The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on a contractor for carrying out poor-quality road restoration work following pipeline laying under the city's ongoing Equal Water Supply Scheme in the Dhayari area.
The action was ordered by Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram after he personally inspected the site near Umbarya Ganapati in Dhayari on Sunday morning, following complaints from residents regarding the quality of the work.
According to PMC officials, a water pipeline was laid in the area nearly two months ago under the Equal Water Supply Scheme. After the excavation, the road remained unrestored for several weeks due to the non-availability of cement concrete. Four days ago, the contractor undertook restoration work during the night.
However, no adequate precautions were taken to prevent vehicular movement over the freshly laid concrete or ensure proper curing.
As a result, the newly laid cement surface began deteriorating within hours, prompting residents to raise concerns and lodge complaints with the civic administration.
Acting on these complaints, Commissioner Ram, accompanied by Additional Municipal Commissioner Prajit Nair, conducted a surprise inspection of the site. During the visit, officials found that the road restoration work had not been carried out using proper quality standards and materials.
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The contractor had covered the concrete surface with sacks, but after they were removed during the inspection, the poor quality of the work became evident. Nair also observed deficiencies in the cement concreting work.
Following the inspection, Ram summoned Water Supply Department Head Nandkishore Jagtap to the site and directed immediate action against the contractor. He ordered a penalty of ₹10 lakh and instructed that the road be repaired afresh at the contractor's expense.
"The Equal Water Supply Scheme is being implemented across the city, which requires road excavation at several locations. However, it is the responsibility of the concerned contractor to restore the roads properly after the work is completed. Since the quality of restoration at this site was found to be poor, a fine of ₹10 lakh has been imposed and the road will have to be repaired again," Ram said.
PMC officials stated that road restoration works linked to the water supply project are underway in several parts of Pune, and strict action will be taken against contractors found compromising quality standards.
