The Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case against Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation chief engineer Pramod Sudhakar Obhase for allegedly demanding a bribe to clear agreements linked to five water-supply works valued at Rs 91.57 lakh. The ACB said Obhase was taken into custody for investigation on October 29.
According to the complaint, the works covered maintenance and repairs of the water-supply network and the laying of new pipelines. The contractor had been awarded the five tenders but was required to execute agreements with the civic body before receiving work orders. The agreements needed signatures from the water-supply department’s superintendent engineer and chief engineer.
The contractor prepared the agreements, obtained the required signatures on behalf of the companies and submitted the files to the PCMC for approval. The files allegedly remained pending, the ACB complaint stated. Superintendent engineer Ajay Suryawanshi had allegedly demanded Rs 45,785 from the contractor for signing the agreements. The amount was calculated at 0.5 per cent of the combined tender value.
The contractor reportedly told Suryawanshi that the matter could be discussed after the work was completed. Suryawanshi subsequently signed three of the five tender files and forwarded them to Obhase, according to the complaint. The files then remained pending with the chief engineer, the ACB stated.
The contractor met Obhase on May 29, 2026, after the files had allegedly been pending for a considerable period. During the meeting, Obhase allegedly demanded Rs 45,785, also calculated at 0.5 per cent of the combined value of the five tenders. The contractor lodged a complaint with the ACB on June 11.
During verification on the same day, ACB officials found that Obhase had allegedly demanded Rs 19,000 for clearing three tender files on his table. The amount represented 0.5 per cent of the three works’ combined value of Rs 38 lakh. The ACB complaint also stated that Obhase admitted to having accepted a bribe from the contractor earlier. These are allegations recorded in the complaint and have not been established by a court.
A case was registered against Obhase on October 29 at Sant Tukaram Nagar police station in Pimpri Chinchwad under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The ACB said he was taken into custody at 3 pm for investigation. The action was led by deputy superintendent of police Neeta Misal, with supervision from deputy superintendent of police Satish Walke and guidance from Pune division superintendent Shirish Sardeshpande.
The case places scrutiny on the administrative process governing municipal water works, where contractors must secure departmental approvals before projects can move to the work-order stage. The ACB has appealed to citizens to report information related to corruption or complaints against public servants demanding bribes. It has listed 020-26132802, 020-25122134, 9403781064 and the toll-free helpline 1064 for complaints.
