PMC to Host Online Auction for Fireworks Stalls This Year; 194 Stalls to Be Rented Out at 13 Locations in Pune City
Pune, 25th September 2024: Last year, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) conducted an online auction to rent firecracker stalls. Despite pressure to revert to offline auctions this year, the PMC has decided to invite tenders for 194 stalls across 13 locations within the limits of nine ward offices. An income of ₹16,54,036 is anticipated from this initiative.
During Diwali, the PMC rents space to traders to set up stalls along the riverbank road next to Vartak Garden. However, local traders have been known to prevent other interested candidates from bidding in offline auctions, often resorting to threats against those who dare to participate.
To combat this issue, the administration implemented an online auction system in 2023, which generated an income of ₹85 lakhs. Interestingly, a stall for which the PMC had fixed the rent at ₹25,000 received a bid of ₹2 lakh. This online bidding has proven to be costly for politically connected traders, leading to calls to discontinue online bidding this year. However, the administration has rejected these demands.
It is reported that space for 35 stalls will be rented out in Vartak Garden this year, with each stall’s rent fixed at ₹25,155. Bidding will start from this amount.
Additionally, nine stalls will be leased in the Kondhwa-Yewalewadi ward office limits, 30 in Hadapsar-Mundhwa, five in Yerwada-Kalas-Dhanori, five in Kothrud-Bavdhan, 30 in Dhankawadi-Sahakarnagar, five on Sinhagad Road, 40 on Nagar Road-Vadgaon Sheri, 10 in Aundh-Baner, and 20 in the Warje-Karvenagar ward office limits. Rental space will be available at two locations in the Hadapsar-Mundhwa and Dhankawadi-Sahakarnagar areas.
