitors as a superb holiday destination. Moody weather – clear sky and rainfall – just adds to the holiday sensibility. Mother Nature has showered her abundant blessings on the least populous and second-smallest state of India. Even if one spends one full month visiting various spots spread over only four districts, difficult and tiring journey to those through zig-zag and bumpy hill roads, leaves on

* However, remains non-committal on State Government’s efforts to provide relief to farmers Staff Reporter Anil Deshmukh, Food and Civil Supplies Minister of Maharashtra, accused the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre of evading responsibility over rise in prices of essential commodities. He also flayed the Central Government over ‘nominal’ increase in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for various crops.  “Central Government has the responsibility of reining in inflation, but it is evading its responsibility and passing the buck to the State Governments. Besides, as against 15-16 per cent rise in input cost of agriculture in last year, Centre has increased MSP for various crops by only 1-2 per cent,” said Deshmukh. He was addressing a press conference at Tilak Patrakar Bhavan here on Wednesday evening. However, when asked about the Congress-NCP led Maharashtra Government’s efforts to provide relief to farmers and citizens, he said, “I have urged the Chief Minister to mov

Ten years ago, Orkut was a rage. I, too, had created a profile on what was the 'in thing' that time. Of course, due to time constraints, I was not so frequent a visitor. Still, when the news came that Orkut was closing down, I felt like I was losing something. The sense of loss was more intense when I received a mail titled 'A Farewell to Orkut'. Here is the text of that mail, as it is:   After ten years of sparking conversations and forging connections, we have decided it's time for us to start saying goodbye to Orkut . Over the past decade, YouTube, Blogger and Google+ have taken off, with communities springing up in every corner of the world. Because the growth of these communities has outpaced Orkut's growth, we've decided to focus our energy and resources on making these other social platforms as amazing as possible for everyone who uses them. We will shut down Orkut on September 30, 2014 . Until then, there will be no impact on y

* Revenue and Police department staffers to keep round-the-clock vigil at six ghats where illegal excavation and transport of sand is suspected * Externment action to be initiated against habitual offenders Staff Reporter Cracking the whip against sand mafia involved in illegal excavation and transportation of sand from ghats in Nagpur district, the administrations of Revenue Department and Police Department have decided to deploy staffers from both the departments to keep round-the-clock vigil on at least six ghats. Taking serious cognisance of the attack on IPS probationary officer Gaurav Singh by sand mafia near Nayakund village a few days ago, District Magistrate Abhishek Krishna convened a meeting of senior officers of Revenue Department and Police Department on Tuesday. Superintendent of Police (Nagpur Rural) Dr Aarti Singh, Sub-Divisional Police Officers, Sub-Divisional Officers of Saoner, Ramtek, and Mouda were present prominently. After the meeting, District M

Interview * Seeks quizzing of former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the matter By Kartik Lokhande  Dr Subramanian Swamy, senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and noted lawyer, gave a new twist to the controversy over death of former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda Pushkar. Swamy said that Sunanda was ‘killed professionally’ to silence her from revealing ‘shocking’ things about ‘Oil for Food’ scam. Dr Subramanian Swamy (Pic by Satish Raut) Swamy was talking to ‘The Hitavada’ during his visit to the city on Saturday afternoon. Already, he has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking institution of a probe through Special Investigation Team (SIT) into Sunanda’s death. “Even the changed autopsy report of AIIMS says that Sunanda’s death was unnatural. Professional killers finished her in order to stop her from making revelations about involvement of money earned from ‘Oil for Food’ scam being pumped into Indian Premier L

  * Such raise in number of seats to be effective for academic session of 2014-15 only, and the Government will not grant any aid for such additional seats By Kartik Lokhande  Taking cognisance of the widespread demand, Higher and Technical Education Department has allowed the non-agricultural universities in Maharashtra to increase number of seats ‘as per requirement’ so that all the students who have passed HSC examination are accommodated in colleges for higher education. While allowing the varsities to increase seats, Higher and Technical Education Department has stated that this raise will be effective for the academic session of 2014-15 only. Besides, the department has made it clear that the Government will not grant any aid for such additional seats. N B Marale, Deputy Secretary, Higher and Technical Education Department, issued a letter in this regard to all the Vice-Chancellors of non-agricultural universities in the State, on Thursday. With the improveme

