Pune Municipal Corporation pays up for non-existent cycle tracks, footpaths

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has made full payment for the concretisation of the old Pune-Mumbai highway and Sinhagad Road, although 10% of the Rs80-crore project cost was earmarked for the non-existent cycle tracks and footpaths.

These serious lapses have been revealed in a file inspection conducted by DNA under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI), at the office of Jawaharlal Nehru national urban renewal mission (JNNURM) of the PMC. The file inspection was done along with RTI activist, Vijay Kumbhar.

Old Pune-Mumbai highway
The documents show that the contract for concretisation, widening and laying of cycle tracks and footpaths was awarded to M/s Patel Engineering Ltd. The estimated cost was over Rs32 crore, for a distance of 5.5 km. The tenders of these works were granted to the party in January 2008.

The work was supposed to be completed within a year. However, work extension was granted twice, for three months each, and finally the work was completed on paper in June 2009. These extensions escalated the total cost of the project by Rs3 crore. Land acquisition problems were cited as the reason for extensions.

The original plans included the laying of footpath and cycle tracks of 7.5 metre width each on either side of the road. However, a spot inspection by DNA revealed that there was no sign of a cycle track on either side of the road. Footpaths were laid only in certain stretches. The stretch of road from Khadki railway station to Harris Bridge has no cycle track or footpath on either side.

Sinhagad Road
A total of 7.3 km of Sinhagad Road, from Sarasbaug to Dhayari Phata, was taken up for concretisation and other work. This included laying of footpaths, cycle tracks and beautification of road dividers. The tenders for this work was awarded to M/s Bhagyashri Contractors in April 2008.

The total cost of the tender was Rs47 crore and the work was supposed to be completed within a year. The work ordered included laying of cycle tracks and footpaths of 4.5 metres on either side of the road.

The bills for this project were cleared early last year, with the 10% of the tender amount being used for laying the cycle tracks. A road inspection by DNA revealed that the footpath was laid on some stretches. The cycle track was seen only between Parvati
Water Works and Pu La Deshpande Garden.

Speaking to DNA, Vinay Deshpande, officer on special duty of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s JNNURM cell, blamed land acquisition problems for the missing cycle tracks on both these road. “On the old Pune-Mumbai highway, the Khadki Cantonment Board did not hand over the land and so we could not lay the cycle tracks.

“On Sinhagad Road, the land acquisition of the slums and other buildings is a problem, which prevented us from laying the cycle tracks and footpaths,’’ he said.

However, Deshpande was unable to explain the full payment made to the contractors even though the footpath and cycle tracks were not laid as per the terms of the tenders.

Asked if fresh tenders would be floated to lay the cycle tracks and footpaths, officers at the JNNURM cell replied in the affirmative. They pointed out that the fresh tenders would include the cost of land acquisition.

Activist Vijay Kumbhar termed this as blatant siphoning of public money and demanded strict action against the officers. “In the first place, the JNNURM cell should have deducted the budget head meant for laying of cycle tracks before clearing the bills. Now they are talking of floating a second tender for laying of cycle tracks. I demand a full enquiry and the guilty officers should be punished,’’ he said.