Maharashtra News Archive: September 2005

Value of money taught at schools
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 | AY

Home science courses offered by colleges under the SNDT University, Mumbai, cover various aspects of finance management (income, budgeting, expenditure, savings, investments and taxation) at the junior college as well as degree levels. However, managing finance as a subject is rarely taught in schools or colleges, barring a few specialized post-school diploma/ degree courses that focus on finance. If the habit of using money rationally is inculcated at a young age, it will definitely help the children later in life.

Mumbai taxi drivers upset regarding the new make over
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 | AY

Mumbai's old era taxis are to be replaced with modern car models in an effort to emulate the highly efficient Singapore cab system, but the cabbies are not happy. They say that the Maharashtra government should help taxi drivers to upgrade their vehicles and infrastructure. Maharashtra is planning to have the city's entire fleet of 55,000 trademark yellow-and-black Premier Padmini taxis - which first made their presence in the country's financial capital in 1962 - replaced with a world class cab system.

Data recovery center in Mumbai by Unistal
Tuesday, September 27, 2005 | AY

Unistal Systems Pvt. Ltd., provider of data recovery products and services today announced the opening of its data recovery center in Mumbai, while it is also scouting for data recovery franchisees across the Western region. New data recovery center in Vile Parle (E), Mumbai will give us a chance to address computer users in the city directly with our cohesive solutions. Unistal's data care and data recovery products have become a popular name among the corporate as well as the SME and SOHO users.

Radio city makes their Mumbai station 24 Hrs live
Tuesday, September 27, 2005 | AY

Adding another feather of 'firsts' to its cap, Radio City 91 FM will be going live 24-hours from today. This initiative is a path breaking one, and is bound to create a record in the history of Indian Entertainment Industry and more specifically in the segment of private FM radio. The efforts put in by the station to execute such an immense plan of being live on-air for 24-hours calls for intensive detailing and planning. Listeners in Mumbai will get to hear their favorite RJs 24 hours live. This initiative of theirs was backed by another exclusive activity planned specially for Mumbai listeners.

Korean, Chinese electronics giants from Kolhapur
Monday, September 26, 2005 | AY

240-km from Pune in far away Kolhapur, a small factory called Indo Count Industries Ltd at MIDC’s Gokul Shirgaon complex, consisting of 300 workers, are rolling out products electronic products embossed with the Korean and Chinese firms’ brand. A decade-and-a-half after it began operations with a mere Rs 30 crore in investment and with 12,000 spindles as an export-oriented unit of cotton yarn, Indo Count today is also one of the largest original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the Korean and Chinese electronics giants.

A new technology to repair the city's roads
Monday, September 26, 2005 | AY

At last Pune Municipal Commissioner Nitin Kareer has promised that roads will be fixed in eight days beginning today. According to Kareer, 74 stretches of roads will be repaired by September 30 using conventional and alternative technology at a cost of at least Rs 2 cr. A patch of interlocking blocks, which can be used to fill potholes even during rains, has been laid as an experiment on a stretch of Ganeshkhind Road. They are also trying out cold bitumen mix on another road, but its cost is four to five times more than the hot mix.

Lymphoma coalition to spread awareness of cancer
Sunday, September 25, 2005 | AY

The Lymphoma Coalition, global network of lymphoma patients group, had joined forces with people suffering from lymphoma to observe the Worldwide Lymphoma Awareness Day which was on Sep 15. The lymphoma coalition estimates that approximately 350,000 new cases of lymphoma are diagnosed every year of which 27,000 are from India. Cancer registry societies report that lymphoma is the second leading cause of cancer among children in Mumbai. It is also the leading cause of cancer among men in New Delhi with an incidence rate of 8.11 percent.

A new imaging era in medicine
Sunday, September 25, 2005 | AY

General Electric Healthcare at the city's Jaslok Hospital introduced a CT scanner called 'Lightspeed Volume CT System' to detect heart attacks before any regular symptoms arise, on the eve of 'World Heart Day' tomorrow. First of its kind to be launched in India and South Asia, can non- invasively capture images of the heart and coronary arteries in fewer than five seconds. This system provides unprecedented image quality almost instantaneously, which will provide significant impact in cardiovascular medicine and trauma as well as significantly improve imaging in neurology, oncology and other fields.

