Kartik Lokhande's blog

By Kartik Lokhande A classic survives the tides of time, and storms of commercialisation. And, the latest Marathi movie ‘Katyar Kaljat Ghusli’ has proven this. Based on the musical drama of the same name, which is a milestone in Indian theatre, the movie has been made so finely that it also is set to become a milestone in Indian Cinema. Already, the movie has been showcased in International Film Festival, and is in the race for UNESCO’s coveted Fellini medal. Talking of commerce, this celluloid masterpiece with opulent sets and musical extravaganza has forced even the multiplexes to increase number of shows and days. In fact, in Nagpur, on Monday afternoon too, there was a long queue at a multiplex to buy tickets for the show of ‘Katyar Kaljat Ghusli’. This speaks of how well a quality cinema is received by audiences. The movie has a special connection with Nagpur. For, it is associated with two legends -- Purushottam Darwhekar aka ‘Master’, an acclaimed playwright-lyr...

* Consultation paper on ‘Tourism Policy-2016’ proposes to attract investments to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore * It is proposed that MTDC may develop Vidarbha as special tourism zone Staff Reporter Maharashtra Government is gearing up to launch a new Tourism Policy next year, and has proposed a slew of measures to attract investments to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore and developing a strategy to create 10,00,000 jobs. A consultation paper released on Wednesday proposes various measures that may be beneficial for Nagpur and Vidarbha region. As per the consultation paper, status of special tourism districts is proposed for Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Sindhudurg. Under special focus to utilise rural landscape, Nagpur has been identified for its identity linked to Oranges. Nagpur and Vidarbha figure in the plans for development of Buddha Circuit under the initiative of religious, heritage, nature, culinary, education, Tiger eco-tourism, medical tourism etc. The Government has identi...

* Under the project submitted by NEERI, NHAI approves implementation on Jam-Hinganghat stretch of NH-7 Staff Reporter National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved a pilot project submitted by city-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) for undertaking scientific studies on designing green-belts along national highways. Interestingly, the pilot project is being implemented in Nagpur Division. The pilot project will be implemented on a 5-km stretch on NH-7 between Jam and Hinganghat at an estimated cost of  Rs 11.80 crore. Under the project, around 20,000 trees of scientifically chosen species are proposed to be planted on both sides of this stretch of National Highway-7 in multiple rows. For the purpose, various work activities have been delineated considering two major factors -- highway requirement and objectives, and plant characteristics to fit in the site requirement. The first factor of highway requirement and objectives c...

* November 2015 marks the culmination of birth centenary celebrations of Eknath Ranade, a son of Vidarbha who made it the cause of his life to realise the dream of Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari By Kartik Lokhande  It was 1962, a year that had stirred the atmosphere in the country owing to several factors including a war with China. In January 1963, India was to celebrate the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda. In down south, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, tension was in the air over Swami Vivekananda’s memorial. There were attempts by some to claim the Rock off the shores of Tamil Nadu where Vivekananda meditated. A firm leadership is required to navigate through little storms in the journey towards realisation of a goal. Eknath Ranade, a man born in village Timtala in Amravati district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, was destined to be that firm leader as far as Swami Vivekananda’s memorial at Kanyakumari. Born on November 19, 1914, Eknath Ranade was the ...

* These proposals involve those pertaining to transfer of land for Metro Rail project, 50 acre land for KKSU extension, 27.48 hectare land for NIPER etc Staff Reporter Since the new Government has taken over in the State, several new projects have been proposed in Nagpur district. These proposals require transfer and swapping of land. According to sources, over 30 proposals for transfer/swapping of land are awaiting nod at the level of State Government. These projects include ambitious Nagpur Metro Rail project, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), extension of Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University (KKSU), some part of Multimodal International Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) etc. Sources said that the proposals are at various stages of approval. The administrative machinery has completed formalities and even submitted compliances wherever required, and now the proposals are with the State Government. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Guardi...

