PMC has spent nearly ₹164 crore over past six years on drain cleaning and desilting efforts,still many parts of city keep drowning during monsoon . For residents,this is not small thing ah .
And every year same scenes come back. Karvenagar,Sinhagad Road,Kothrud and even Hadapsar keep facing severe waterlogging when rains hit badly . People are not asking for luxury here,just basic drainage that actually works.
This whole issue came up during General Body meeting when Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Dattatray Bahirat questioned effectiveness of city’s drainage maintenance . Fair question only,because after spending this much money,roads should not look like streams every monsoon.
According to PMC’s written reply,around ₹121 crore was spent on drain cleaning and ₹43 crore on desilting monsoon chambers . But data shared covered only 2020-21 to 2025-26,which means earlier spending is still not clearly in picture.
And honestly,this is where public doubt becomes stronger.
Few things standing out clearly here:
- Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) spent nearly ₹164 crore over past six years on drain cleaning and desilting efforts.
- Localities like Kothrud and Hadapsar report severe waterlogging every monsoon.
- Several tenders were awarded at 30 to 50 percent below estimated costs,raising questions about quality.
That tender point is making people more angry . If contractors are getting work at 30 to 50 percent below estimated costs,then citizens will obviously ask whether actual cleaning is happening properly or just paperwork is looking clean.
Residents are already frustrated because after such high expenditure,they are still dealing with flooded roads,blocked drains and messy commutes . And when public money is involved,there has to be proper audit of drain-cleaning works,not just routine replies in meetings.
But with monsoon season approaching,pressure on PMC is going to increase more . People want stricter monitoring of contractors,clearer spending details and real pre-monsoon work on ground,not last-minute activity for photos .
At same time,bigger question is still hanging there… if ₹164 crore spending cannot stop same flooding in same areas,then what exactly is going wrong inside system?