New system of education on the way
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

The Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has proposed to allow Std XI and XII students to choose subjects from other streams. If accepted, the proposal will allow a student of science to choose to study economics or psychology. The board has also proposed to let students in English-medium schools choose Marathi and Hindi as their first language from Std V. Vijaysheela Sardesai, chairperson, Mumbai division said that the rules will have to be approved by the education department this year itself.

Mumbai welcomes music world
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

Music World plans to launch its first retail store in Mumbai by the year-end. Music World, the country's largest music & home video retailer, is part of the Rs 8,500 crore RPG group. The music industry size in India is estimated at Rs 700 crore, while the Mumbai music market is estimated at Rs 180 cr, of which Planet M has a share of Rs 25 cr, and Rhythm House, the largest standalone music store in the city has a share of Rs 8 cr. The rest of the market is serviced by small retailers.

Music of Bad Friend released
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

Venus Records and Tapes released the music of Sri Sowdamini Creations’ B.F.(Bad Friend) in Mumbai. The film is produced by K.V.V.Satyanaryana and directed by Aditya with Venugopal as co-producer. Aditya Om, Meghna Naidu and Shweta Menon star in the film and attended the launch along with music directors Nikhil-Vinay. Vinay makes his debut as singer in the film, a romantic thriller presented by S.Panduranga Rao.

Mumbai Cricket Association beat Punjab Cricket Club (PCC)
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

Fine spells by Hitshu Bachani (four for 36) and Abhisher Nair (three for 34) enabled Mumbai Cricket Association beat Punjab Cricket Club (PCC) by 28 runs in a league encounter of the 12th All India J P Atray Cricket Tournament at the PCA Cricket Stadium in Mohali. PCC won the toss and elected to field. On a green-top Punjab seamers Vineet Sharma, Amit Uniyal and VRV Singh did not allow their opponents to score freely. Mumbai Cricket Association were 60 for four at the half way mark. Off spinner Rajesh Sharma was main wrecker-in-chief as he accounted for 4 vital wickets.

Deccan Odyssey all set for journey
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

Maharashtra's only super luxury train, "The Deccan Odyssey", is all set to begin its week-long journey through the heart of the state in October. It will take the tourists through the erstwhile kingdom of the Marathas, namely Mumbai, Ganapatiphule, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Tarkali, Sawantwadi, Goa, Pune, Aurangabad, Ellora, Ajanta and Nasik. The Deccan Odyssey has been benchmarked along with the best luxury trains in the world, like the Blue Train of South Africa, The Orient Express of Europe and the Eastern and Oriental of South East Asia.

New tourism policies
Saturday, September 24, 2005 | AY

The recently appointed managing director, for Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (MTDC) Bhushan Gagrani, is hoping to float a completely new tourism policy with new plans and development programmes. They are looking towards privatisation of few of the popular MTDC resorts hence are looking for private participation especially from hospitality investors. The new tourism policy will have emphasis on eco-tourism, wherein the objective would be to promote the place as an eco-tourism region but keeping the natural habitat intact.

No movies to be made on Sonia's life
Wednesday, September 21, 2005 | AY

A city-based actor who described himself as "active Congress worker filed a petition in a court here in Mumbai against two proposed films on the life of Congress President Sonia Gandhi. In his petition, Naseem Khan has made the Maharashtra Government and the Centre as parties apart from the producers and directors of both the films. According to Khan, one film titled `Sonia' is being directed by Jagmohan Mundhra while another film, titled `Sonia Sonia' is being directed by TD Kumar, former Income Tax Commissioner of Mumbai.

Shiv Sena pays a fine of Rs 20 lakhs
Wednesday, September 21, 2005 | AY

On the Supreme Court directive, Shiv Sena today deposited exemplary damages of Rs 20 lakh for the loss suffered to Mumbai due to bandh called by them two years ago in July 2003 to protest against the Ghatkopar blast. The party, headed by Mr Bal Thackeray, was fined Rs 20 lakh by the Bombay High Court on June 22 this year on a PIL filed by NGO ‘Agni’, theatre personality, Alyque Padamsee and former municipal commissioner, B G Deshmukh, alleging that the city suffered a loss of Rs 50 lakh due to the bandh.

