The Pune Municipal Corporation has invited tenders worth a combined Rs 1.05 crore to set up medical rooms and Hirkani rooms during Ganeshotsav, but the timing and duration specified in the teander have prompted objections from the Sajag Nagrik Manch.
The civic body’s Zone 5 issued an advertisement on 12 September for five separate tenders, each valued at Rs 21.185 lakh. According to the details reported by Loksatta, the tenders are scheduled to be opened on 21 September, while Ganesh immersion is scheduled for 25 September.
The tender advertisement states that the facilities will remain operational for 20 days. Sajag Nagrik Manch has questioned the need for that duration because the tender-opening date falls only four days before the scheduled immersion. The organisation has demanded that the tenders be cancelled, alleging that the arrangement could result in an avoidable expenditure of municipal funds.
The objection was raised by Vivek Velankar, president of Sajag Nagrik Manch. His criticism focuses on the relationship between the procurement timeline, the festival schedule and the proposed operating period. The report does not include a response from the Pune Municipal Corporation to the organisation’s demand for cancellation.
Medical rooms are generally intended to provide first-response assistance during large public gatherings, while Hirkani rooms are facilities designed for women caring for infants. Ganeshotsav generates significant public movement across Pune, placing additional demands on emergency response, sanitation, crowd management and public amenities. The tender dispute therefore concerns not only the total amount but also how the civic body plans and procures temporary services for a fixed-duration festival.
The five tenders were issued independently at the same quoted value of Rs 21.185 lakh each, bringing the combined amount to Rs 1,05,92,500. The reported figures indicate that the contracts were planned through PMC’s Zone 5 rather than as a single citywide tender, although the supplied report does not provide the exact locations, technical specifications or staffing requirements for the proposed facilities.
The timing leaves the civic body with a short period between tender opening and the start of immersion-related activity. However, the report does not establish whether the 20-day period begins before the tender-opening date, whether the facilities are intended for events preceding immersion, or whether the tender documents include additional festival activities. Those details would be relevant to assessing the procurement schedule and the spending objection.
The next formal milestone identified in the tender is the opening of bids on 21 September. The PMC’s position on the cancellation demand, the final award decision and the actual operating schedule remain to be established.
