According to government data, there are 1,300-1,500 leopards in the Pune district. Image for representation purposes.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Mumbai:

Maharashtra has reported its first death due to Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) after a Pune-based Chartered Accountant succumbed to the disease.

The man was living in Pune’s DSK Vishwa area and was suffering from diarrhoea for a few days. He had gone to his native village in Solapur district for a private visit.

After feeling weak, he was admitted to a private hospital in Solapur where the doctors diagnosed him with GBS. He was shifted to the ICU for further treatment. The man was unable to move his hands and legs though he was under medical observation. Later, after a check-up doctors found his health stable and he was moved out of the ICU on Saturday. However, he suffered breathing problems and died on Saturday, said the relatives of the victim.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is a rare immunological nerve disorder that causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness. In this condition, the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.

Incidentally, Pune has been in the news for several days for the outbreak of GBS as the number of patients infected has been reported at 73 of which 14 are on ventilators. Nine suspected patients of GBS were found on Saturday.

The Pune Municipal Corporation is on alert mode and has adopted a slew of measures to deal with the situation.

According to the Pune civic body sources, the symptoms of GBS include diarrhoea, stomach ache, fever and nausea or vomiting.

Sources said, “GBS infection can be contracted by consuming contaminated water or food. The infection can cause diarrhoea and abdominal pain. In some individuals, the immune system targets the nerves, leading to a diagnosis of GBS within 1 to 3 weeks. In addition, the immune system attacks the nerves due to infections with dengue, chikungunya viruses, or other bacteria.”

The state health department in an advisory has urged the citizens to drink boiled water and avoid eating in open areas or stale food. In the event of sudden weakness in the muscles of the arms and legs, the citizens have been asked to consult the family doctor or go to the nearest government hospital.

A senior medical officer from the state health department said even though the exact cause of Guillain-Barre Syndrome is still unknown, its symptoms usually become prominent after a respiratory or digestive tract infection. However, he pointed out that bacterial or viral infection, recent vaccination, surgery and neuropathy can trigger Guillain-Barre Syndrome. He, however, appealed to the people not to panic saying that even though GBS is a rare disease and can be treated.

Meanwhile, the Union health ministry has sent a team to Pune where a recent outbreak of GBS has affected 73 people in and around the city’s Sinhgad area.

Further, the Public Health Minister, Prakash Abitkar said the number of Guillain Barre Syndrome patients has increased in Pune. It has been observed that water causes infection. The Health Department has ordered to take appropriate measures. Currently, this disease has been included in the state health insurance scheme titled Mahatma Phule Jan Aarogya Yojana. Earlier, private hospitals under this scheme were given Rs 80,000 but now it has been doubled to Rs 1.60 lakh.

The Health Minister has also informed that action will be taken against hospitals if they are charging unnecessary bills for the treatment of this disease. He further said that it has been observed that GBS occurs when the immune system is weakened. Abitkar said that GBS treatment in hospitals under the state health insurance scheme will be completely free. Hospitals will not be able to charge additional money from patients for this, hence, there will be no financial burden on patients.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in Pune said the GBS patients will be treated free in Pune civic body’s Kamala Nehru hospital.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Further investigation is underway, police said. (Representational)

A senior police officer confirmed receiving the complaint on Sunday.

The Pune-Hubballi Vande Bharat Express has seven stops in its 558 km journey. 
| Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena

The Vande Bharat Express train between Pune and Hubballi will stop at Ghataprabha railway station from January 3, Iranna Kadadi, Rajya Sabha member, said on December 29.

“The Indian Railways has decided to provide a stop for the Train no. 20669/20670 Vande Bharat Express at Ghataprabha Railway Station in Belagavi district in Karnataka, starting January 3 on trial basis up to June 30,” the MP said.

The express train connects the major cities in the region, including Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli, and Dharwad.

Train number 20669 Hubballi-Pune will arrive at 7.23 am and depart at 7.25 am. Train number 20670 Pune-Hubballi will arrive at 7.38 pm and depart at 7.40 pm.

The train has seven stops in its 558 km journey.

The Ghataprabha stop will be regularised by the railways if the trial run is successful.

Pune:

A nine-year-old boy has been detained for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl in Pune’s Kondhwa Sunday. The boy – produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which permitted bail and gave custody to his parents, for now – claimed to have been influenced by social media.

According to the police, the children’s families know each as both are long-time residents of the same neighbourhood; the boy is a Class III student at a local school and the girl used to call him dada, or ‘elder brother’. The alleged sexual assault took place near the girl’s home.

The alarm was raised after the girl told her mother what happened.

The mother then called the police.

The girl was questioned in the presence of a representative of a child rights body.

Sexual assault charges – under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the new criminal laws – have been filed.

Pune:

The Maharashtra excise department on Sunday cancelled the permit for serving alcohol at actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in the Kothrud area of Pune later in the evening, an official said.

