Rs 101 Crore Collected by PMC in Excavation Charges, Yet Pune Roads Still Pocked With Potholes : Activists
Pune, 10th September 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) collected more than Rs 101 crore in excavation charges from companies and agencies for digging up nearly 119 km of roads over the past two financial years. However, poor restoration of these stretches has led to potholes reappearing at several locations, raising questions over how effectively the civic body is monitoring road repairs.
The figures, obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, show that the PMC approved 671 road excavation cases in 2024-25 and 2025-26, involving a total stretch of 1,19,306 metres.
The civic body collected Rs 49.38 crore in excavation charges in 2024-25 and Rs 51.72 crore in 2025-26, taking the two-year revenue to Rs 101.11 crore.
Vivek Velankar, president of the Sajag Nagrik Manch, alleged that despite collecting substantial excavation charges, roads were not being restored scientifically, resulting in potholes developing at the same locations and causing inconvenience to commuters.
Maharashtra Natural Gas Limited (MNGL) accounted for the largest share of the excavation activity, digging around 50 km of roads in 189 cases and paying approximately Rs 30.90 crore in charges.
The PMC recovered Rs 7.76 crore from 108 excavation cases involving MSEDCL, while around Rs 57.74 crore was collected from 363 cases involving other organisations.
Excavation charges were also recovered from agencies and companies involved in projects related to Metro, PMRDA, Torrent Gas, MSRTC and telecom services.
Velankar said the issue was not merely about road digging but also the quality of restoration after utility and infrastructure work was completed. He alleged that repeated digging and inadequate restoration had contributed to the city’s persistent pothole problem.
