Pune Municipal Corporation is in a flurry of activity as the implementation of the Assembly Election Code of Conduct approaches in just a few days. In a bid to ensure minimal disruption to development projects, the corporation is striving to approve as many tenders as possible and issue orders to commence work.
In recent days, several meetings have been conducted by the Standing Committee, Estimate Committee, and other key departments within the municipal corporation.
In the latest meeting of the Standing Committee, chaired by Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, 220 tenders were approved, amounting to an estimated 400 crores.
The state is anticipated to impose the Assembly Election Code of Conduct within the next three to four days. Under the code, no new tenders can be issued, and no permissions for commencing work will be granted.
This restriction poses significant challenges for the administration, as carrying out development activities during this period becomes cumbersome. To mitigate these difficulties, the municipal corporation is working diligently to finalize the tender process and secure permissions to initiate projects before the code comes into effect.
In addition to approving various tenders before the implementation of the code, the municipal corporation is also focused on issuing commencement orders for approved works.
To prevent tenders related to development projects from being stalled during the code of conduct, a large number of sitting MLAs, former corporators, and contractors have been flocking to the corporation. A noticeable presence of officials and former corporators from the ruling party has been observed among those in a hurry.
Once the code is in place, the administration will be unable to approve any new projects. Consequently, there has been a marked acceleration in the pace of work within the corporation as officials strive to finalize as many projects as possible before the deadline.
In this context, a meeting of the Standing Committee was conducted under the leadership of the Municipal Commissioner. In a previous meeting held last week, 160 diverse proposals were approved, including projects valued between 90 and 100 crores. In Thursday's meeting, around 220 tenders worth approximately 400 crores for various works received approval.
Throughout the Standing Committee meeting, department heads and staff were observed hustling to get proposals approved. The urgency was evident as they prepared proposals for crucial topics essential to the city's development, taking them to the office of the Municipal Commissioner on the fourth floor for authorization.
To facilitate the initiation of further development projects, some departments and officials continued to work late into the night at the municipal corporation.
