Amid opposition from MLAs, Chandrakant Patil presses for nullah retaining wall 

Amid opposition from three MLAs in city to bids with less than the estimated cost for the nullah retaining wall, minister of Higher Education and Kothrud MLA pressed for going ahead with the project. 

Though the Maharashtra government has approved ₹200 crore for constructing the retaining wall alongside Ambil Odha and other nullas in Pune city, due to administrative negligence and political pressure, resulting Pune Municipal Corporation not to kickstart the work. 

Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) leader Ashwini Kadam has raised this issue with chief minster Devendra Fadnavis and asked him to look into it as he had announced a 100-day action plan for administration in Maharashtra. 

Kadam said, “Maharashtra government had approved ₹200 crore for erecting the compound walls to avoid the flood issue. It is expected that the work will be completed before monsoon. However, the administration is delaying the work despite completing the tender process. We request the chief minister that as he had given a 100-day action plan, he should look into it.” 

Meanwhile, recently minister of state (MoS) for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol held a meeting at PMC headquarters along with all the MLAs. Sources said that some of the BJP MLAs raised the objection to the tendering process and instructed the administration to recall the tenders. But senior MLA and minister Chandrakant Patil was of the view that as the tendering process got completed and all the tenders were below the estimated cost, instead of wasting time, the tendering process should be approved, and work should start. 

“If the tendering process is completed and if it is below the estimated cost, administration can go ahead. The state government has approved the funds a year before and the work should start before the monsoon,” Patil said during the meeting. 

Earlier, Hindustan Times had reported that Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) plan to construct retaining walls along nullahs and the Ambil Odha to mitigate flooding during the monsoon has hit a roadblock. Concerns raised by three BJP MLAs over the tender process have delayed the ₹200 crore project as the contractors have quoted rates 15–20% lower than PMC’s estimated costs, prompting questions about the quality of work. 

Considering the different opinions of the elected members, the administration preferred to remain silent on this proposal. 

One of the senior officers on anonymity said, “The tendering process has been completed. However, some MLAs have objected to it. Even the State government has not released the funds yet. By considering that we had decided to remain silent till the state government handed over the money.” 

Sources said that due to the difference of opinion among the BJP MLAs, it was decided that the issue should be taken up with chief minister Fadnavis for a final decision. 

In 2019, the Ambil Odha overflowed, causing extensive damage across Pune, including Tangewala Society, Gururaj Housing Society, and the parking lot of Treasure Park Society, where over 600 vehicles were damaged. Post-flood assessments identified 50 flood-prone locations, prompting plans for retaining walls in areas like Sinhagad Road, Satara Road, Sahakarnagar, Bibwewadi, Ambegaon, Katraj, and Kondhwa.