PMC blacklists 13 contractors for shoddy road work

The administration has also taken action against seven deputy engineers of the road department for dereliction of duty and fined them ₹15,000 each as a penalty towards showing negligence in duty

Under fire from residents for its inept handling of road work during monsoon, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration has blacklisted thirteen contractors for carrying out poor quality work.

The action against the errant contractors and PMC engineer was taken by PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar who issued a written order to the effect. (HT FILE PHOTO)

The administration has also taken action against seven deputy engineers of the road department for dereliction of duty and fined them ₹15,000 each as a penalty towards showing negligence in duty.

The action against the errant contractors and PMC engineer was taken by PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar who issued a written order to the effect.

Kumar and other senior PMC officials personally visited different areas and inspected the bad condition of the roads after the administration received several complaints from residents on social media and other platforms.

A committee composed of city engineer Prashant Waghmare and additional commissioner Kunal Khemnar was constituted.

As many as 139 roads were inspected for the poor quality of road and road repair work by Mess Engineers India, a third party which was brought along to inspect and analyse the defects. The committee came to the conclusion that there were seventeen public roads which were in extremely bad condition and that poor quality road repair was carried out.

It also came to the fore that the PMC road works department engineers did not remain vigilant about the road work construction material when the work was underway.

The committee proposed that the contractors be blacklisted for a period of one year and a fine of ₹10,000 each must be slapped on deputy engineers and sectional engineers or their increments be stopped. However, Kumar blacklisted the contractors for six months with a penalty of ₹5,000.

Kumar said, “This time, the engineers working in the main department have been fined while the contractors working with the main departments have been blacklisted. Next time, action will be taken against those officers posted at the ward level and the contractors carrying out public works at the ward level if they are found guilty of negligence and shoddy work.”

“Henceforth no poor-quality work and unprofessional work conduct by the engineers will be tolerated and action will be taken against them,” he said.

VG Kulkarni, head of PMC road department, said, “We have been taking regular action against the contractors and our staffers if they have been found wanting in discharging their duties professionally. Actions like this will continue in the future too.”