Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has raised concerns about the excessive expenses reported for minor modifications in advertisements placed on public walls under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
The advertisements, which promote cleanliness and awareness, were initially installed last year and remain in good condition. This year, the only required change is the update of the year from 2023 to 2024.
However, an RTI inquiry has revealed that the costs for this simple update have been reported in lakhs, prompting the PMC’s Solid Waste Management Department to investigate.
The department has instructed ward (regional) offices to provide detailed reports on the expenses incurred. Each regional office had been allocated ₹14.5 lakh for the work, but the reported costs appear inflated.
The issue at hand revolves around the advertisements, which were initially painted on public walls as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The advertisements are still intact, and the only update required this year is to change the last digit of the year from 2023 to 2024. In many cases, the “3” has simply been repainted as “4.”
Despite this minimal effort, some bills have shown expenses exceeding ₹1 lakh. Given that there are only around 20 to 22 such advertisements in each regional office’s jurisdiction, and even if daily labor wages of ₹1,000 are factored in, the estimated cost should only be between ₹20,000 and ₹22,000.
The PMC has taken note of this discrepancy, and Deputy Commissioner of Solid Waste Management, Sandeep Kadam, has called for a detailed breakdown of the costs from all regional offices.
Once the reports are submitted, a thorough review will be conducted. If any discrepancies are found in the reported expenses, appropriate action will be taken against those responsible.
