The Maharashtra Warehousing Corporation has shifted its Pune offices into a newly built six-storey administrative building near the Market Yard bus stop before the facility’s formal inauguration, leaving its two long-standing office buildings locked and prompting questions about public asset use and communication with citizens.
The move was visibly completed by Tuesday, October 13, according to a report by Pudhari – Pune. The corporation’s chairman and managing director Kaustubh Divegaonkar and joint managing director, secretary and additional registrar of co-operation Deepak Shinde were reported to have moved the offices from the two existing buildings near the corporation’s headquarters into the new premises.
The shift was not accompanied by a public notice or press release informing farmers and citizens about the change of location, the report said. For a government-linked warehousing organisation, the absence of such information has practical consequences because farmers, traders and other visitors may continue to approach the old premises for administrative services.
The new administrative building has a reported total area of 5,600 square metres and seating capacity for 210 employees and officers. Earlier information provided by officials placed the construction cost at approximately ₹13.65 crore under the original estimate. The report said that the current expenditure, including any increase over the initial estimate, was not available.
The corporation’s two earlier buildings have reportedly remained unused for the past three to four months. The buildings are owned by the corporation, meaning the reported vacancy does not involve rent payments for the premises themselves but raises questions about whether an income-generating or alternative-use plan was put in place after the move. Earlier officials had reportedly discussed efforts to lease the spaces to banks or commercial entities.
The issue therefore extends beyond the timing of an inauguration. It involves the management of publicly owned office space, the transition of services between locations and the disclosure of expenditure associated with a government corporation’s capital project. The report did not establish whether the old premises had been formally assessed for leasing, whether a tender or other process had been initiated, or whether the new building had received all operational clearances required for regular use.
Agriculture and marketing minister Jaikumar Rawal inspected the new building on April 11, 2026, and reportedly issued instructions to officials. However, the report did not specify whether those instructions related to the building’s inauguration, its use, or the future of the older offices.
Pudhari – Pune reported that Divegaonkar could not be reached for comment. Shinde was reported to have said that information would be provided through an in-person discussion. The minister’s position on the early relocation, the treatment of the old buildings and the timing of the formal inauguration was also not available in the supplied report.
The corporation’s next public step will determine whether it releases details on the relocation, the building’s final cost, the status of the two older offices and the schedule for the formal inauguration.