The department cancelled the permit after people from different quarters, including Kothrud’s newly elected BJP MLA Chandrakant Patil, objected to plans to serve liquor at the programme.

State excise commissioner C Rajput said, “The state excise department has cancelled the permission to serve liquor during the programme.” MLA Patil raised an objection against the concert scheduled at Kakade Farm in Kothrud later in the evening.

The BJP leader, in a statement, said, “Such shows are not part of the city’s culture. This will create a major disturbance for residents of the area. The event will also cause traffic jams. Hence, I have urged the city police commissioner to cancel the programme.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A five-year-old child was severely injured after being attacked by a pack of dogs in Chakan in Pune district in Maharashtra.

In a shocking video (the incident was captured by a nearby CCTV camera), the young boy can be seen standing by the side of a partly-flooded dirt road and waving away at a black dog. The boy does not move toward the dog and does not appear to make any threatening gesture.

Seconds later a second dog sprints forward from the boy’s right hand side. The dog attacks the boy before he can run away. The CCTV feed captures the young boy’s scream as the dog attacks.

As soon as the boy is thrown to the ground at least half-a-dozen other dogs converge, barking and surrounding the boy, who continues screaming. The terrified boy is soon pinned on the ground and the dogs circle around, even seeming to jump on the young child.

His screams and the dogs’ barking bring a woman racing out of a nearby house. She throws a few stones at the dogs but they continue their attack, seeming to drag the child into nearby bushes. Then two men appear on the scene and rush at the dogs, who then race away.

READ | 76-Year-Old Woman Dies After Stray Dog Attack In Bengaluru: Cops

This disturbing incident has reignited the debate over attacks by stray dogs in Pune, and other parts of the country. Last month there was a horrific incident from Telangana’s Rajanna Sircilla district in which an elderly woman was killed by pack of stray dogs which then ate parts of her body.

READ | Stray Dogs Kill, Eat Body Parts Of 82-Year-Old Woman In Telangana

These incidents, in addition to several in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala over the past few months have led to renewed calls for stricter measures to control stray dog populations.

Speaking to NDTV, Dr Abi T Vanak, Director of the Centre for Policy Design at the Ashoka Trust For Research In Ecology And The Environment, said the problem of stray dogs “has become completely out of control (and) a human rights issue”.

“I certainly blame unscientific animal birth control policies… because first, they created a category called ‘street dog’ and said they can only live on the street,” he explained.

“Now, according to the rules, even if the Pune officials capture these dogs, they only have to observe them for 10 days and they will be released. But dogs kept in cages are not going to attack… they are going to be scared. So, most likely, the officials won’t find anything wrong and the dogs will be released and then will probably be more aggressive…” he explained.

“So the problem really is, we have created this situation where poor people continue to suffer the brunt of attacks like this because of poor policy-making,” Dr Vanak told NDTV, suggesting society needs to “rethink the relationship with dogs, as they are domestic and not feral”.

“They can go feral sometimes but are maintained by humans… so we have to ensure their well-being. And that cannot be done on the streets, so we have to change this policy. People should be encouraged to adopt dogs and set up shelters. If you want to feed them, then feed them at shelters. Currently the rules even require stray dogs to be fed on the streets.”

Dr Vanak also pointed out India has a population of around 80 million dogs and, therefore, that the current ABC, or animal birth control, laws are “impractical”.

“To effectively control population of free-ranging dogs (under current rules, which focus only on urban areas), you have to sterilise something like 90 per cent of their numbers. And this has to be done indefinitely because, if you stop, non-sterlised dogs from other areas will come in.”

Pune district authorities, meanwhile, have urged parents to remain vigilant and supervise children while outdoors, particularly in remote areas.

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Pune:

A drunk driver left a trail of wreckage at a hotel in Pune after he was allegedly denied food on Friday night.

In a video recorded by a few men standing near Hotel Gokul in Hingangaon, he can be seen repeatedly ramming his truck into the hotel building. He also hit a car that was parked outside the hotel.

According to reports, the driver was traveling from Solapur to Pune and stopped at Hotel Gokul. He then went inside and asked for food. 

However, when the hotel owner refused to give him food, the enraged driver sat in his truck and started damaging the hotel building.

Some men were also seen throwing stones at the truck to stop the driver. He eventually stopped when the wheels of the truck ceased to move.

Police have arrested him and further investigation is underway.

Pune:

A man was arrested in Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl repeatedly and impregnating her, a police official said on Friday.

The 23-year-old accused, Kartik Kamble, befriended the girl on a social media site and then raped her several times between April and June this year, he said.

“She got pregnant after he raped her. He also threatened her against revealing the ordeal to anyone. Kamble has been charged with rape and other offences under Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” the Hinjawadi police station official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)