Janmat launcing a new show this oct
Tuesday, September 20, 2005 | AY

Sri Adhikari Brothers Television Network’s 24-hour current affairs and news channel, Janmat, is scheduled for an October launch this year. A unique reality ‘talent hunt’ show, which will attempt to find three news anchors from all over India. This yet-to-be-named show is different from the reality shows on other channels. The show will first filter candidates on the basis of their qualifications and qualities such as confidence, ability to interact with people, eloquence and journalism skills.

First national law school coming up
Tuesday, September 20, 2005 | AY

The Maharashtra government decided to commence a National Law School in the state, which will include retired judges and senior lawyers from the high court. The institution is likely to be established in the state's premier city Mumbai, with an aim to provide advanced facilities like video conferencing and computerisation in the court buildings at the taluka and district levels. The Maharashtra government, for the first time in its budget, has made a substantial financial provision of Rs 28 crore, for this project.

Mumbai port join hands with auto majors
Monday, September 19, 2005 | AY

The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) is going off the beaten track and is joining hands with automobile majors to set up a repair and refurbishing plant for second-hand cars and heavy earth moving equipment. The trust had invited expressions of interest for the use of land for a 30-year lease period for setting up state-of-the-art automobile service, repairs and refurbishing facilities for pre-owned cars and heavy earth moving equipment. The joint venture would repair and refurbish 600 cars in the initial year and take it up to 10,000 vehicles per year later.

Aditya Pancholi being interrogated by Police
Monday, September 19, 2005 | AY

Actor Aditya Pancholi was grilled for more than three hours by Unit III of the Mumbai crime branch. The police are investigating Panscholi’s involvement in the Tarannum-cricket betting saga. The actor was asked if he had ever seen bookie ‘DJ’ in Deepa Bar—where Tarannum was employed—and if he knew him personally. The police also made him verify his statements to the media—Panscholi had said that he had taken Sri Lankan cricketer Muthiah Muralitharan to Deepa Bar last year, but denied having introduced him to Tarannum.

Phase-2 of Ajanta and Ellora
Sunday, September 18, 2005 | AY

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is all set up for Phase-2 of conservation of the ancient Ajanta & Ellora monuments. It follows an extremely successful Phase-1 of restoration of the UNESCO World heritage site. Phase-2 emphasises on regional development by creating job opportunities and improving the infrastructure. MTDC also aims to improve water supply and the quality of roads at various destinations in and around Aurangabad. Phase-2 of the restoration will be completed in five years, and will generate additional employment in Aurangabad-Ajanta region.

Floods scenario worsens in Maharashtra
Sunday, September 18, 2005 | AY

Over the last four days, it's been raining incessantly in parts of western and central India and pockets of the region are reeling under floods triggered by heavy rains. About 10 medical teams from Nagpur have been sent to the flood-affected Bhandara and Gondia districts of Maharashtra. A team of 16 senior revenue officials was also despatched in order to assist the district administrations in rescue and relief operations. Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has announced a financial package for the region after touring flood-affected districts.

Nasscom official helps cops nail Tarannum
Saturday, September 17, 2005 | AY

The police got assistance from a senior technocrat (from NASSCOM) to book multi-millionaire bar-dancer Tarannum khan under sections of the Information Technology Act and make the case stronger. The section deals with persons involved in "destroying, deleting or altering information in a computer with an intention (or knowledge) of causing wrongful loss or damage to the public". The punishment is imprisonment upto three years or a fine upto Rs 2 lakh. Deputy police commissioner Dhananjay Kamlakar justified the application of the IT Act.

Abacus software founder expired
Saturday, September 17, 2005 | AY

Prashant H. Fadia, an Indian American entrepreneur, philanthropist and president and CEO of Abacus Software Group passed away in this US city. He was 52. Fadia, who died Thursday at a hospital, also pursued many philanthropic causes and made donations to hospitals and museums in the US and India in addition to his successful entrepreneurial ventures. Fadia was the founder of Burlington (Massachusetts) -based Abacus Software Group in the US and Sierra Systems in Mumbai, India. The offices of Sierra Systems in Mumbai won an architectural award and were used as an art gallery to promote local artists for free.

