This is to inform all that the website of the Prayer Hall at Worli, Mumbai –www.prayerhalltrust.org – is now operational.
It carries all the background information that led to its creation, the rules governing its use and other relevant information.
Dinshaw K. Tamboly.
Head to Gholvad in Dahanu taluka this weekend to get a taste of a fruit that, despite its high nutritional value, has almost disappeared from the local market.Dahanu, located around 150km from Mumbai, hosts its annual Chikoo festival on February 6 and 7. Recent trends show that despite bumper crop, the fruit has been disappearing from the retail market, mainly due to its highly perishable nature.
Farmers say most of produce goes to the APMC market in Navi Mumbai, where it is picked up in bulk by juice and ice-cream manufacturers. Since the festival began in 2013, chikoo processing ventures are on the rise.
“Due to the highly perishable nature of chikoo, retail vendors are reluctant to stock the fruit. And super markets charge exorbitant prices,“ said Priyanka Save, secretary , Chikoo Festival Foundation.
The two-day festival at the Bordi beach in Gholvad, Dahanu, sees people not just relishing the fruit but also taking away its byproducts.After seeing the love for the fruit during the festival, farmers are keen on seeing chikoo being sold in local markets along with mangoes and apples.
Farmers in the GholvadDahanu belt have started ripening chambers for the fruit. Ethylene gas is released into the chambers, which evens ripening process of the fruit.
“Once the retailer is confident that the fruit will stay with him longer, there wont be resistance to sell. This way , we expect to see more chikoos in retail markets,“ said Save.
The belt has been blessed with a bumper crop since 2011, making it a round-theyear fruit.
The yield had declined since the late 1990s post the attack of a seed borer.
Between November and February , around 200 tonnes of chikoo is produced daily .The figure goes down to around 180 tonnes a day between March and June. By July to October, the produce drops to 60 tonnes a day.
“The fruit in each of the season is worth cherishing.The same plant bears fruits in different shapes right from elongated to that of a tennis ball in a year,“ said Nagesh Pai, a mechanical engineer engaged in chikoo winery .
Former director of APMC fruit market, Sanjay Pansare, admits that chikoo’s presence in local markets is diminishing due to its perishable nature. He says that while the demand for the fruit is less in the city, chikoo is in great demand in cities like Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur.
The festival has become a platform to drive home the benefits of the fruit. A chikoo marathon to a chikoo safari are the highlights of the festival.
With over 130 stalls and a variety of chikoo fruits and byproducts, the event is expected to attract around 25,000 people.
Here is the link to the Navsari celebrations
PUBLIC NOTICE
BOMBAY PARSI PUNCHAYET ANNOUNCES
SCHEDULE FOR TRUSTEE’S ELECTIONS UNDER THE
UNIVERSAL ADULT FRANCHISE SCHEME
Owing to the vacancy created upon the completion of the term of office of Trustee Mrs. Armaity R. Tirandaz as a Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Elections for the post of a Trustee of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet will be held as per the below mentioned Election Schedule.
As per Clause No. 14 of the Scheme for Election, any person who shall at the time of Election be a member of the Parsi Community, of not less than 30 years of age ( this restriction of age does not apply to any Candidate who has attained the age of 25 years and whom a majority of not less than 2/3rds of the members of the Anjuman Committee desire to be so exempted by a written requisition to the Trustees) and who shall have been Proposed and Seconded by members of the Anjuman Committee i.e. General member or Donor member, are eligible to stand as Candidates.
Such candidates have to fill in the prescribed form (available from the Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s Office), accompanied by a cash deposit of Rs. 5000/-. The deposit shall stand forfeited, if the candidate fails to secure at least 5% of the total votes cast at such an election.
All those members on the General Register and Donor Register, who have so far not collected their Certificates, are requested to collect their respective Certificates to be eligible to exercise their franchise.
