Pune civic body notices six sweeping contractors, recovers ₹6.25 lakh in fines

Pune: The Pune Municipal Corporation has begun fining contractors who are careless with road sweeping. Six contractors have been served notices for lapses such as garbage piling up at work sites, chronic spots left uncleaned and sweepers missing from their assigned beats. About ₹6.25 lakh in fines has been recovered so far.

To improve cleanliness, the corporation has started a three-month pilot of "performance-based sweeping", with the work in each ward office area handed to different contractors. Quality is being checked on the ground, and additional commissioner Prajit Nair has inspected some areas. Surprise checks will follow, with action if lapses are found.

Sweeping by 325 workers in the Bibwewadi ward office area and 275 in Wanowrie-Ramtekdi is handled by a single contractor. As the work fell short even after two months, fines of ₹1,000 per worker, ₹6 lakh in all, were recovered. In the Kothrud-Bavdhan ward office area, the agency concerned was fined ₹20,000 after lapses were found in the work of 20 sweepers.

Earlier, contractors were only given notices, and one company had been fined ₹5,000, said Santosh Warule, deputy commissioner of the solid waste department. Fining ₹1,000 per worker has improved sweeping by 50 per cent, he said.

Source: Pudhari