Poll code drives Pune corporators to get tenders cleared

The public representatives at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are on an overdrive to clear projects before the imposition of model code of conduct for upcoming general elections. Unlike previous years, Lok Sabha polls 2019 is another pusher apart from the financial year ending on March 31, a civic official said.

According to another civic official, the poll code will come into effect in the first or second week of March. Once the election dates are announced and the code of conduct is enforced, no new projects can be initiated. Hence, elected members are worried that if they are unable to complete the tendering process in the next two to three weeks, their allocated funds would lapse.

Ulka Kalaskar, PMC accounts department head, said, “Every year, in February and March, there is a rush to complete the pending civic work, but this time there is an additional pressure from the elected members and the administration to utilise funds as the model code of conduct for elections will be announced. The department is helping them to release bills earlier so that the work can start before the model code of conduct comes into effect.”

Yogesh Mulik, PMC standing committee chairman, said that major projects would not get affected by the poll code. “We have already launched important schemes, including Prime Minister Awas Yojana. I have instructed municipal commissioner and other department heads to clear projects on priority basis. We will try and approve maximum number of projects after checking their merit,” he said.

Gopal Chintal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said, “All the elected members are aggressively following up the status of their projects to ensure that their funds do not lapse.”

Meanwhile, a senior civic official said that the PMC is facing a revenue shortfall of Rs2,000 crore this year. Therefore, only important projects will be approved.