Pune Commissioner enforces “No Excuse” policy to stop road digging after resurfacing.
PMC begins ₹145 crore roadwork ahead of the Pune Grand Challenge cycling event.
10x penalty to be recovered from officials for damaging newly asphalted roads.
PUNE, 8th October 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated a significant effort to address the poor coordination among its departments, which frequently results in newly constructed roads being excavated shortly after completion for water, drainage, or cable installations. Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has expressed strong concern over this problem and implemented a stringent 'No Excuse' policy to prevent it.
According to this policy, if any department or agency excavates a recently paved road for reasons like sewage maintenance, water pipeline installation, or cable laying, a fine amounting to ten times the roadwork cost will be imposed on the responsible officials or department. The commissioner has emphasized that 'errors will no longer be tolerated.'
The move comes as the city prepares for the Pune Grand Challenge, an international cycling event scheduled for January. To ensure smooth roads for the competition, PMC has begun resurfacing key routes and has floated tenders worth ₹145 crore for upgrading about 75 km of roads. These works are planned to be completed before November.
Previously, PMC allocated approximately ₹300 crore for asphalting about 100 km of city roads. However, later excavations by various departments nullified the Defect Liability Period (DLP), which ended up favouring contractors and imposing significant costs on the civic body. To address this issue, the commissioner has instructed that all underground utility work must be finished before resurfacing begins.
On Monday, a meeting led by Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram brought together officials from the road, water supply, and drainage departments, as well as representatives from MSEB, traffic police, and OFC cable companies. They were directed to collaborate and finish all tasks before the event starts.
Additionally, ₹10 crore has been approved for related beautification works, including painting streetlight poles, repairing dividers and footpaths, and cleaning bushes and garbage. The PMC has also decided to standardize pedestrian pavement paver blocks with black and yellow colours, said Additional Commissioner Omprakash Divte.
With this policy, Pune aims to set an example of better coordination, accountability, and durable road infrastructure before it welcomes cyclists from around the world.