TOWN CONNECT
Allegations of Crores Granted Without Tender
Pune: A massive uproar erupted in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) over a door-to-door waste collection pilot project implemented in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency under the ‘Swachh Kasba Campaign’. The controversy came to light after it was revealed that a provision of ₹3 crore was made for the ‘Swachh’ organization without floating any public tender. Outraged corporators cornered the civic administration, directly alleging a multi-crore scam.
The Root of the Controversy
The pilot project was assigned to the ‘Swachh’ organization with the objective of eliminating chronic garbage spots and ensuring 100% door-to-door waste collection in the Kasba Peth area. Questioning the efficiency of the initiative, BJP Corporator Kunal Tilak demanded to know the ground reality, asking exactly how many chronic spots were eliminated and how much waste was collected due to this project.
The administration clarified that a total provision of ₹3 crore was earmarked for the pilot project. Out of this, ₹1 crore 9 lakh has already been paid to the organization for the first three months. Furthermore, the project was granted a two-month extension. Alarmingly, despite nearly five months passing, the administration admitted that no official evaluation of the work has been conducted yet.
As soon as the lack of evaluation was revealed, corporators bombarded the administration with questions. Corporator Kunal Tilak asked how the administration, having failed to evaluate the project over five months, intends to do so in just eight days. Meanwhile, Corporator Swarada Bapat questioned the sloppy attitude of the organization regarding waste collection across the city. Objecting to the administrative favoritism, Bapat asked why the Swachh organization is treated with such leniency and alleged corruption worth crores of rupees in the operation.
Why Was Approval Granted Just Four Days After Elections Without a Tender?
The biggest suspicion surrounds the tendering process. Senior Congress Corporator Arvind Shinde cornered the administration on legal grounds, asking if a tender had been floated for this project as per civic rules. In a bizarre justification, the administration stated that no tender was issued; instead, the project was handed over simply based on the organization’s past performance.
This revelation further heated up the floor. Shinde launched a sharp attack on the administration for bypassing standard operating procedures, demanding to know why a project worth crores was assigned without a competitive bidding process. He raised a critical question: with the municipal elections concluding on January 15, what was the hidden motive behind hurriedly approving a ₹3 crore project for the company on January 19—just four days later? The civic administration failed to provide a satisfactory explanation to his queries.