Staff Reporter In a bid to curb the ‘undue expenditure’ incurred during winter session of State Legislature, General Administration Department (GAD) has asked various departments and Divisional Commissioner, District Collector at Nagpur to ensure that Government vehicles requisitioned for winter session do not go out of Nagpur even for official work. Winter session of State Legislature is commencing in Nagpur from December 7. Issuing a fresh set of instructions, the GAD has prescribed a limit of 80 km per day for each of the vehicles requisitioned for winter session. Even if a vehicle has to be taken out of Nagpur city limits, the respective user will have to submit justification and seek approval of Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur. These restrictions are being enforced as there were complaints during previous winter sessions that the official vehicles were being taken out of Nagpur city limits or being used for private purposes by ‘some’ office-bearers, officials, and employee...

By Kartik Lokhande  The Union Ministry of Power has floated a proposal to reduce debt burden of power distribution companies as well as reduce losses. Under the plan, the Ministry has suggested take-over of debts of power distribution companies (DISCOMs) by respective States. Through this, the Centre aims at ‘permanent resolution’ of DISCOM issues concerning debt. During a meeting of State Power Ministers held recently, this proposal was floated and discussed. Under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY), the Union Ministry of Power has made several suggestions including respective States taking over debts of DISCOMs, enabling quarterly tariff revision, increasing operational efficiency, lowering the cost of power, and laying emphasis on budgetary discipline. The quarterly revision of tariff has been suggested as the Union Ministry thinks that such periodic revision will be ‘easier to implement’ and that it will be ‘absorbed’ by consumers. In this regard, necessary...

By Kartik Lokhande Valour, Steadfastness, and Commitment. These three words form the motto of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), a specialised mountain force guarding the most arduous of the borders of India. And, after 53 years, the ITBP has lived up to this motto and has evolved in one of the best-trained force. Raised on October 24, 1962, ITBP with four Battalions in the wake of Chinese aggression, the force was given the task of guerilla warfare, frontier intelligence and security along the Indo-Tibetan border. Presently, ITBP Battalions are deployed on border guarding duties from Karakoram Pass (between Siachen Glacier and Aksai Chin) at an altitude of over 18,000 feet in Ladakh to Jachep La in Arunachal Pradesh, covering 3,488 KM of Indo-China border, manning Border Out Posts. As its personnel guard at these towering heights in extreme cold, they have earned the sobriquet of ‘the Himveers’. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister presenting colours to ITBP on June ...

By Kartik Lokhande  Gadchiroli Police, on the basis of credible intelligence inputs and increased patrolling, has been successful in eliminating as many as 52 Maoists in the past five years. This is the highest-ever casualty inflicted upon the Left Wing Extremists in Gadchiroli Police in a span of five years, ever since Naxalism was reported first in this easternmost district of Maharashtra. In the year 1980, first Naxalite activity was reported in Gadchiroli district. The first Naxalite casualty -- Peddi Shankar, Commander of Shirpur Dalam -- was reported in Maharashtra on November 2, 1980, in an encounter at Moyabinpeta in erstwhile Chandrapur district. In 1982, Gadchiroli was carved as a separate district out of Chandrapur district. In the next few years, the police machinery could not taste similar success against Left Wing Extremists, who were working to instigate tribals to take up arms. However, in 1986, the cops intensified patrolling and there were encounter...

* Maoists have killed nine Auxiliary Constables in Bijapur district, two in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, and two in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra this year By Kartik Lokhande  Fed up of violence unleashed by the Maoists, tribals were sometimes passing on information to cops in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra and adjoining districts of Bijapur and Sukma in neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh. As their information proved vital in some anti-Maoist operations, now the Maoists have started ‘targeted’ killings of tribal who have joined police or are assisting cops one way or the other. In Gadchiroli district of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Maoists recently abducted and killed Shankar Wadde (50) from village Mallempodur. The Maoists also killed Pidu Bange Pungati (50), Police Patil of village Ghotpadi, and later held a meeting at village Nelgonda to issue a threat to ‘people assisting cops’. Before killing Wadde, the Left Wing Extremists  took him to va...

* Committee entrusted with the task of finding out why number of candidates joining Government services is lesser in Nagpur, Amravati, Nashik, and Konkan divisions Staff Reporter Government of Maharashtra has constituted a cabinet sub-committee to look into representation to regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Rest of Maharashtra, in Government jobs in proportion to their population size. This is a positive step for Vidarbha considering that Vidarbha’s representation in civil services selection has been merely 9-12 per cent. Nagpur Pact, which came into force on September 28, 1953, had 11 provisions. Of these, one provision pertained to adequate representation to Vidarbha in jobs in Government establishments and public sector undertakings. The Point No 8 in the Nagpur Pact stated in clear terms, “In the matter of services under Government or Government-controlled enterprises -- of all grades -- recruitment will be in proportion to the population of the respective units....

