3 min readPuneApr 10, 2024 08:43 PM IST
First published on: Apr 10, 2024 at 02:19 PM IST
On June 13, 2020, the standing committee of the Pune Zilla Parishad adopted a unanimous resolution to cancel all works that were approved before the 2018-19 fiscal and were yet to begin. In a single stroke, 135 projects budgeted at Rs 763.94 lakh were cancelled. In 2023, the Maharashtra Accountant General (AG) flagged the drastic action in its annual audit report, saying it “ultimately resulted in depriving the citizens…of basic infrastructure”.
The report, a copy of which was made available to The Indian Express under the Right To Information Act, 2005, shows that the 135 projects were proposed by the Zilla Parishad members between 2015-16 to 2018-19. The projects were related to the construction of roads, bridges, community halls etc, the development of religious sites, works related to the health department etc.
Though the 135 projects had been sanctioned and budgeted, work was yet to begin. “Cancellation of works ultimately resulted in depriving the citizens of ZP Pune of basic infrastructure. This reflects improper planning of Zilla Parishad, Pune, while developing the infrastructure,” the audit report said.
The audit report also flagged 117 unfinished projects related to the construction of rural roads, development of tribal areas, repair of roads and bridges etc. Work on these projects had begun between 2018 to 2022 but they were yet to be completed, the report said.
In both instances, the Zilla Parishad had cited issues like non-availability of land, delay in issue of work order due to the monsoon etc.
The Pune Zilla Parishad covers all rural areas of Pune, barring those that fall under the jurisdiction of the Pune Municipal Corporation, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation and the three Cantonment boards of Pune, Khadki and Dehu.
The term of the previous Pune Zilla Parishad ended two years ago. Like several other local bodies in Maharashtra, elections to the Pune Zilla Parishad have been delayed due to petitions pending before the Supreme Court related to providing Other Backward Class (OBC) quotas in civic bodies.
Pandurang Pawar, a former Zilla Parishad member from Junnar taluka, said the unfinished projects were proposed by members themselves. “At times, members propose work at the urging of their voters but then they get entangled in issues like land disputes, land acquisition problems etc. We need a more proactive role from the administration and the people’s representatives to ensure that works don’t just remain on paper,” he said.
Though the 135 projects had been sanctioned and budgeted, work was yet to begin. 
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