Pune: PMC Pulls Up Police Contractor for Unauthorized Road Digging; Work Halted Till Diwali

Pune, 14th October 2025: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued a strongly worded letter of understanding to the police department’s contractor for digging roads without permission in several parts of the city while laying CCTV cables. The civic body has warned of strict action if such unauthorized excavation is repeated. The contractor has also been instructed to stop all road-digging work until after Diwali.

Aniruddha Pawaskar, head of the PMC’s Roads Department, said the civic body had permitted the police department to dig roads only in the Peth areas of central Pune to install CCTV infrastructure. However, the contractor appointed by the police allegedly extended the work to other parts of the city without prior approval.

PMC officials presented evidence of these violations in a review meeting with Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. “We showed 28 photographs proving that the contractor carried out road digging outside the permitted zones,” Pawaskar said. Following this, the Police Commissioner reportedly warned the contractor against such irregularities and assured the PMC that no further unauthorized work would be carried out.

Pawaskar added that the civic body’s letter to the contractor clearly warns of disciplinary action if PMC guidelines are breached again. “While permission was granted only for the Peth area, the contractor dug roads in other localities and far beyond the allowed limit. Against the expected few meters per day, they excavated nearly a kilometre in some stretches,” he said.

Considering the festive rush ahead of Diwali, when thousands of citizens visit the central market areas for shopping, the PMC has directed the contractor to suspend all digging work temporarily to prevent public inconvenience.

The road-digging permission had been granted to the police department as part of a citywide CCTV surveillance project aimed at improving safety and crime monitoring. However, civic officials said that adherence to approved plans and coordination with the PMC are essential to avoid disruption and ensure proper restoration of roads after cable installation.