By Kartik Lokhande Of late, the country is talking about a spate in the protests of the kind of returning of awards especially by writers. Some are referring to Dadri lynching incident, some to murder of acclaimed writer M M Kalburgi, and some to secondary political party like Shiv Sena’s diktat forcing cancellation of the concert of Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali in Mumbai. Of course, Dadri lynching must be condemned in the harshest words. Of course, Kalburgi’s murder must be denounced. Of course, political party must be criticised for issuing diktat against performance of a popular and eminent artist from Pakistan in India. However, at the same time, one must make an attempt to look into political overtones to the protests especially by artists, and that too, award-winning writers. It all became a talking point in electronic media and activist-media, especially after Nayantara Sahgal, daughter of Vijayalakshmi Pandit (who was sister of India’s first Prime Minist...

* NMC pulled up for ‘neither preparing nor publishing’ priority list pertaining to TDR in the years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 Staff Reporter Some time ago, allegations regarding irregularities in issue of Transferable Development Rights (TDRs) had rocked general body meetings of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). Now, an audit report has come as official indictment of NMC over these irregularities pertaining to lands in Mouza Borgaon. The specific instances are brought to fore in the audit report, which the Chief Accounts and Finance Officer (CAFO) of NMC received on August 5, 2014. In the audit report, the office of Assistant Director of Town Planning, NMC, has been pulled up for neither preparing nor publishing any priority list regarding issue of TDRs in the years 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13. However, TDRs were issued upon receipt of such application from owners of the lands that were reserved. This resulted into ‘undue advantage to land owners’ on account of benef...

Staff Reporter Strange are the ways of Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) in monitoring the execution of works in various layouts. The lack of proper planning and monitoring of execution of works on part of NIT in layouts in Mouza Dabha and Mouza Borgaon in 2011-12 has attracted strictures in a audit report. In the audit, NIT has been indicted also for ‘irregular’ payment of price escalation to contractor concerned. Under Phase-II of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), works of laying of water pipeline for west division in Mouza Dabha and Mouza Borgaon were awarded to a contractor. The works in Mouza Dabha were awarded at the contract amount of Rs 5,65,16,016 at 0.14 per cent below the estimated cost of Rs 5,65,95,249.75 with stipulated period of completion in 10 months from the date of issue of work order. Similarly, the works in Mouza Borgaon were awarded at the contract amount of Rs 3,23,56,970 at 0.12 per cent below the estimated cost of Rs 2,32,95...

* State Government expects to raise additional development fund of Rs 600 crore through the initiative Staff Reporter In accordance with the provisions of Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) and under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Act of 2015, Maharashtra Government will set up District Mineral Foundations in all districts with mining activities to use the funds for developmental activities. A decision in this regard was taken in a meeting held in Mumbai on Thursday. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, chaired the meeting while Prakash Mehta, Industries and Mining Minister’ Pravin Potey Patil, Minister of State; were present prominently. Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act or MMDR Act of 2015 mandates setting up of District Mineral Foundations in all districts in the country affected by mining-related operations. Accordingly, these will be set up in all districts of Maharashtra with mining activities.  Chief Minist...

* As many as 6,413 applications across the State, including 3,641 in Vidarbha region alone are now ‘ineligible’ By Kartik Lokhande In a major development, Directorate of Geology and Mining (DGM) has declared mining applications for 277 notified areas across Maharashtra as ‘ineligible’. While issuing a notification to this effect, the Directorate has stated that provisions under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment (MMDR) Act, 2015, prompted this action. These include a total of 6,413 applications for various notified areas across the State. More than half of this number -- 3,641 -- are for 131 areas in Vidarbha region alone. The notification issued by DGM, Government of Maharashtra, states that it had invited applications for mineral concession vide its various previously published notifications under Sections 11 (2) and 11 (4) of MMDR Act of 1957. However, it adds, the Central Government has promulgated MMDR Act, 2015, wherein Section 10 A (1) states...