Indian Express 22.11.2010
PMC spends Rs 83 cr on underground cables but utility in no hurry to repay
Ajay Khape Tags : corporation Posted: Sun Nov 21 2010, 02:25 hrs
Pune: The efforts of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to get Rs 83 crore — which includes expenses of Rs 37 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) — it spent on replacing the overhead electric wires with underground cables have gone futile, with the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) paying little heed to the demand.“It was only after an assurance from the MSEDCL that the PMC undertook work to replace the overhead wires. The work started in 2004. A major part of it was done for the development of roads for Bus Rapid Transit System under JNNURM,” deputy municipal commissioner (technical) Vijay Dahibhate said. He said the civic body had to complete the road development work in a hurry for the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 and it had faced hurdles like electric poles carrying overhead wires along the route. The MSEDCL Pune circle had allowed the PMC to carry out the work on its behalf and funds worth Rs 37 crore were spent on it expecting the utility to pay it up later.
Executive engineer (technical) Srinivas Kandul said the PMC had now stopped replacing the electric poles with underground cable as it was the responsibility of the power utility. “The civic administration has already been under fire for using its funds for the MSEDCL work. We will not take up any work that is not our responsibility.”
Senior MSEDCL officials said the decision could only be taken at the ministry level and the Pune circle office could not do much about it. “The MSEDCL has undertaken major infrastructure development work for electricity distribution in the city and is already facing fund crunch,” one of them said.
Activist Vivek Welankar said the PMC administration had made a mistake by carrying out the work without any written assurance from the MSEDCL. Welankar alleged that the PMC officials had also failed in effectively following up its demand. He said there was a suggestion that the PMC should recover the expenses through its monthly electricity bills.
