MSRDC cracks whip on two Pune ring road contractors over slow progress, issues notices

Pune: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) last month issued notices to two of the five contractors appointed for the Rs 55,000-crore Pune ring road project after their progress remained below 10%, raising concerns over delays in execution of the ambitious corridor.MLAs have repeatedly flagged the slow pace of work and stressed the need to expedite the project, considering its importance in improving connectivity to key highways, especially the Pune-Mumbai expressway. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also taken note of the delays and directed contractors and officials to speed up execution.MSRDC joint managing director Rajesh Patil told TOI that the two contractors have been warned of penalties, which usually amount to nearly 1% of the contract value if they fail to improve progress.“Non-achievement notices have already been issued. We are closely monitoring the work,” he said.Work completion in the other contract packages has crossed 35%.Nearly a year after the contracts were awarded, official progress reports till Feb 2026 show that both the eastern and western stretches are lagging behind schedule, with several milestones missed.The Pune ring road is planned as a 6-8 lane greenfield access-controlled expressway on a DBFOT (toll) basis with a 40-year concession period. The eastern corridor spans 71.35km and is expected to be completed by March 2028, while the 65.45km western corridor has a target completion date of Dec 2027.Official reports show that interchange work in the two packages where notices were issued has achieved only 2.7% completion, while rail overbridges have seen no progress. Road construction and tunnelling activities have also remained slow. On the eastern side, some packages recorded less than 1% progress against targets of around 25%, while sources said progress in parts of the western corridor was only around 3.4%.MLA Shankar Jagtap said the project was crucial for easing congestion and improving highway connectivity. “With the Missing Link project on the Pune-Mumbai expressway now open, the ring road will play a major role in reducing travel time and decongesting city roads,” he said.He told TOI that he is regularly following up with authorities regarding the completion of the project.MLA Siddharth Shirole said there should be no further delays now that contracts have been awarded. “Any lag in execution will only worsen congestion and delay much-needed connectivity,” he said.Hari Menon, an IT professional, said inter-connectivity to highways should improve. “We have been hearing about the Pune ring road for over a decade now. It is sad that the project is being delayed so much and that contractors are not committed to completing the work on time,” he told TOI.