* Union Minister for Road Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari announces plans to focus on inland waterways development for goods and passenger transport * Emphasis to be laid on constructing concrete roads, Amravati-Surat highway to be a concrete road By Kartik Lokhande  A few Indians know that there is an independent authority called Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. Soon, it will be known to all. For, it is all set to get a boost. Union Minister for Road Transport and Shipping Nitin Gadkari, on Sunday, unveiled that the plans were afoot to give a boost to inland waterways development in the country. Shedding light on the proposed project, under Ministry of Shipping, Gadkari said that the Central Government was preparing a massive Rs 8,000 crore plan pertaining to ‘water and transport’. “As it comes under my ministry, I am working on developing water ports/terminals and intro

* Eminent nuclear scientist and former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Anil Kakodkar stresses on identifying new sites for nuclear power projects By Kartik Lokhande Now that Russia has agreed upon India’s nuclear liability law, the issue of nuclear liabilities has occupied centre-stage once again. Against this backdrop, eminent nuclear scientist Padma Vibhushan Dr Anil Kakodkar felt that the Government needed to have better clarity on various clauses of nuclear liability law. Talking to reporters on Sunday, the former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission said that the pacts with nations like United States, France should go to finality now that Russia had given its nod. At the same time, the Central Government should take decisions to bring better clarity in nuclear liability law. Elaborating on these points, Dr Kakodkar said, “Concerns over civil nuclear liability regime affecting the domestic as well as foreign companies, exact nature of liabilities, measures

  Interview By Kartik Lokhande India is working on and making a good progress in developing ‘futuristic soldier’ who will be a system in himself. Once the high-profile ‘Futuristic Infantry Soldier as a System’ (F-INSAS) becomes a reality, which is likely to be pretty soon, India will join the club of a few nations including France, Germany, Britain, and the United States that have got the ‘futuristic soldier’ systems. “Defence Research and Development Organisation has been working on it and a good progress has been made on various components. Many laboratories are actively engaged in the project,” said Dr V K Saraswat, former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Secretary of Department of Defence (R&D). Dr Saraswat, who is said to be front-runner for the post of Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister, was talking to ‘The Hitavada’ during his visit to the city on Saturday to grace the first national convention of

* Celebrated scientist and former chief of ISRO Dr G Madhavan Nair says that human colonies on Mars are possible if appropriate technologies are developed By Kartik Lokhande NAGPUR, June 27: Former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr G Madhavan Nair, on Saturday, said that India had ‘missed out’ several opportunities previously and scientific development in the country got affected due to ‘policy paralysis’ in the past five years. Interacting with a select group of journalists on the sidelines of first national convention of Vijnana Bharti at Persistent Auditorium here, Dr G Madhavan Nair said that India had prepared various excellent plans. “The Plan-2020 was generated long back. However, not much could be done because of policy paralysis. This needs to be corrected to make India gain her deserving place in the world in space research and development,” he said. The statement of former chief of ISRO and an internationally acclaimed scientist, i

  PUBLIC INTEREST Staff Reporter Nagpur is growing but the city’s public transport has become a victim of the blame-game being played by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Starbus service operator Vansh Nimay Infraprojects Limited (VNIL). Though many buses are off-the-road, NMC is shying away from initiating some action. On the other hand, the operator has been demanding reimbursement of concession granted to students from NMC, which is trying in vain to get the amount reimbursed from the State Government. Under the Centrally-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), NMC received 240 low-floored buses (popularly known after its brand name Starbus) in the year 2010. Prior to that in 2007-08, NMC entered into an agreement with VNIL to run the city bus service. Then, VNIL procured 230 buses and brought those into operation. In the year 2010, NMC received a total of 240 buses including 60 buses in the month of April, 34 in August, 33 in Se