Pune, 22 August 2025: In Pune, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has raised sharp questions over why the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has not acted against a contractor who carried out unauthorized work while building bus shelters.
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) had awarded a contract to Siddhi Advertising Company to set up 200 bus shelters under the BOT model. However, the contractor dug up roads and footpaths without PMC’s permission to lay electricity lines, and also installed advertisement boards without paying mandatory fees. This led to a loss of revenue worth crores for the civic body.
Following complaints, PMPML’s Managing Director Pankaj Devre cancelled the tender process and demoted Chief Traffic Manager Dattatraya Zhende, transferring him as Deputy Manager to Wagholi depot. A show-cause notice has also been issued to the contractor, asking why its tender should not be cancelled and why the firm should not be blacklisted.
Despite this action, MNS leader Hemant Sambhus questioned PMC’s silence. He said the civic body should recover three times the penalty from the contractor, an amount that could reach nearly ₹150 crore. He also demanded that Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram take strict action against officers in the road department and sky-sign (advertisement) department, who failed to act despite clear violations
Sambhus argued that while PMP moved quickly, PMC has delayed citing "ongoing correspondence," which, according to him, is nothing but an excuse to avoid accountability.