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Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
PMC maps vector-borne disease hotspots for target spraying
Pune: Stepping up its fight towards vector-borne diseases, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) this monsoon has decided to conduct a focused drive and mapped vector disease outbreak-prone areas from past three years. Based on the data, a micro-level plan for insecticide spraying and fumigation has been prepared, said officials on Friday. PMC this monsoon has decided to conduct a focused drive and mapped vector disease outbreak-prone areas from past three years for micro-level insecticide spraying and fumigation. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION)) Last year, Pune city reported 5,340 cases of dengue, 485 of chikungunya, 109 of zika virus, and 21 cases of malaria. The civic health department is working in coordination with the state irrigation department, cantonment boards, civic environment department to control the spread of water hyacinth to check mosquito breeding grounds. Dr Rajesh Dighe, assistant health officer, PMC, said the civic body has conducted rallies, poster campaigns, and distributed pamphlets to raise public awareness. 'PMC has identified 33,474 permanent and 37,874 temporary breeding spots,' he said. According to PMC officials, during the container surveys, the civic body this year has issued notices to 814 individuals and establishments found responsible for mosquito breeding and ₹ 96,300 fine was collected. Accredited social health activists (ASHAs) will be provided with blood sample collection kits for early malaria detection. MJ Pradeep Chandran, additional municipal commissioner, PMC has directed all departments to support the health department's efforts during the monsoon. Dengue testing capped at ₹ 600 PMC has issued orders to private hospitals and laboratories not to charge more than ₹ 600 for NS1 ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and MAC ELISA tests used for confirming dengue. The order affirms Maharashtra government's resolution issued in 2016, putting a blanket cap of ₹ 600 for the tests. They have been instructed to alert suspected and confirmed cases to PMC.
Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Covid situation in control, no need to panic: PMC
Despite a noticeable uptick in the number of Covid-19 cases recently, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials claim that the situation in the city is under control and there is no need to panic. Civic officials said that existing Covid management protocols will continue to be followed. On Monday, the PMC held a review meeting to assess the Covid-19 situation in the city. The meeting was chaired by additional municipal commissioner M J Pradeep Chandran, and attended by representatives from the PMC health department, public health officials, and the Rapid Response Task Force. Experts from key institutions such as the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), National Institute of Virology (NIV), B J Medical College (BJMC), and private hospitals also attended the meeting, according to officials. The RRT members said that the current virus strain in circulation is mild and no deaths have been reported in the city. The PMC till date has sent 145 Covid samples for genome sequencing and no new variant has been found. Besides, patients hospitalised with influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) will be tested for Covid. Dr Nina Borade, health chief of the PMC, said, 'The Covid situation in the city is under control and the situation is not alarming. However, experts have stressed that individuals in high-risk categories, with existing co-morbid conditions should take precautions. We have asked all private hospitals to test SARI and ILI patients for Covid.' As per the statement issued by the public health department, Maharashtra on Monday reported 65 fresh Covid cases with 26 from areas under the PMC, 22 from Mumbai, and two from areas under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Since January, 1,504 Covid cases and 18 deaths amongst the infected have been reported. Furthermore, there are 613 active Covid-19 cases in the state. Since January, Mumbai has reported 687 cases, 681 of which were reported in May alone, said Dr Babita Kamlapurkar, joint director of health services. Dr Kamlapurkar said that instructions have been issued to all officers in the divisional, district, and municipal corporations across the state during the Covid-19 review meeting. 'Surveillance for ILI and SARI patients is being conducted regularly, with 5% of these patients being asked to undergo testing for Covid-19. All Covid-positive samples are sent for whole genome sequencing. Additionally, all healthcare facilities under the public health department, medical colleges within the medical education department, and hospitals and medical colleges in urban areas are directed to be prepared for Covid-19 testing and treatment,' she said.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Water bills soon for residential property owners in PMC limits
Pune: Property owners in PMC limits may soon receive water bills based on their consumption as the civic body proposes to start distribution of the bills on a pilot basis. The civic administration has finalised the areas for the pilot initiative where works for the have been completed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The remaining areas would be chosen based on response to the first phase. MJ Pradeep Chandran, the additional commissioner of (PMC), said, "A new proposal for better implementation of water metering services has been drafted. It will be implemented after due approvals." PMC officials said water supply zones in the city where over 90% of water meters have been installed would be selected for the pilot project. A PMC official said 141 such zones had been finalised under the project, with around 80 zones having more than 90% water meters. Currently, only commercial properties with meters are charged bills based on monthly usage. Residential properties receive a one-time water charge in property tax bills. The new proposal being finalised would include residential properties in the metered water supply system. Citizens