Pune Municipal Corporation fines 33 contractors Rs 50 lakh for poor quality of roads, potholes

Due to the poor quality of the roads inside the city limits, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fined 33 contractors a total of Rs 50 lakh during the defect liability period.
Mumbai potholes - PTI.

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Pune: Due to the poor quality of the roads inside the city limits, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fined 33 contractors a total of Rs 50 lakh during the defect liability period.
"This is the second phase of action. Earlier, the civic administration had slapped around Rs8 lakh fine on contractors for not carrying out proper road work. More action is on the cards. The civic body is also making them repair the roads," said V G Kulkarni, head of the PMC's road department.
Throughout the term of defect liability, the contractors are in charge of the condition of the roads (DLP). A top PMC official responded that repeat offenders are being identified in response to a question regarding filing criminal complaints against these contractors. "The list of bad contractors is currently being put together. They shall receive harsh punishment, "said he.
According to PMC officials, contractors are fined Rs 5,000 for every square metre of pothole. Larger potholes result in higher fines. Contractors have so far paid the civic organisation a fine of almost Rs 8 lakh. According to the PMC, more than 11,000 potholes have allegedly been filled in the past three months. Civic groups and regular people, however, claimed that these fines are meaningless. Contractors should face more severe punishment, such as being put on a blacklist or being charged with a crime.
“Neither the civic administration nor the contractors are worried about the road quality. They don't care to build roads as per the standards of the Indian Road Congress," said a resident to TOI.
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