Ganapati immersion in Mumbai
Saturday, September 17, 2005 | AY

Cries of "Ganpati Bappa Morya" reverberated across Mumbai as millions bade goodbye to their favourite deity Ganesha by immersing his idols in the sea as the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival ended today. Neither the Supreme Court ban on the use of loudspeakers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. nor the devastating floods that hit the city late July could dampen the enthusiasm of the people for the immersion ceremony, which marks the culmination of one of the most colourful and popular festivals of Maharashtra.

Salman Khan innocent of threatening Rai
Saturday, September 17, 2005 | AY

Mumbai police after carrying out laboratory investigations of a tape in which Bollywood actor Salman Khan was supposedly heard threatening actress Aishwarya Rai with underworld retribution unless she performed a show, said the voice on the tape was not Khan’s. In the audio tape broadcast by television networks earlier this year, a man alleged to be Khan was heard threatening Rai, a former Miss World.
The man said she would face underworld retribution if she did not take part in stage shows sponsored by mafia don Abu Salem.

Mumbai ATC guides flight without radio
Thursday, September 15, 2005 | AY

An Goa-Mumbai flight landed at the Mumbai airport last week despite total radio communication failure (RCF). There were 46 passengers including two cabin crew on board the Air Deccan ATR-42 aircraft. On September 5, 2005, Flight DN 308 could not contact (ATC), Air Traffic Control on radio when it was some 40 nautical miles south-east of Mumbai. The aircraft indicated its RCF failure by squawking a particular code on the transponder. The ATC personnel who were keeping track of the aircraft on the radar, realised that it had a problem and frantically tried to contact all available frequencies.

Millionaire dance bar girl may be arrested soon
Thursday, September 15, 2005 | AY

Tarannum Khan, a millionaire former dance bar girl, allegedly involved in a match-fixing and betting racket, may be arrested by the city police soon to unearth her links with others in India and abroad. Tarannum was a dancer at the Deepa Bar in Mumbai's western suburb of Vile Parle till last month, when a state government order banned dance bars. Her alleged nexus with bookies and some cricketers came to light earlier this month after the income tax department raided her posh residence in the western suburb of Versova. The raid reportedly led to confiscation of assets worth Rs 20 million ($4.55 million).

Science centre at Pimpri
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 | AY

The ambitious multi-crore Regional Science Centre project at Pimpri, to be funded by the central government, is set to commence over the next three months. The Union ministry of cultural affairs has earmarked Rs 3.25 crore for the project, which is coming up on a 20-acre site, adjacent to the proposed auto-cluster site at Pimpri. The project would be a step ahead of Science City at Salt Lake in Kolkata. Innovation and creativity will be the theme and everything at the centre will revolve around these two aspects.

Austrian Air helped by Mumbai
Wednesday, September 14, 2005 | AY

Austrian Airlines Group is betting that a newly launched service to Mumbai, will help offset growing competition in its traditional stronghold in Europe. Austrian Airlines has been aiming to become the top central and eastern European carrier, but emerging markets such as India and China offer opportunities despite a comparatively small base. Austrian Air launched a five-times-a-week service to Mumbai on Sept. 1 and flies daily to New Delhi. It aims to add southern Indian destinations such as Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

ITGI eyes Rs 700 cr premium
Tuesday, September 13, 2005 | AY

Iffco Tokio General Insurance (ITGI) has targeted a premium income of Rs 700 crore for the current year 2005-06. The company reported premium revenues of Rs 501 crore last year, reflecting a growth of 53.7 per cent over 2003-04. Iffco Tokio had a market share of 2.88 per cent as on March 31, 2005. The company has reported 165 per cent growth in motor insurance as against last year. Of the company’s entire business, 7.5 per cent comes from the rural sector, as against a 5 per cent mandatory requirement. They will have to shell out about Rs 240 crore to settle claims arising from the recent Mumbai floods.

