Extension of deadline to prepare Pune ward structure is an administrative decision: Ajit Pawar

PUNE After Pune municipal commissioner Vikram Kumar wrote a letter to the state election commission and requested an extension of 15 days to prepare the draft ward structure for the upcoming municipal election, the state election commission had extended the deadline to November 30.
Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister and Pune district guardian minister, who was in the city on Saturday, said, “By considering geographical areas, at some places they require more time. It is an administrative decision and the state government does not interfere in the process. Even elections for some municipal councils have already been announced.”
Opposition parties have alleged that the municipal administration is helping Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to delay the civic election.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ujwal Keskar and Suhas Joshi blamed the NCP and said, “As the current situation is in favour of BJP, NCP wants to delay the municipal elections.”
Inquiry in recruitment process
After 23 villages were merged in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits recently, there are allegations about excess recruitment in municipal corporations.
Pawar said,” There are complaints about excess recruitment in transition time. The administration will conduct inquiry and will take appropriate decision soon.”
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Don’t come in large numbers to Gyanvapi this Friday, masjid committee to devotees
The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, which manages the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, has asked devotees not to turn up at the mosque in large numbers for the Friday prayers but to offer prayers in their respective localities. The appeal was made ahead of the Friday prayers by the committee's joint secretary SM Yasin citing the May 16 court-ordered bar on accessing the wuzu khaana (ablution tank) where a 'Shivling' was ostensibly found.
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Calcutta HC orders Bengal admn to clear DA of govt employees within 3 months
The Calcutta high court on Friday ordered the Mamata Banerjee administration to clear the pending dearness allowance (DA) of West Bengal government employees within three months. According to estimates shared by state government employees associations, there are around one million government employees and pensioners who could benefit from the move. The high court order triggered a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the principal opposition party the Bharatiya Janata Party.
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Bengaluru cooler than hill stations; schools declare holidays as rains continue
Bengaluru was cooler (literally) than most hill stations in the country on Friday with a minimum temperature of just 20 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 24 degrees Celsius. Popular hill stations like Shimla and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh had temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius and 33.2 degrees Celsius. Weather forecasts suggest a full blown monsoon will arrive at the end of the month. But, for now, rains will likely reduce in intensity from Saturday.
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India-born Canadian MP Chandra Arya speaks in Kannada in Parliament, wins hearts
BENGALURU: A speech made in Kannada by the India-born Canadian member of Parliament has gone viral on social media, attracting huge attention and fueling the debate on the importance given to the native tongue. Chandra is on the board of Invest Ottawa Unity Non-Profit Housing Corporation Ottawa and was the Vice President of Ottawa Community Immigrants Services Organization. He added that in 2018, Kannadigas celebrated Kannada Rajyotsava in the same parliament.
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Teachers recruitment scam: CBI quizzes Bengal minister for second time
Central Bureau of Investigation sleuths on Friday questioned West Bengal minister of state for education Paresh Chandra Adhikary for the second time in two days in connection with his daughter Ankita's alleged illegal recruitment in a government school. Adhikary, who was questioned for nearly three hours on Thursday evening, reached the CBI office at Nizam Palace in Kolkata on Friday morning. His daughter, however, didn't turn up.