Pune, 25th May 2026: This monsoon also Punekars may have to struggle with potholes and damaged roads as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) continues to delay restoration work across the city.
Administrative confusion between the civic body’s road department and regional ward offices has slowed repairs despite the approaching rainy season.
PMC has granted permissions to mobile companies, gas suppliers, electricity agencies and other departments to dig roads for laying utility lines such as internet cables, gas pipelines, drainage systems and water pipelines.
According to civic records, nearly 68,674 running meters of roads have been excavated across Pune. Several stretches dug up for police CCTV installation projects are also yet to be repaired completely.
Private companies are charged ₹12,192 per meter as road restoration fees, while government and semi-government agencies receive a 50 percent concession. Contractors handling PMC projects are expected to restore roads after excavation work is completed.
Earlier, the road department handled road reinstatement work directly. This year, however, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram shifted the responsibility to regional offices in an effort to strengthen local administration. Funds were allocated to different ward offices for pothole filling and resurfacing work, particularly in merged village areas.
Despite this, restoration work has not progressed as expected. Even as the monsoon deadline nears, excavation work continues in several parts of the city while road repairs remain incomplete.
“Regional offices were given funds and responsibility for road reinstatement and pothole repairs, while the road department has been assigned larger infrastructure projects,” said Road Department Head Rajesh Bankar.
However, Additional Municipal Commissioner Omprakash Divte offered a different stand.
“Concerns were raised over the quality of reinstatement work being carried out by regional offices. Therefore, the responsibility has now been shifted back to the road department and work will begin within the next couple of days,” Divte said.
The conflicting statements from senior officials have highlighted the lack of coordination within PMC, while citizens continue to face inconvenience due to damaged roads and unfinished work across the city.