Students interested in Aeronautics
Tuesday, September 13, 2005 | AY

The auditorium at the Nehru Science Centre in Worli was packed with students who came from different parts of the country just to catch a glimpse of former cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma. The occasion was Aviation Day celebrations, jointly organised by the Mumbai branch of Aeronautical Society of India and Nehru Science Centre. Nearly 200 students from 45 schools participated in the annual event which commemorates the achievements of JRD Tata, the pioneer of Indian civil aviation.

Bhupathi's new strategy in Mumbai
Monday, September 12, 2005 | AY

After winning the 2005 US Open Mixed Doubles with Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, Mahesh Bhupathi is back in India to launch the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academies or the MBTA. Launched by his Sports and Artist Management Company, Globosport, Bhupathi hopes to spend as much time as his schedule permits in the various centers of his academy to motivate the children. The academy will have tennis coaching at three levels - beginners, advance and the elite for those who are interested in taking the sport as a career. While there will be no active talent scouts, he does plan to open some centers in smaller towns too.

Stringent processes remove toxic substances
Monday, September 12, 2005 | AY

The wide application of industrial solvents is creating strong demand for high-performance products that address health and environmental concerns. With the increasing awareness of safety issues, suppliers in China and India are ensuring the quality of their products by employing stringent production and testing procedures. The bulk of industrial solvents produced in the two countries is hydrocarbon-based. These solvents, therefore, are processed to eliminate or minimize toxic substances.

Big Bazaar
Sunday, September 11, 2005 | AY

Manjrekar had announced his plans to make a film with Sangeeta Ahir called "Big Bazaar," depicting the lives of the hapless mill workers in Mumbai. According to Sangeeta, "Big Bazaar" discusses the sorry plight of the mill workers, who disappeared from the scene when factories were closed down abruptly and the land sold for commercial purposes. No one has bothered to find out what happened to those families and how they are living. 'Big Bazaar' tells the tale of these families. She is planning to rope in two big stars for the film.

Actress Preeti Jain arrested in Mumbai
Sunday, September 11, 2005 | AY

Actress Preeti Jain has been arrested on the grounds of conspiring to murder, Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar. Police in Mumbai say she offered Rs 70,000 to Naresh Pardesi, to kill filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, which has been foiled. Pardesi is an aide to former underworld leader Arun Gawli. Gawli, who is now a member of the state assembly, admitted that the actress tried to meet him. The upcoming star, Jain, had taken Bhandarkar to court on a charge that he sexually harassed her over a period of three years.

First nation-wide newborn screening for genetic disorders
Saturday, September 10, 2005 | AY

The government will soon introduce the first nation-wide mass screening programme in newborns to detect “Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM),” a group of rare but potentially lethal genetic disorders. IEM, in which the body’s metabolism fails, is usually caused by defects in the enzymes involved in the biochemical pathways. The pilot study to be conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) will be executed by a task force comprising clinicians, paediatrcians, geneticists and lab scientists.

Rains hit Mumbai again
Saturday, September 10, 2005 | AY

Heavy rain lashed Mumbai on Friday once again inundating several areas and disrupting suburban and long distance rail traffic but there was no report of any destruction or damage from anywhere. There was not much damage to life or property, except a solitary incident of landslide at Antop Hill in north-central Mumbai that left four persons injured. Suburban and long-distance rail traffic was disrupted as the low-lying Sion-Matunga section of the central railway was inundated but the western railway services and the harbour line suburban service of central railway continued to ply normal.

Waheeda Rahman in the role of a grandmother
Friday, September 9, 2005 | AY

After ruling the hearts of millions for over a couple of decades, Waheeda Rehman is all set to hit the screen once again this October, when she will play the role of a vivacious grandmother in the movie 'Brides Wanted'. The movie marks her maiden performance as a grandmother on the silver screen. She will portray the character of a very lively and vibrant grandmother of her NRI grandson Anuuj Swaahney, helping him select a perfect matrimonial match.

LCC Infotech unites with Indian Explosives
Friday, September 9, 2005 | AY

Infotech education major, LCC Infotech Ltd said that it has tied up with Indian Explosives to provide customised Information Technology training to its staff members. This arrangement would enable Indian Explosives to enhance the utility of IT in their operations by technically upgrading manpower. The company has also tied up with the Indian Institute of Materials Management to provide high-end specialised training on core areas like e-Commerce to the students of the institutes. The training would be conducted at company's premises using latest infrastructure and cutting edge technology.