said that though they welcome the decision to install water meters, the system should be implemented properly. "The administration should ensure equal treatment for people from societies, big taxpayers, and slums as far as collection of tax is concerned. The experience is not good as far as property tax is concerned. Common citizens are made to pay tax, but defaulters are allowed to benefit from amnesty schemes," said Shantanu Inamdar, a Kothrud resident. Ashwini Pathak of Bavdhan said that the administration should ensure that citizens receive adequate water. "Many housing societies depend on tankers as enough water is not available to them. If the administration is going to charge for water from property owners, they must get enough water and not rely on tankers," she said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to activists, the administration must also assure good quality water supply with adequate pressure. "The administration had announced that it will provide 24x7 water supply while implementing the metered system. But it is not talking about its assurances and forcing people to install meters and charge them accordingly. The administration is sending a wrong message by threatening those with legal water connections," said Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch. PMC officials said that the pilot project's data showed that water consumption is more than normal. The usage is nearly three times more in some cases. The need for metered water supply has been emphasised because of undue use of water. As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd) has been suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply. For rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55 lpcd has been fixed under Jal Jeevan Mission, which may be enhanced to a higher level by states. Last week, PMC had told property owners to cooperate in installation of meters, stating that "their water connections will be snapped without any prior notice" if they don't cooperate. Water meters are being installed for 24/7 water supply project. The installation of meters has faced obstacles due to various reasons, including opposition from locals. A shortage of chips also impacted production of water meters. Civic records showed that water meter installations began eight years ago, and over 70% of the target has been met. Around 1.8 lakh water meters have been installed so far. Pune: Property owners in PMC limits may soon receive water bills based on their consumption as the civic body proposes to start distribution of the bills on a pilot basis. The civic administration has finalised the areas for the pilot initiative where works for the 24x7 water supply project have been completed. The remaining areas would be chosen based on response to the first phase. MJ Pradeep Chandran, the additional commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, "A new proposal for better implementation of water metering services has been drafted. It will be implemented after due approvals." PMC officials said water supply zones in the city where over 90% of water meters have been installed would be selected for the pilot project. A PMC official said 141 such zones had been finalised under the project, with around 80 zones having more than 90% water meters. Currently, only commercial properties with meters are charged bills based on monthly usage. Residential properties receive a one-time water charge in property tax bills. The new proposal being finalised would include residential properties in the metered water supply system. Citizens said that though they welcome the decision to install water meters, the system should be implemented properly. "The administration should ensure equal treatment for people from societies, big taxpayers, and slums as far as collection of tax is concerned. The experience is not good as far as property tax is concerned. Common citizens are made to pay tax, but defaulters are allowed to benefit from amnesty schemes," said Shantanu Inamdar, a Kothrud resident. Ashwini Pathak of Bavdhan said that the administration should ensure that citizens receive adequate water. "Many housing societies depend on tankers as enough water is not available to them. If the administration is going to charge for water from property owners, they must get enough water and not rely on tankers," she said. According to activists, the administration must also assure good quality water supply with adequate pressure. "The administration had announced that it will provide 24x7 water supply while implementing the metered system. But it is not talking about its assurances and forcing people to install meters and charge them accordingly. The administration is sending a wrong message by threatening those with legal water connections," said Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch. PMC officials said that the pilot project's data showed that water consumption is more than normal. The usage is nearly three times more in some cases. The need for metered water supply has been emphasised because of undue use of water. As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd) has been suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply. For rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55 lpcd has been fixed under Jal Jeevan Mission, which may be enhanced to a higher level by states. Last week, PMC had told property owners to cooperate in installation of meters, stating that "their water connections will be snapped without any prior notice" if they don't cooperate. Water meters are being installed for 24/7 water supply project. The installation of meters has faced obstacles due to various reasons, including opposition from locals. A shortage of chips also impacted production of water meters. Civic records showed that water meter installations began eight years ago, and over 70% of the target has been met. Around 1.8 lakh water meters have been installed so far.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Water bills soon for houseowners in areas with 24x7 supply
