Monday, March 31, 2014
Article Published in Maharashtra Times
Friday, February 7, 2014
Article in LOKSATTA - PRAKASHAN of my 1st KAVYASANGRAHA " AAJCHI SATYAGEETE "
Small article published in Thane Vrutant of LOKSATTA dt. 8th Feb. 2014 about PRAKASHAN of my 1st KAVYASANGRAHA " AaJCHI SATYAGEETE " ठाणे वृत्तान्त “आजची सत्यगीतं” प्रकाशीत आपले स्वातंत्र्य सीमेवर लढणाऱ्या सैन्यामुळे अबाधीत आहे. प्रत्येक भारतीयाने त्याची जाणीव ठेवणे आवश्यक आहे, असे प्रतिपादन 'लक्ष्य' फाऊंडेशनच्या अनुराधा प्रभुदेसाई यांनी रविवारी ठाण्यात केले. सामाजिक कार्यकर्ते सत्यजीत शहा यांच्या 'आजची सत्यगीतं' या काव्यसंग्रहाच्या प्रकाशनानिमित्त आयोजित समारंभात त्या बोलत होत्या. ज्येष्ठ कवी अशोक बागवे, माजी आमदार संजय केळकर, ज्येष्ठ पत्रकार जयश्री खाडिलकर-पांडे, मिलिंद बल्लाळ, प्रा. प्रदीप ढवळ यावेळी उपस्थित होते. ठाण्यातील प्रदुषण, वाहतूक कोंडी, भटके कुत्रे आदी समस्यांवर सातत्याने आवाज उठविणाऱ्या सत्यजीत शहा यांच्या या पहिल्याच संग्रहातील कवितांमध्ये वास्तव परिस्थितीचे चित्रण आहे. शारदा प्रकाशनने प्रकाशीत केलेल्या या काव्य संग्रहाची पहिली आवृत्ती संपेल, हे गृहीत धरून त्यातील दहा टक्के उत्पन्न सत्यजीत शहा यांनी विद्यादान सहाय्यक मंडळास दिले. निधीचा धनादेश समारंभातच संस्थेचे भाऊ नानिवडेकर यांच्याकडे सुपूर्द करण्यात आला.
Copies of " AJCHI SATYAGEETE " are available at MAJESTIC BOOK STALL - Ram Maruti Rd., Thane & Near Shivaji Mandir - Dadar
Copies of " AJCHI SATYAGEETE " are available at MAJESTIC BOOK STALL - Ram Maruti Rd., Thane & Near Shivaji Mandir - Dadar
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Kopri bridge expansion in sight - NEWS ARTICLE IN DNA
Kopri bridge expansion in sight New design of the project, an 8-lane road, is now ready with the Public Works Department (PWD) Padmja Sinha @PADMJA Thane: The issue of Kopri bridge expansion has been shrouded in doubt for a decade now and, despite fervent attempts, the issue remains unresolved. However, a breakthrough now seems possible. The new design of the project, an 8-lane road, is now ready with the PWD (Public Works department) and will be shortly forwarded to the Central Railway for approval. Residents had, in the past, even carried out a signature campaign, as reported by dna. As many as 1,179 people supported the cause then. Over the years, there has been considerable increase in vehicular traffic in the city, but the Kopri bridge remained a 2X2-lane road. The bridge is an important link between Thane and Mumbai for motorists and most use this stretch to go towards Mumbai, causing heavy traffic during peak hours. Both, the Railways and the PWD have been passing the buck since 2003, and the delay resulted in escalated project costs — from Rs9 crore to Rs50 crore. Activist Satyajit Shah, a resident Nilesh Ambekar and MLC Sanjay Kelkar have been actively following the project, and the signature campaign initiated by the residents has resulted in the impressive progress. Regulars on the Kopri bridge inform that it takes more than 10-15 minutes to cross a patch of 250 metre and it is very insensitive on the part of the officials to not consider this a big problem. Muninder Suvid, a regular commuter, informs, “It is high time that the offiicals acknowledged the problem. Now that the design is ready, we hope the Railways act wisely and issues necessary permissions and blocks to initiate the work and complete it on time, lest the budget shoots up further.” Ramesh Agwane, executive engineer, PWD informs, “The 8-lane expansion design is ready with us. Once it is approved, we hope to start the work within a month, without any further delay. Agwane adds, “I will try my best to complete the work on time. Railway officials have also assured help.” Central Railway PRO AK Singh informs, “Now that the expansion design is ready, we will ensure that it is approved. Once the approval is granted, work will commence without much delay.” Published Date: Jan 23, 2014
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| Shri. Sanjay Kelkar Explaining the issue |
Monday, December 9, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
