Pune Municipal Corporation has earmarked ₹2 crore to enhance awareness about cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Mission, through initiatives such as writing messages and creating illustrations on walls.
However, concerns have been raised over the effective use of these funds, as millions are reportedly being spent in each ward merely to update the year from "2023" to "2024," without any new artwork or painting.
The upcoming survey for the 2024-25 Swachh Bharat Mission is set to occur in the coming days, with preparations being made by the solid waste management department and regional offices. Each of the 15 regional offices has received funding of ₹14.5 lakh for activities including wall painting.
In a recent inquiry under the Right to Information Act, Paresh Khandke sought details from the Kasba Vishrambaug ward office, which revealed that ₹1.2 lakh was allocated for ward number 15, ₹1.34 lakh for ward 16, and ₹1.01 lakh for ward number 29 for wall painting in the 2024-25 period.
However, investigations indicate that the actual work merely involves changing "2023" to "2024," without any real painting effort.
Khandke reported that similar practices are occurring in other regional offices as well, with locations such as Nilayam Talkies Bridge, Matoshri Old Age Home, Ahilyadevi School, Vidhan Bhavan, Bundgarden Road, and Sanskar Maidan being mentioned as sites where only numerical changes are made to give the appearance of new work.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has allocated funds to regional offices for these activities, which are responsible for their execution. With prior painting already completed, this year’s instructions focused solely on altering the numbers.
An inquiry will be conducted to assess whether these tasks were executed appropriately, confirmed Sandeep Kadam, Deputy Commissioner of the Solid Waste Management Department.
