Hey Pune residents, have you noticed the growing piles of garbage and filth on the city’s major roads recently? Well, it turns out that the mechanical sweeping of these roads has come to a halt in most zones, except for Hadapsar and Wanwadi.
Apparently, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been facing delays in the tender process for road cleaning services. This delay is being blamed on poor guidance from consultants and inflated tender rates, which have shot up by a whopping 35 percent.
The PMC had previously employed contractors to clean the roads using mechanical sweepers, but contracts in four zones expired in February. Despite efforts to initiate a fresh tender process, delays caused by the Lok Sabha elections and outdated rates have brought road cleaning efforts to a standstill.
The tender process saw only one initial bid, prompting an extension which resulted in a 35 to 40 percent increase in costs from other companies. Surprisingly, companies with experience in mechanical sweeping chose not to participate due to the unaffordable rates.
While the solid waste department has recommended re-tendering to the municipal commissioner, regional offices have been instructed to clean the roads within their jurisdictions for now. Contractors’ vehicles from the Hadapsar-Wanwadi zone are being used to assist in other areas.
In addition to the unclean roads, the street furniture installed for the G20 meeting last year has deteriorated due to neglect from the municipal administration. Despite having manpower for internal cleaning tasks, regional offices lack the staff and equipment needed to maintain major roads, leading to visible garbage and dirt on several streets and bridges.
Let’s hope the PMC can resolve these issues soon and get those roads clean and sparkling again!
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