Bar dance girl ends her life
Friday, September 9, 2005 | AY

Yet another dance bar girl has taken an extreme measure of ending her life after a government ban led to the shut down of dance bars in Mumbai and rendered thousands of bar dancers jobless. Bilkis Sahu is the third dance bar girl who has commited suicide after the so called ban. But unlike the two other suicides by bar girls, this one has a different edge. Police say that Bilkis was being harassed by her husband for money. When she stopped dancing and the money ran out, the harassment got worse pushing her to suicide.

Taking pictures of idols washed banned
Friday, September 9, 2005 | AY

The Maharashtra government has decided to ban taking pictures of Ganesh idols that are washed ashore after immersion, stating that such pictures could hurt religious sentiments. The ban will be in effect till September 19 at all immersion places in Mumbai. Ganesh and Gauri idols are immersed in the sea at various places in Mumbai. Many a times these idols are washed ashore due to tides. The government decision has come in view of high tide expected during the immersion days of September 8, 11, 12, 13 and 17.

Govinda happy with his political image
Wednesday, September 7, 2005 | AY

There are reports of Bollywood actor Govinda resigning from his North seat for the Congress. Reports in newspapers have been saying for several days that Govinda might quit politics for now. However, the MP is "surprised and shocked" at these reports, and categorically dismisses them as mere rumours. The actor feels that his public statements about wanting to devote more time to Bollywood could have been a reason for sparking off these speculations. He also doesn't rule out the possibility that detractors could be taking advantage of his inexperience in politics.

Tourism department hopes to regain back
Wednesday, September 7, 2005 | AY

The unpredicted floods in Mumbai has hit the earnings of the tourism industry. Tourist inflow into India in August decelerated sharply to the year’s low of 6.9%, against a robust growth of 28.6% during the corresponding month last year. The earnings in dollar also slipped to 10.6%, against 40% in August 2004. Despite the reverses witnessed during July and August, tourism ministry officials are hopeful that arrivals would cross the magical 5-million mark during 2005.

Dheeraj Jadhav replaces Sachin
Tuesday, September 6, 2005 | AY

Maharashtra opener Dheeraj Jadhav said on Monday that filling in for Sachin Tendulkar was a huge ask, but he would try to make the best of the opportunity during the two-Test series versus Zimbabwe. Sachin Tendulkar will definitely be missed. But it is an opportunity for me and I’ll try to do to the best,” Jadhav said before departing for Harare. Jadhav was named as replacement for Tendulkar who was in the original Test squad but is still not fully fit.

LG's new plant at Pune
Tuesday, September 6, 2005 | AY

LG Electronics India is set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government to set up a Rs 550-crore facility at its Ranjangaon plant in Pune. Ranjangaon, one of the leading industrial zones of the state, also houses the country’s first GSM mobile handset manufacturing plant, which was set up by LG. The facility will start manufacturing color televisions, air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens and colour monitors by the end of ‘05. LG India is expected to contribute 10% of the total turnover of its parent by ‘10.

More flights to Mumbai with Air Arabia
Monday, September 5, 2005 | AY

Air Arabia LLC, the first and only low-fares airline in the Middle East and North Africa, has added 7 additional flights to Mumbai from 6th to 14th September, in response to ever-increasing customer demand.
The additional flights are daily from 6th to 11th September and also on 14th September departing from Sharjah at 23:50 to arrive in Mumbai at 04:10, departing Mumbai at 04:55 to arrive in Sharjah at 06:15 local time. Air Arabia's daily Mumbai flights remain as scheduled, departing from Sharjah at 16:40 and arriving at 21.00 local time, then departing Mumbai at 21:45 to arrive in Sharjah at 23:05 local time.