If the Certificate has been lost or destroyed, members on the General Register and Donor Register can apply before 06-04-2016 for a duplicate certificate, application for which has to be filled in a prescribed form along with payment of a fee of Rs. 10/-. As per the Scheme in force, Members on the General Register and Donor Register will be allowed to vote only on production of their respective Certificates. No duplicate Certificate will be issued and / or collection of original certificates permitted after 06-04-2016 (5.30 p.m) including on the Election day at the polling centres.
The Registers will be frozen as on 10-02-2016 (at 5.30 p.m.). Only those Members whose names appear on the General Register and the Donor Register, as on 10-02-2016, will have voting right at the forthcoming Election.
If nomination is received from only one candidate, in accordance with the sanctioned Scheme, such candidate will be declared duly elected.
In the event of there being more than one candidate, an Election will be conducted as per the schedule given hereunder:
SCHEDULE OF ELECTIONS
Sr. No. EVENT DATES
Members as on effective date (5.30 p.m.) 10-02-2016
2 Availability of final list of Members on the General / Donor Register 23-02-2016 On payment of charges of Rs.300/- per CD
Nomination Forms for Trustees’ Elections will be issued and accepted from 23-02-2016
Last date for filing Nominations to Trustee’s Elections (5.30 p.m.) 09-03-2016
Last date of withdrawal of Nomination (5.30 p.m.) 23-03-2016
Publishing of the names of Candidates 26-03-2016 & 27/03/2016
Last date for collecting Member Certificate or its Duplicate (5.30 p.m.) 06-04-2016
Election on 10-04-2016 at the following 5 centres from 10.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Cusrow Baug, Colaba
Khareghat Memorial Hall, Khareghat Colony, Hughes Rd
Dadar Parsee Gymkhana, Dadar
Rustom Baug, Byculla
Sir Shapurji Bharucha Baug, Andheri (West)
Declaration of Election results by Scrutinizers and President latest by 10-04-2016
Result to be published on the Notice Board of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet latest by 11-04-2016
Result to be published in Newspapers latest by 12-04-2016
The new elected Trustee will assume Office at 12 Noon on 21-04-2016
N.B. 1.) A member can exercise his/ her voting right at any one of the voting centres on the date specified above.
2.) Certificates collected on production of Authority Letter by a third party should have the member’s signature duly attested either by a Notary or Special Executive Officer. Members whose certificates are not attested will not be allowed to vote.
3.) In case of there being a tie, in the number of votes cast between two candidates, Rule 21(C)(xv) of the Scheme would apply and the date of the result would be deferred by 4 days. In such an event the declaration of the result on the Notice Board of the B.P.P. would be declared on 15-04-2016 and the same would be published in the Newspapers on 16th & 17-04-2016.
4.) Members of the General & Donor Register who have been issued two or more separate certificates (one issued earlier and the other taken subsequently) can vote only once and only one certificate will be treated as valid.
5.) Voters must bring along with them Photo Proof of their Identity e.g. Passport, Driving license, Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Senior Citizen Card.
6.) Voters have to elect only one Trustee by pressing the button against the name of the candidate they wish to elect on the Electronic Voting Machine. (They can select only one) .
7.) LAMINATED CERTIFICATES WILL BE ALLOWED TO BE USED BY VOTERS. In such cases, the Staff has been instructed to punch the certificates at a pre-determined spot, instead of Signing them.
8.) As per Clause 4(d) of the Scheme for the Election of the Trustees each Donor Member vote would be counted/ treated as two votes. However, the donors have to press the button only once against each of their selected names of the candidates.
9.) Voters should note that only those certificates bearing the caption ‘General Register’ or ‘Donor Register’ would be treated as valid.
It is further notified that the full list of registered members on the General Register and Donor Register eligible to vote for the forthcoming Trustee’s Election is available on the Web and members can verify their enrolment or otherwise on the net address which is www.bppvoterslist.org
By Order of the Trustees
Bombay Parsi Punchayet
