500 Traffic Wardens For Key Junctions in Pune: PMC Clears Rs 17cr Proposal

Pune, 17th September 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) standing committee has approved a proposal to deploy 500 traffic wardens at 250 major junctions across the city to help ease traffic congestion, at an estimated cost of Rs 17.09 crore for one year.

The approval comes amid questions over the tender process after a tender for deploying 316 traffic wardens was reportedly halted just before it was scheduled to be issued. The civic administration has now proposed awarding the work without a tender under Section 67(3)(c) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, citing the urgency of the requirement.

The traffic police had sought additional manpower from the PMC to assist with traffic management. Mayor Manjusha Nagpure had also directed the civic administration to appoint traffic wardens.

Following this, a meeting between the PMC and traffic police was held on August 14. Under the proposal, two traffic wardens and one traffic police personnel will be deployed at each of the 242 junctions identified by the traffic department.

Another 16 wardens will be deployed at eight junctions in the Bavdhan area, taking the total requirement to 500.

Earlier, the civic security department had prepared a tender worth Rs 10.50 crore for 316 wardens. The tender was scheduled to be floated between September 11 and 16, but was stopped before it was published.

The decision subsequently led to discussions within civic circles over whether the work was being proposed for direct allotment to a particular contractor under Section 67(3). The latest proposal to increase the number of wardens to 500 and award the work under the same provision has now been approved by the standing committee.

The civic administration has justified the move by citing the time required for completing the tender process, obtaining administrative approval and issuing a work order. It said the required manpower would be arranged through the security department.

However, the proposal has also raised questions over the availability of funds. According to the document, only Rs 1.70 crore is currently available under the relevant budget head, while the proposed expenditure is more than Rs 17 crore for the year.

The administration has not yet made clear how the remaining funds required for the project will be provided.