Bitumen Shortage Hits Pune as Global Oil Crisis Forces PMC to Source Asphalt From Kochi at Rs 40000 Per Truck
Surging global crude oil prices driven by geopolitical tensions have triggered a severe hot mix bitumen shortage in Pune crippling the PMC Yerawada plant and severely impacting pothole restoration across the city. PMC normally sources asphalt from Mumbai at Rs 7000 to Rs 8000 per truck but the shortage has forced the civic body to procure tar from Kochi nearly 1200 km away at a staggering Rs 40000 per truck adding enormous financial pressure on an already stretched road department. The timing could not be worse as PMC is preparing to lay around 135 km of roads for an upcoming international cycling event alongside regular repair works with three tenders worth Rs 25 crore each issued for pothole restoration totalling Rs 75 crore. PMC's road department head said two new hot mix plants have been proposed to increase production capacity and the civic body has sought a cost concession from Kochi suppliers to reduce procurement expenses.
The crisis has been compounded by a failed decentralisation experiment in which PMC allocated Rs 3.5 crore each to 15 ward offices for road repairs but several ward offices never floated tenders leaving repairs stalled across multiple areas. The central road department has now taken back sole responsibility and reissued tenders accordingly. Activists have called on PMC to plan better and build adequate raw material storage to prevent such supply crises in future. Meanwhile the Rs 168 crore cycling event road project covering 83 km of new roads and 52 km of existing roads will be handled by private contractors who will make their own asphalt arrangements easing some pressure on the struggling civic road department.
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