Nagpur: What would Rs 41.09 lakh buy in Nagpur? A 580sqft flat in Friends Colony. But state PWD plans to spend almost the same amount to renovate the dining area and a general toilet at a govt bungalow in Civil Lines. The fresh spending comes amid Maharashtra’s severe drought crisis and the state PWD’s substantial financial liabilities.The work is part of three fresh tenders of Rs10.11cr combined floated by PWD Division No. 1 on Thursday, barely a day after questions were raised over its earlier Rs10.38cr fund splurge for 94 pre-winter session repair work.The fresh tenders cover 57 works — 26 works of Rs 4.77cr in one package, 24 works worth Rs 3.5cr in another and seven works of Rs1.84cr in the third. All works carry a one-month completion period, indicating the urgency with which the department wants to complete them ahead of Maharashtra legislature’s winter session in Nagpur in December.The most striking expenditure is at Bungalow 27/1 in Civil Lines, where PWD proposed Rs41.6 lakh for strengthening the meeting hall and other repairs and another Rs 41.09 lakh for renovating the dining area and general toilet. Together, the two works cost Rs 82.69 lakh. The Rs 41.09-lakh estimate for a dining area and toilet is particularly striking when compared with prevailing residential property prices.The fresh tenders also include Rs 42.02 lakh for strengthening a roadside passage with stamped concrete at Ramgiri Bungalow and another Rs 42.02 lakh for replacement of roof and renovation of Ministerial Cottage No.13 at Ravi Bhavan.A close look at tender documents shows several other high-value renovations at premises used during the winter session. At Vidhan Bhavan, PWD proposed Rs 82.78 lakh for two renovation works — Rs 41.6 lakh for the CM chamber, ante-chamber, dining room and washroom, and Rs 41.18 lakh for the CM office and toilet at the Old Annexe building.At Hyderabad House, four works include Rs 21.1 lakh for internal and external painting of the new building. At MLA Hostel, Rs 38.66 lakh has been earmarked for external and oil painting of Wing No. 2 and Rs 23.53 lakh for Wings 3 and 4. At Deogiri, three works include repairs to ministerial cottages and PA quarters.Several estimates also follow recurring slabs. Notice 49 includes two works pegged at Rs16.88 lakh each and two at Rs12.66 lakh. Other individual works carry estimates of Rs 21.1 lakh, Rs15.61 lakh, Rs15.19 lakh and Rs9.16 lakh.A senior PWD official had earlier told TOI that repeated estimates are a result of the department’s standard maintenance-estimation process. For maintenance works below Rs10 lakh, detailed estimates are prepared after accounting for GST and other overheads, after which the amount is reflected in the technical sanction.The official had also said the model code of conduct for the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency election does not bar maintenance and RAC works in existing govt buildings.Citizen Anil Wadpalliwar questioned the expenditure, saying, “When PWD is already struggling with around Rs17,000 crore in pending dues, it is legitimate to ask why it is taking on such additional repair expenditure. There should be an independent third-party audit and inspection to establish whether these works are genuinely necessary and justified.”The spending also comes when Nagpur has a proposed Rs952-crore barrage on the Kanhan river to augment the city’s water storage capacity, with the proposal awaiting administrative approval.
