E-Paper
PMC, MSEDCL blame each other for disruption of newly asphalted road in Sadashiv Peth
Recently, MSEDCL excavated the road from Tilak Smarak temple to Perugate police chowki in Sadashiv Peth within three days. MSEDCL was in a hurry to use allocated funds before the end of the fiscal on March 31
Even as the March 31 deadline for excavation of a newly asphalted road in Sadashiv Peth draws near, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) are busy pointing fingers at each other for disruption of the newly laid road, not to mention the waste of time, effort and money on the same.
Recently, MSEDCL excavated the road from Tilak Smarak temple to Perugate police chowki in Sadashiv Peth within three days. MSEDCL was in a hurry to use allocated funds before the end of the fiscal on March 31. The road was asphalted on March 11 while permission for excavation of the road was granted from March 15 by the PMC road department. However, excavation commenced only on March 22, resulting in unnecessary expenses and disruption of the newly asphalted road.
Saheb Rao Dandge, superintendent engineer of the PMC road department, said, “MSEDCL took permission for excavation in December but it has not paid the excavation charges. MSEDCL paid the excavation charges only recently. Moreover, MSEDCL did not even bother to inform the road department officials about the excavation. We have now stopped excavation and decided to impose a penalty on MSEDCL for violating the rules.”
MSEDCL on its part issued a clarification stating, “Permission was granted by the PMC road department to lay down a new underground cable for two distribution stations in Sadashiv Peth. MSEDCL submitted a map for this purpose.”
MSEDCL said that due to a fault in the 11 KV underground power line, the power supply to two distribution units and 274 consumers in Sadashiv Peth was interrupted. Temporary power supply was arranged, but with the increasing summer load, replacing the faulty cable became necessary. Permission was sought to dig 90 metres of road to replace the defective line.
An MSEDCL official said, “On March 11, MSEDCL paid excavation charges of ₹548,640. Written permission for excavation was granted by the road department of the PMC on March 13. The work was to be completed between March 15 and March 31. Work began on March 22 but was halted after 50% completion upon the PMC’s instructions.”
Just a month ago, PMC had decided that any excavation work in the city would require coordination between the agency carrying out the excavation and the road department. Without approval from the additional commissioner, excavation would not be allowed on newly constructed roads.
Civic activist Vivek Velankar said, “Public money is being wasted due to the lack of coordination between those who give permission for road digging and those responsible for road asphalting in the PMC.”
