Pune: Jayant Patil, state president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), has alleged that the Pune Ring Road project has been awarded at approximately Rs. 6,000 crore above the standard rates due to collusion between contractors and the state government.
The accusation was made during a victory pledge rally organized by the party's Pimpri-Chinchwad division at the New Maharashtra College grounds in Pimpri.
In the presence of senior leader Sharad Pawar, Patil accused the state government of rampant corruption, listing several projects, including the Pune Ring Road, which he claims was awarded to contractors at a significantly higher rate.
He cited that the tender, originally estimated at Rs. 16,618 crores, was approved at Rs. 22,799 crores, benefiting companies that have donated to the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Patil also criticized the government's practices of collecting bribes from contractors and recovering them from citizens through tolls. He questioned why investigations into certain individuals within the government had been halted.
Former Minister of State Madhavrao Kinhalkar joined the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), leaving the BJP. The event also confirmed the entry of NCP city president Ajit Gavhane and his associates, who were welcomed during the rally.
The ambitious state government project, aimed at alleviating traffic congestion in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, involves the construction of a 127 km long and 110 meters wide Ring Road. The project is divided into two phases: East and West.
The MSRDC initiated the tender process, dividing the work into nine packages. Twelve companies submitted bids, with the tenders being opened in Mumbai. Megha Engineering and Navayuga Engineering emerged as the lowest bidders for three packages each, while PMC Infra, Roadway Solution India Infra, and GR Infra secured one package each.
Concerns arose as some of the companies involved were linked to the alleged scam in electoral bond and had submitted bids at inflated rates. The tenders received were 40-50% higher than the initial estimates, significantly increasing the project's cost.