PMC puts nine-month road-sweeping extension on hold

Additional municipal commissioner Prajit Nair said separate tenders would be issued for each ward office, with contracts for the next year awarded after the process

Days after the civic standing committee approved a nine-month extension to its experimental performance-based road-sweeping initiative, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration on Wednesday put the decision on hold, limiting the extension to three months. Fresh ward-wise tenders will be floated during this period, officials said.

The PMC engaged five contractors on a trial basis from August 1 to deploy an additional 4,500 road-sweeping workers, at an estimated cost of ₹11 crore per month. (HT FILE)

Additional municipal commissioner Prajit Nair said separate tenders would be issued for each ward office, with contracts for the next year awarded after the process.

“Earlier, the tender process could not be completed due to the Model Code of Conduct. The extension will be for three months, with no scope for a further extension. The fresh tender process will proceed in parallel with the continuation of the work,” Nair said.

The PMC engaged five contractors on a trial basis from August 1 to deploy an additional 4,500 road-sweeping workers, at an estimated cost of ₹11 crore per month. The administration had planned to assess the initiative and float fresh tenders from November 1.

However, on October 30, the standing committee approved a nine-month extension under the existing conditions, overriding the stricter terms proposed by the administration.

“The penalty amount can be increased by up to ten times,” Nair said.

The administration has also proposed cutting supervision charges to 6%, making ward-wise manpower planning mandatory and requiring contractors to provide wheeled buckets.