Clashes over temple led to arrest of 32 civilians
Monday, September 5, 2005 | AY

In a clash between two communities- a Scheduled Caste and a forward caste- at Belkhed village in Akola district of Maharashtra, six houses have been burnt causing injury to ten villagers. The incident happened nearly 60 kms from Akola in a place called Belkhed last evening where during celebration of the Pola festival, a fight broke out, as there was opposition to Dalits bringing their cattle to the temple. Pola is the festival where cattle are worshipped.The Marathas opposed the Dalits bringing their cattle to the temple.

Preity Zinta hosting breakfast shows in radio
Sunday, September 4, 2005 | AY

98.3 FM Radio Mirchi will have a new voice to woo its listeners from 5 September to 9 September. The Salaam Namaste heroine Preity Zinta will present the film's music, which is exclusively available on Radio Mirchi. The leading star of Salaam Namaste's will be a part of the Radio Mirchi team across all the six stations of the radio channel in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Indore, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Preity’s character in the film is that of an RJ on an Australian radio station (called Salaam Namaste).

Ban on loudspeakers-A relief for Mumbai
Sunday, September 4, 2005 | AY

Residents of Mumbai heaved a sigh of relief following the refusal of the Supreme Court to extend the blaring of loudspeakers beyond 10pm during the 10-day Ganesh festivals. The Maharashtra government had sought an exemption from a July order of the apex court, banning the playing of loudspeakers in public between 10pm and 6am. The federal government had imposed curbs on the use of loudspeakers in 2000, but two years later allowed state governments to relax the rules on 15 days a year.

LIC in for a major technology drive
Saturday, September 3, 2005 | AY

Life Insurance Corporation is in for a major technology drive and is slated to come up with a world-class data warehousing facility shortly. The data warehousing facility will be able to handle huge data of its over 16 crore policyholders. LIC has already initiated a major inter-connectivity drive by setting up Satellite Sampark centres that would facilitate payment of premium, stating of policy status and addressing other queries of policyholders. LIC has already been offering payment of premium through internet and ATMs of select banks like Corporation Bank, UTI Bank and Citibank (Mumbai).

Children scared of exams than earthquake
Saturday, September 3, 2005 | AY

Children in Mumbai took part in a study that revealed they are not very scared of earthquakes or fires, but the thought of failing leaves them weak in the knees. Life threatening conditions are child’s play for them as compared to getting poor grades or facing the principal. These findings were revealed in a study on fears and anxiety among schoolchildren by Dr Anuradha Sovani, clinical psychologist and reader, Department of Applied Psychology, Mumbai University.

Pune university links with Edusat
Friday, September 2, 2005 | AY

In two months time, the University of Pune will be linked with Edusat — the country’s first thematic satellite exclusively dedicated for educational services. Mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite-based distance education system for the country, it would help in the development of remote and rural locations. It is an audio-visual medium, employing Direct-To-Home (DTH) quality broadcast. The satellite has multiple regional beams covering different parts of the country.

Doctors demand of security granted
Friday, September 2, 2005 | AY

Resident doctors in J J hospital ends their strike after the third day on Thursday, over demand for security enhancement in hospitals, following alleged manhandling of doctors by the relatives of a patient recently. They withdrew their strike after getting an assurance from Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Minister of State for Medical Education Suresh Shetty to provide security within the hospital premises. J Hospital Dean Dr P H Shringare said the government has decided to provide 50 home guards for the hospital and also assured to provide five armed guards.

Cognizant in Mumbai
Thursday, September 1, 2005 | AY

Indian US software services firm Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, said on Wednesday it had opened a centre in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, at the Hiranandani IT Park and expects to employ 400 people there within a year. Mumbai is Cognizant's seventh location in India and the centre will be used mainly to service pharmaceutical and financial services industry customers. The company is expecting a turnover of over $870 million this calendar year - a 50 per cent growth over last year's turnover.

Azharuddin's life under threat
Thursday, September 1, 2005 | AY

Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin, is on the hitlist of the Mumbai underworld. Two people have been arrested in Maharashtra for allegedly making threatening calls to former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin but police here said they would not seek the duo's custody. Andhra Pradesh police chief Swaranjit Sen told a news conference that Azhar had been provided security on a report from the Maharashtra Police about a threat to his life. Reports from Aurangabad in Maharashtra said police had taken two people into custody for making threatening calls to Azhar.

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