Pune: ₹2 Crore Irregularities Detected in PMC Stores Department; Action Initiated Against 20 Officials
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Pune, March 5, 2026: The administration of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated disciplinary action against 20 officials after an inquiry revealed major irregularities in the civic body’s Stores Department, resulting in an estimated financial loss of nearly ₹2 crore.
The action follows a report submitted by a five-member inquiry committee appointed by Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. The committee found that several materials purchased by the department remained unused in municipal warehouses for years, causing financial losses to the civic body.
According to officials, one of the irregularities dates back to 2015 when the Stores Department procured uniform cloth worth ₹75 lakh and sarees worth ₹69.71 lakh for Class IV employees. Although payments were made to the contractor, the items were never distributed to the intended beneficiaries. Instead, the materials remained stored at a municipal facility in Vadgaon Budruk for nearly nine years.
In another case, the civic body purchased 20,000 kilograms of city waste treatment powder and 4,000 litres of liquid biocatalyst known as Ecochip in August 2023. The procurement, which cost around ₹50 lakh, was made based on a request from the Solid Waste Management Department. However, the materials were not used in time, leading to deterioration in their chemical properties and rendering them ineffective.
The issue was first raised in November 2025 by Hemant Sambhus, State General Secretary of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Sambhus alleged that the Stores, Solid Waste, and Accounts and Finance Departments had cleared payments to contractors without ensuring proper distribution or utilisation of the purchased materials. He demanded a thorough investigation and recovery of the losses.
Following the allegations, the Municipal Commissioner formed an inquiry committee headed by Additional Commissioner Omprakash Divate. Based on the committee’s findings, the General Administration Department issued show-cause notices to 20 officials across multiple departments.
Those facing action include the then Deputy Commissioner of the Stores Department, engineers, supervisors, clerical staff, and officials from the Solid Waste, Vigilance, and Electricity departments. Among the 20 officials, four have already retired. While 12 have submitted their explanations, eight are yet to respond.
With the deadline for replies now over, further disciplinary action by the civic administration is expected in the coming days.
