PMC announces five tenders worth Rs 50 lakh to paint walls in Pune
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), on Wednesday, invited five tenders totally worth Rs 50 lakh for a paint contract for public walls in the city. The paint job in question is for artistic graffiti (as seen in pic) to give wall spaces in the city a fresh look and to avoid it being dirtied.
The initiative is under the Swachh Survekshan project and officials say this will help spread the social awareness message. Five tenders have been announced, each valued at Rs 8.47 lakh, excluding 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST). For the first time the PMC is aiming to use washable paint, a move that has invited criticism from activists.
A junior engineer associated with the project, requesting anonymity, said, “These paints will be washable. Every ward has been asked to submit a list of walls to be painted in a total area of 1,500 square feet. Five tenders have been invited, each for the five administrative zones and the locations will be given by the wards.”
“The tenders have been invited on Wednesday and the responses will come in a week’s time. The Swachh Survekshan is likely to take place by the second or third week of January 2020 and so before that, we want to paint the city’s walls,” said the official.
A Swachh Survekshan team from the central government will survey the city and rate the city for its cleanliness. Pune’s Swachh ranking this year slipped from 10th to 14th rank in cities with a population of above 10 lakh and 37 in cities with a population of above one lakh.
Dnyaneshwar Molak, chief of solid waste management, said, “It may seem like an expensive paint but usually with the normal paint we have to repaint the walls every year and so the eventual cost of the painting rises three times. So considering that this cost would be cheaper. The walls can be washed easily even pan stains can be cleared without repainting the walls. It will not only work for beautification but also for spreading social awareness messages.” Vivek Velankar, activist, said, “This may be a feasible option if the paint would remain intact for three years and if the PMC does not decide to change it every year. The civic body should focus more on improving the city’s actually hygiene conditions than spend money on such beautification.”
Source: Hindustan Times
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