Pune: PMC Plans New Ward Offices, Bigger Budget for Local Works

Pune, 10th September 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is considering enhancing the powers of its ward offices to ensure faster redressal of issues at the local level. With the expansion of PMC limits following the merger of surrounding villages, both the geographical size of wards and the number of ward offices have increased. A formal proposal in this regard will be drafted and submitted to the state government for approval, Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B. P. said.

Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram chaired a meeting on Tuesday with Assistant Commissioners of the 15 ward offices and department heads. The discussion focused on strengthening ward offices by increasing their administrative powers and financial allocation.

“Due to the inclusion of villages, ward areas have expanded significantly, but the manpower available at ward offices has not increased proportionately. It was suggested that necessary staff be appointed while enhancing the powers of ward offices,” Additional Commissioner Prithviraj said.

The meeting also explored the possibility of creating new ward offices to improve service delivery. “If the state government approves the proposal, the number of employees will also be increased. Recruitment will become necessary as more ward offices are set up,” Prithviraj added.

Currently, PMC has been functioning without corporators for the past three years, leaving the entire administration in the hands of officials. With no elected representatives to escalate complaints, citizens often approach the PMC headquarters instead of ward offices. This has led to overcrowding at the main building and delays in grievance redressal, officials noted.

To tackle this, the administration plans to delegate more responsibilities to ward offices. “Major projects like laying drainage lines and constructing roads will continue to be handled by central departments. However, the maintenance and repair of such works will be entrusted to ward offices. Adequate funds will be allocated, and a standby tender process will be introduced for urgent works to save time,” Prithviraj said.