Pune: Citizen activists have demanded that PMC conduct a third-party assessment of roadworks done for the Pune Grand Tour, an international cycling event scheduled to take place annually in the city. The move comes after heavy criticism of roadworks done for last year’s event.In a letter submitted to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), activists suggested that Engineers India Limited (EIL), a govt organisation, be roped in for this assessment and monitoring of future works.“Against the backdrop of the Pune Grand Tour cycling event 2027, tendering processes are under way for development and maintenance of various roads across Pune city. The cost estimates prepared for these works are incorrect. Furthermore, payments to selected contractors should only be released after their work is thoroughly inspected by EIL, a Govt of India (GoI) enterprise,” said Ujwal Keskar of the Aaple Pune social group.The organisation said following recent monsoon rain, it has become evident that works carried out by contractors along last year’s cycling route were of extremely poor quality. Numerous potholes have surfaced within a short span of time, and the upper layer of the roads has completely deteriorated in several places.The letter also stated that substantial public funds were spent on levelling manhole chambers across the city using a new standard operating procedure (SOP). However, concrete surrounding the chambers has washed away in most spots, making it hazardous for commuters.“Contractors responsible for such substandard work must be disqualified from the current year’s tendering process or blacklisted as per standard rules,” said Suhas Kulkarni, an activist and former leader of opposition in PMC.He said the primary reason for the low-quality work was that after securing large-value tenders, prime contractors outsourced substantial portions of the work to subcontractors. “A corrigendum should be issued for published tenders to incorporate a joint venture (JV) clause. This will ensure clear accountability among partners,” he said.According to PMC officials, all due process was followed by the civic administration for construction. The administration has issued tenders again for next year’s event.“This year’s project focuses on upgrading about 84km of new stretches within PMC limits for the PGT 2027 route, alongside maintaining roads improved for PGT 2026. Work primarily involves resurfacing, trench repairs, pedestrian infrastructure, road safety upgrades, and route beautification to meet international event standards,” said PMC city engineer Aniruddha Pawaskar.
