Pune, 12 August 2025: The Pune Metropolitan Transport (PMP) had floated a tender to install 300 new steel bus stops across Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and areas under the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). The contract was awarded to a company named Tech Siddhi Advertising, which was granted advertising rights on these bus stops for 15 years.
However, the company constructed 200 bus stops in Pune city without obtaining permission from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Road Department or the Advertising Department. To set up advertisements, the contractor dug trenches and laid underground electric cables to supply power to these bus stops. This work was carried out without any formal approval, leading to a loss of crores for the PMC.
Hemant Sambhus, the Secretary General of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), raised these concerns in a press conference held in Pune. Before this, he had submitted a formal complaint to the PMC Commissioner, Naval Kishore Ram. Sambhus questioned whether PMP and PMC administration were turning a blind eye to such irregularities.
Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of the Road Department, confirmed that no permission had been granted for laying electrical lines for the bus stops, and work has been stopped immediately. He added that a penalty three times the standard fee would be imposed on the contractor.
Santosh Warule, Deputy Commissioner of the Advertising Department, also confirmed that no permission was granted for advertisements on these bus stops and assured that strict action would be taken.
According to PMC rules, permission fees of ₹12,191 per meter must be paid for laying electric lines, and advertisement fees of ₹700 per square foot to the Advertising Department.
Since the contractor neither obtained permission nor paid any fees, the illegal excavation and electric installation over 50 to 70 meters for 200 bus stops have caused a financial loss estimated at ₹15 crore. Sambhus demanded that a triple fine be levied for this unauthorized activity.
This case highlights major lapses in the oversight by PMP and PMC, raising questions about accountability in managing public infrastructure projects in Pune.