When will the Kopri bridge project start? Kopri bridge-widening has not taken off even after 10 years Padmja Sinha @PADMJA Published Date: Dec 07, 2013 Thane: Thane is growing fast with several changes taking place, especially on the infrastructural side. Recently, the Kapurbawdi flyover was inaugurated to ease the city’s traffic, but the residents still worry about the Kopri bridge-widening project, which has not taken off even after 10 years. In the past few years, there has been substantial increase in the vehicular traffic, but Kopri bridge is still a 2x2 lane road. This bridge is important as it links Thane to Mumbai and most motorists use it, resulting in heavy traffic. In order to speed up the project, a signature campaign was conducted. The initiative was backed by former MLC Sanjay Kelkar, activist Satyajit Shah and active resident Nilesh Ambekar. Interestingly, 1,179 people supported the cause and signed for speedy work. Expansion of Kopri bridge has been an old issue which has been stuck between the railways and public works department. Both are passing the buck even as residents continue to suffer. In 2003, a budget of Rs9 crore was sanctioned for the expansion, but thanks to the delay due to lack of co-ordination between the two departments, the cost has escalated to Rs50 crore. Commuters say the two lanes going towards Mumbai and the other two lanes for coming to Thane cannot handle the increasing number of vehicles. Executive engineer of PWD Ramesh Agwane’s visit has yielded little. On the progress, Agwane said, “We have been instructed to submit a fresh design for the bridge to our department, for approval. A proposal will be sent to the railways asking for mega blocks to start the work.” He added, “Work will start soon.” The railway officials did not say anything as PWD has to approve the design.
Stray Dogs MENACE in Thane -
• 8 Dec 2013 • Hindustan Times (Mumbai) • shashikant.kothekar@hindustantimes.com Stray trouble dogs residents, TMC The civic body has not sterilised or vaccinated stray dogs for the last six months, causing fear of rabies infection Shashikant Kothekar THANE: For the last few months, residents of some areas in Thane have been walking the streets in fear – not of robbers and thieves, but of the many stray dogs that have been lying there unattended by the civic body. Over the last six months, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has not sterlised a single stray dog in the city. In the six months before that, between November 2012 and April this year, the TMC had sterilised on 2,333 dogs. This was revealed through an RTI plea filed by activist Satyajit Shaha regarding the TMC’s sterilization programme. This is because the TMC has not floated a fresh tender for the job. The previous tender lapsed in April. Apart from sterilizing them, the TMC also needs to vaccinate them for rabies and other illnesses. The TMC also has no plan in place to rescue stray dogs and accommodate them in shelters. But with no action on the TMC’s part, residents claim that the number of stray dogs in their area has increased exponentially. Residents said they avoid walking alone in the early mornings or late at night, and don’t let their children out alone. Some of these dogs, they said, are ill and extremely aggressive, leading to concerns that they may have rabies. The civic body’s apathy is risking the lives of dogs as well as citizens. An official from the TMC health department said that on an average, they receive seven to 10 calls reporting dog bites in a day. “When we get a call, we send a team to the area and catch the dogs. We vaccinate them and release them back in the area. Many times, we have to keep a watch of them for rabies,” said an official from the TMC health department who did not wish to be named. Residents are also concerned about the risk of contracting rabies. There are only twothree anti-rabies vaccines in the market, and each vaccine costs Rs400. A single dog bite can result is medical expenses of more than Rs2,000 said Dr Uday Kulkarni, who recently filed a PIL in the Bombay high court demanding shelter homes for stray dogs. While t he TMC puts t he number of stray dogs in Thane at 5,000, activists say it is close to 45,000. When HT spoke to TMC officials, they said the process of tendering would begin soon. “We couldn’t do it for the previous six months owing to shortage of time,” said an TMC official.
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