The Central Government-appointed Community Based Monitoring (CBM) Project under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has come out with a preliminary report on the functioning of health care infrastructure in rural Thane. CBM project is a key to acquiring health rights for the rural population. It was started in April 2007 in five districts of Maharashtra including Thane rural. The report will be discussed with government officials in a public hearing at the zilla parishad level.

The much-publicised housing project for the poor under the Basic Services for Urban Poor (BSUP) projects is coming up in Thane city. The twin projects involve the construction of several ground plus seven to eight storey buildings to house around 850 families in the city as well as from Kausa for the urban poor citizens of Thane. The said project is coming up at an open plot of land belonging to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) at Tulsidham and will provide homes to around 500 poor citizens.

WHILE the THANE municipal corporation is yet to complete the pre-monsoon repair and cleaning work, the news from an agricultural college that Thane may get over 100 per cent rainfall this year, would increase the woes of Thanekars. According to sources, a Pune-based agricultural college has carried out a study with regard to the forthcoming monsoons and has claimed that Thane will receive 102 per cent of rainfall this monsoon. According to the met department, normal rainfall is between five per cent and 100 per cent.

In a move aimed at giving great relief to the residents of Thane and Navi Mumbai circles including Bhandup, Mulund, Kanjurmarg besides Kalva from power cuts, the Bhandup zone of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDC) has mooted zero load shedding for the city and its suburb.

The national rural employment guarantee scheme completes two years and moves to cover all the districts in the country. Has it been worth it?

WITH the advent of the monsoon around the corner, Thane Municipal Corporation has undertaken a slew of measures to brace up for the likely deluge. The TMC has been granted permission by the district authorities in view of the model code of conduct in the wake of the by polls to the Thane parliamentary seat to carry out essential public works to brace up for the forthcoming monsoons.

There is every possibility that the Thane-Belapur industrial zone could become the state's first special economic zone (SEZ). The state government has appointed Pricewaterhousecoopers as consultants to explore the establishment of an SEZ in the belt. While the government is hardselling Dronagiri in Navi Mumbai as its first-ever SEZ, sources say that the Thane-Belapur area could get off the ground quicker because it already has the infrastructure and in place.

Research project undertaken by the students of Saraswati School about variety of species in Thane creek has revealed that 19 varieties of fish have disappeared from Thane creek. The project informs that previously there were 19 fish varieties seen in Thane creek. Rawas, Pakat, Hekru, Karkara, Makul, Jitad, prawns (Kolambi), Mushi, Shingada and many other varieties have vanished from the water of Thane creek.

Construction of Maharashtra's tallest dam is expected to commence soon. The project architect, Central Designs Organisation