Pune: Property owners in PMC limits may soon receive water bills based on their consumption as the civic body proposes to start distribution of the bills on a pilot basis. The civic administration has finalised the areas for the pilot initiative where works for the 24x7 water supply project have been completed. The remaining areas would be chosen based on response to the first phase. MJ Pradeep Chandran, the additional commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), said, "A new proposal for better implementation of water metering services has been drafted. It will be implemented after due approvals." PMC officials said water supply zones in the city where over 90% of water meters have been installed would be selected for the pilot project. A PMC official said 141 such zones had been finalised under the project, with around 80 zones having more than 90% water meters. Currently, only commercial properties with meters are charged bills based on monthly usage. Residential properties receive a one-time water charge in property tax bills. The new proposal being finalised would include residential properties in the metered water supply system. Citizens said that though they welcome the decision to install water meters, the system should be implemented properly. "The administration should ensure equal treatment for people from societies, big taxpayers, and slums as far as collection of tax is concerned. The experience is not good as far as property tax is concerned. Common citizens are made to pay tax, but defaulters are allowed to benefit from amnesty schemes," said Shantanu Inamdar, a Kothrud resident. Ashwini Pathak of Bavdhan said that the administration should ensure that citizens receive adequate water. "Many housing societies depend on tankers as enough water is not available to them. If the administration is going to charge for water from property owners, they must get enough water and not rely on tankers," she said. According to activists, the administration must also assure good quality water supply with adequate pressure. "The administration had announced that it will provide 24x7 water supply while implementing the metered system. But it is not talking about its assurances and forcing people to install meters and charge them accordingly. The administration is sending a wrong message by threatening those with legal water connections," said Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch. PMC officials said that the pilot project's data showed that water consumption is more than normal. The usage is nearly three times more in some cases. The need for metered water supply has been emphasised because of undue use of water. As per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, 135 litres per capita per day (lpcd) has been suggested as the benchmark for urban water supply. For rural areas, a minimum service delivery of 55 lpcd has been fixed under Jal Jeevan Mission, which may be enhanced to a higher level by states. Last week, PMC had told property owners to cooperate in installation of meters, stating that "their water connections will be snapped without any prior notice" if they don't cooperate. Water meters are being installed for 24/7 water supply project. The installation of meters has faced obstacles due to various reasons, including opposition from locals. A shortage of chips also impacted production of water meters. Civic records showed that water meter installations began eight years ago, and over 70% of the target has been met. Around 1.8 lakh water meters have been installed so far.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Time of India
PMC's ₹20 Crore E-Learning Project Stalls
The Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) ambitious e learning project, launched with great fanfare and a multi-crore investment, has come to a standstill. Additional Com missioner M J Pradeep Chandran confirmed the system is non-functional but admitted he is unaware of the reasons behind its failure— raising concerns over the administration's neglect of the initiative. In 2017, PMC introduced e-learning facilities in 265 schools, later expanding to 147 more institutions at a cost of ₹20.99 crore. The project included guidance sessions for students and subject-based learning modules, supported by a radio broadcast-inspired studio. However, with the e-learning system down, the studio and other infrastructure remain unused and collecting dust. According to a civic official, the collapse of the system is primarily due to the lack of internet connectivity. Reliance Jio had announced free internet services for municipal schools nationwide, prompting PMC to integrate Jio's network for e-learning programs. Initially, this enabled digital learning across 265 municipal schools, benefitting nearly one lakh students—mostly from economically weaker families. PMC's education board had pushed for better digital learning, adding e-learning to Vidya Niketan, English-medium schools, sports academies, and music institutes. Over seven to eight years, the corporation spent crores on interactive software tailored for different grades, with TV screens and computers installed in classrooms. While internet connectivity was first provided by BSNL, disruptions during the Covid lockdown affected operations. Yet, authorities failed to restore the system afterward, citing only internet issues as the reason behind its shutdown. Amid India's Digital India campaign, where every sector is embracing digital transformation, PMC's failure to keep its e-learning program running due to internet shortages has sparked public outrage in Pune. Meanwhile, BSNL has failed to provide reliable internet to PMC schools, and despite Reliance Jio's nationwide free internet scheme for municipal institutions, PMC has yet to acquire Jio's services. Citizens argue that the administration should have ensured connectivity, but official negligence has reduced the initiative to an abandoned project. Many now believe the ₹20.99 crore investment has gone to waste, leading to growing resentment among residents. PMC officials recently reviewed various civic departments, including municipal schools. Discussions were held on introducing special student initiatives this year, with officials confirming the e-learning system remains shut down. When asked why it failed, department heads could not provide answers. 'Even I am unaware of the reason, but we plan to restart the system in the upcoming academic year,' Additional Commissioner M J Pradeep Chandran stated.
