Hey Pune peeps, have you ever wondered why there are so many road diggings happening in our city? Well, turns out, sometimes it’s not all legit! The Pune Municipal Corporation recently caught a builder red-handed for digging up roads without permission. It took them over a year to finally get the penalty amount from the builder – a whopping Rs. 3.10 crore!
You see, in Pune, road excavations are pretty common for laying down various pipes and cables. Private companies charge a hefty sum of Rs. 12,192 per meter for these services, but government and semi-government organizations get a sweet 50% discount. For the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), the rate is around Rs. 2,300 per meter.
In Kharadi, a builder thought they could get away with digging up roads to supply electricity to their project without getting the green light from the PMC. But a vigilant citizen, Bharat Surana, called them out on it in May 2023. It wasn’t until July 2023 that the PMC issued a notice to the builder, demanding the hefty penalty amount for the unauthorized excavation of an 850-meter stretch of road.
It took a whole year of persistent follow-ups, but finally, last week, the builder coughed up the Rs. 3.10 crore. Aniruddha Pawaskar, the Chief Engineer of the Road Department, confirmed the recovery of the penalty amount. So, next time you see some road digging going on in Pune, make sure it’s all above board!
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