The Pune administration has stopped new road-digging permissions after November 20 and will impose a quadruple fine on violations as the city prepares for the Pune Grand Tour cycle race. District and municipal officials have also ordered utility companies to complete ongoing works within the deadline and submit written commitments on manpower, timelines and the scope of work.
The decision was taken at a joint review meeting chaired by Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi and Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Thursday. The meeting examined road development, asphalting, footpath construction and cycle-track beautification works being carried out across four project packages linked to the event.
After November 20, no road-digging permission will be granted in the areas covered by the preparations, according to the decision reported by Loksatta – Pune. Any digging carried out after the deadline will attract a fine four times the applicable charge. The administration has fixed the date as the final cut-off for service-related excavation before the cycling event.
Officials expressed strong displeasure with companies that had received permission to dig roads for utility works but had not completed the projects within the approved timelines. The organisations named in the review included Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited, Mahavitaran, Dinesh Engineering and Allied Digital, along with other concerned agencies and companies.
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram directed the companies permitted to undertake service works to finish them within the deadline. The order covers excavation associated with utility projects on routes connected with the event. The stated objective is to ensure that road repairs and related infrastructure works are completed before the race preparations reach their final stage.
District Collector Jitendra Dudi asked the concerned institutions to submit written undertakings specifying how much work they would complete, the manpower required and the time needed for completion. The requirement places responsibility on agencies and contractors to provide a documented execution plan rather than relying only on the original excavation permission.
The review was attended by Additional Municipal Commissioners Pavneet Kaur and Omprakash Diwate, City Engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar and Chief Engineer Rajesh Bankar, among other officials. Their participation reflects the coordination required between the district administration, the municipal corporation and utility agencies when road works overlap with a major public event.
The deadline also highlights a recurring coordination challenge in urban road management: roads are often reopened for separate utility works after resurfacing or improvement projects. In this case, the administration has linked excavation controls to a specific event timetable and combined the restriction with a financial penalty for non-compliance.
The immediate impact will be on agencies planning service-related excavation along the race routes and on the municipal teams responsible for road, footpath and cycle-track works. The next formal step is for the concerned companies and institutions to submit their written commitments and complete the approved works by November 20.
