The Pune Municipal Corporation has issued fresh tenders worth ₹116.50 crore for footpath improvements and road restoration across the city, following the cancellation of an earlier ₹75 crore tender that had triggered allegations over restrictive conditions and inadequate competition.
The civic administration has floated tenders worth ₹58.60 crore for upgrading pedestrian pathways and a further ₹57.90 crore for restoring roads that were damaged by utility and departmental excavation. The two sets of works are expected to be taken up over the coming months, with an implementation period of 12 months specified for the projects.
The footpath package covers routes connected to the Pune Grand Tour cycle competition as well as other roads in the city. The administration has described the proposed pathways as being of “world-class” standard, although the report does not specify the design standards, accessibility features, materials or maintenance arrangements that will be used.
Separately, the civic body plans to restore around 85 kilometres of roads. This includes approximately 70 kilometres excavated during the previous year for laying utility lines and another 15 kilometres cut up by different municipal departments. The restoration work is intended to address roads affected by this excavation.
The civic administration is also undertaking road works linked to the cycle competition. Across four packages, around 83 kilometres of roads are to undergo repairs, resurfacing and work to raise chambers to road level. Some works have already begun, while other stretches will be resurfaced after the existing top layer is scraped off. The report puts the cost of this separate road work at ₹167.25 crore.
The latest road-restoration tenders follow a dispute over an earlier procurement process. The first set of three tenders, valued at ₹75 crore, faced allegations that their conditions were designed to make selected contractors eligible. The issue led to criticism of the civic administration and the ruling establishment.
After examining the tender conditions, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishor Ram cancelled the earlier process, citing confusion created by the terms and conditions and the lack of sufficient competition. He subsequently directed officials to issue seven tenders, each of approximately ₹10 crore, for road restoration. The revised tenders have a combined value of ₹57.90 crore and include modified eligibility conditions, according to officials cited in the report.
The procurement changes are significant because road restoration in Pune is closely linked to the city’s expanding utility network and the way excavation permissions are managed. The figures in the report indicate that road cuts by utility agencies and municipal departments have created a substantial restoration requirement. The new tender structure is intended to encourage wider participation rather than concentrate the work among a limited number of contractors.
For residents, the immediate question is whether the spending will result in continuous, usable footpaths and roads that remain level after utility work. The civic administration has not yet provided, in the supplied report, a detailed schedule for individual locations, contractor names, monitoring arrangements or penalties for poor-quality work. The works are expected to proceed under the revised tenders, with the stated completion period extending to 12 months.
